Principals of therapy for acquired liver disease Part 1: Pathophysiology, treatment aims and nutrition

Abstract

small animal practice. In many cases where concern about liver disease is prompted by clinical signs or laboratory testing, a hepatopathy may be secondary to another disease process (Table 1). In those cases, management is aimed at addressing the primary disease. Acquired, primary hepatopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases, but there are key principles that can be used to guide treatment. The first in this series of articles will discuss the pathophysiology of liver disease and some supportive measures. The second will discuss the rationale behind different drugs used to treat liver disease in dogs and cats so that the optimum treatment choices can be made in individual cases.