My cat has an enlarged liver. Is it serious? What tests are needed?

Although we can not prescribe treatment via an online method (illegal with our veterinary licenses), what i can tell you is that an ultrasound can not assess liver function. Ultrasound is just an image so it can tell you size and texture changes to organs and evaluate for masses, fluid, etc. Also the good appetite and energy level are not typical with liver failure. Your cat has elevated liver enzymes and total bilirubin but this does not always mean liver failure. I would try to get better clarification from your vet about what was seen on the ultrasound and were the other organs normal (pancreas, GI tract, etc.). More common causes of these bloodwork changes would include liver/biliary infection, pancreatitis, and underlying GI disease associated with the above. Cancer and certain infectious diseases such as FIP can as well. So options would include additional testing to search for a cause (such as pancreatitis testing, liver aspirates, etc.) and/or symptomatic treatment can be attempted for pancreatitis, liver infection, etc. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am sorry for the delay in answering your question... I hope that Iomy is feeling better! Based on his xray, it does appear that his liver may be a bit enlarged. If he is still showing symptoms of illness, ask your family veterinarian about an abdominal ultrasound. This may help clarify what the problem is and what your options are. Also, if blood tests haven't been done that would also be helpful. Again, I hope you he is feeling better.... if you have additional questions please feel free to post on the forum and we will do our best to help!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The further testing may help with determining what the primary cause is so that treatment can be administered that will help with the condition. However, if you do not want to put Kai through a major surgery or chemotherapy, the further diagnostics that have been recommended would then be more for your own knowledge so you know what the cause is. You could also keep Kai comfortable and start her on liver supplements without doing the further diagnostics and hope for the best. If you are determined to find out what the problem is, then I would proceed with the recommended testing that the veterinarian discussed with you. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Elevated liver enzymes and abnormal liver appearance on ultrasound scan does not necessary mean liver tumour or liver failure. Older dogs often have abnormal liver appearance, which is not related to any serious underlying problem. Liver enzymes level is a measure of 'damage' to liver cells but it is not directly related to prognosis. Again, older dogs often have mild elevation of liver enzymes I would think that the specialist will perform full abdominal scan and possibly take liver samples through a needle - this is commonly performed procedure in dogs with signs of liver disease. Based on the findings of the aspirate, the doctor will recommend further testing or prescribe treatment for Mars.

Hi and thanks for using PetCoach! Sorry to hear about Toby. Dehydration shouldn't affect creatinine. It affects BUN. Not sure what caused the slight rise in creatinine but that usually means there may be some kidney dysfunction. It's not that elevated and could be laboratory error also since the BUN is normal. Liver enzymes can become raised for many reasons. Liver inflammation, infection, pancreatitis, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, toxin exposure, among many other things. I don't think feeding a wet food is a bad idea, it forces the cat to take more fluids in since canned food has a high water content. I would also recommend a liver supplement to address the rise in the liver enzymes. I would advise checking out this website and the following products- https://vet.vrshealth.com/product/1157 Hepato TruBenefits and Cat and Small Dog Omega Benefits (fish oil) **Use Promo code “petcoach20” for a discount on your order. These two supplements can help the liver and the entire body repair. I would advise trying these and then have the bloodwork redone in 30-60 days to see if the values are better. Good luck

Hi, yes in cats even small changes in liver enzymes can be significant and are worthy further investigations. An ultrasound will have a look at the liver structure and biliary tree and will definitely provide more useful information.

Hello. It is good that the blood work was normal as this indicates there is no damage or destruction going on with the liver cells. Mild inflammation could cause the liver to swell slightly, especially since the liver is the main organ for removing toxins from the bloodstream. This means the liver is doing its job. And, this might just be an artifact of positioning during the x-ray or Jackson may just have a slightly larger liver than normal. If he seems better, then the medication is doing its job. If he continues to act unwell, the next step would be to ultrasound his liver to get a better picture as to what might be going on, & perhaps additional blood work to narrow things down. But I would not be too concerned just yet, as the liver has a great capacity to repair & regenerate itself ( the only organ in our bodies that can do so ). I hope Jackson is feeling better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.