If your feline friend has been diagnosed with liver disease, alongside other management options your Vet may recommend starting your cat on a special liver or ‘hepatic’ diet. You may be wondering if this is essential and what the actual benefits to this diet are. This article aims to explore the ins and outs of liver diets and how they provide maximum nutritional support.
Table of contents
What is liver disease?
The liver is a vitally important mammalian organ that we simply cannot live without. Some of its main roles are to eliminate the body’s toxic waste products, synthesise proteins and blood clotting factors, and to aid the process of digestion.
Having some knowledge of its main functions allows us to have a better understanding of how patients with a poorly functioning liver are affected. The liver can be damaged and affected by many disease processes. And the degree of damage will often determine how functional the liver is.
Cats can suffer from a range of liver diseases including liver tumours, inflammatory or infectious processes, congenital diseases, and portosystemic shunts. In patients suspected of having a liver problem, your Vet will perform a full physical examination; followed by a range of diagnostic testing including bloods, bile acid stimulation tests and abdominal imaging. Sometimes, to aid a diagnosis, liver biopsies are recommended alongside clotting factor bloods.
What is a liver diet?
As animal owners, we always want the best for our pets. If your cat has been diagnosed with liver disease or a liver problem, it may be recommended by your Vet that you start your cat on a liver diet. Liver, or hepatic, diets are specifically formulated diets to provide nutritional support to cats with impaired liver function.
These diets are usually complete and exclusive. This means that you should transition your cat onto this diet alone; and it should not be given alongside a commercial diet or treats. Alongside its dietary advantages, this diet will also ensure that your cat’s balanced nutritional needs are also met. As most liver diseases are progressive, a liver diet may be recommended lifelong.
Why feed a liver diet?
The ultimate aim of a liver diet is to improve their overall health, provide an adequate energy source and to reduce clinical signs. Below lists some of the advantages to starting your cat on a liver diet in cases of hepatic insufficiency (this list is not exhaustive):
High energy content
In any disease patient, we aim for them to always remain in a positive energy balance. This means that more energy is taken in than is expended during metabolism.
Specific and adapted level of protein
The specific protein content aims to reduce the toxin accumulation within the body. Also, by providing a diet high in protein, the liver’s workload is reduced whilst still maintaining an appropriate protein source for normal daily function. Your Vet will provide guidance on this but in some types of liver disease a protein restricted diet is recommended.
Highly palatable
Often in patients with liver disease (especially in advanced cases) their nutritional intake is not adequate, and some patients will be malnourished. Liver diets are cleverly designed to be appealing to cats to encourage as much food intake as possible to strengthen and support them. One of the main aims in any sick or unwell patient is nutritional support, we want them to eat!
Low copper content
Excessive and high levels of copper can be a problem in certain types of liver disease. When the body has too much copper, it can result in oxidative stress, liver cirrhosis and liver failure. By restricting a patient’s intake of copper, it can significantly reduce the amount of stored copper, and this is where dietary therapy plays a very important role.
High level of essential fatty acids
By providing abundant essential fatty acids, we reduce the workload of the liver; in addition, adjustign the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio, we can help to reduce inflammation.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is strongly advised to feed patients with liver disease an exclusive liver diet and I hope that this article has provided enough information to appreciate the importance of this.
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