The veterinarians at Mountain Animal Hospital are committed to keeping up-to-date with the every changing field of veterinary medicine. Recently we attended a continuing education lecture on a newly recognized liver disease in Labrador Retrievers. We wanted to share this new information with you in hopes of keeping your pets happy and healthy. Recently it has been found that some Labradors can become very ill due to copper accumulation in their livers. The average age affected is between 6.5 and 9.3 years old, with females being more affected than males. They scariest part is that most dogs show no symptoms until very late in the disease. The best way to pick up a problem is by looking for elevated liver values on yearly or biyearly wellness blood panels. If discovered early this disease is reversible with treatment and dogs can continue to live a healthy life on a special low copper diet. Without therapy the average survival times is only one year.
If you have any further questions or concerns about your pet please call us to make an appointment at (905)395-5354. We would be happy to discuss this further with you.
