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Generally, the following screening tests are recommended when liver disease is suspected: a complete blood count (CBC), a serum biochemical profile, and a urinalysis.
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The liver is an important organ necessary for controlling many different body functions. Signs of liver disease in cats include increased drinking and urination, abdominal swelling, jaundice, digestive upset, and weight loss. Signs, diagnostics, and treatments are discussed.
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Platynosomiasis is a disease caused by a parasitic worm called a liver fluke. It affects cats in tropical and subtropical regions. The lifecycle is complex and involves several hosts. Cats can become infected by ingesting lizards or amphibians that have the larval stages of the fluke. The flukes live in the bile ducts and gall bladder of affected cats, causing symptoms of liver disease.
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It is important to recognize that multiple tumors in the liver are not always cancers.
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The liver has a massive blood supply so many cancer cells from elsewhere arrive within it and start to grow. In dogs, metastatic tumors are three times as common as primary tumors and over 30% of malignant cancer may metastasize to the liver.
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Cats can have hearing loss due to increasing age or chronic ear infections, or they may be born with a defect. Deafness in cats can present some challenges, but overall they can have healthy, normal lives. It is possible to teach your cat household routines by using hand signals and body language. It is important to take their deafness into account when considering their safety, and they must remain indoors or in outdoor enclosures.
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Lomustine is used to treat lymphoma and tumors of the central nervous system in cats. It may be used to treat other forms of cancer as well.
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Loperamide is used to help manage diarrhea in dogs. It helps stop diarrhea by slowing down motility (movement) in the intestines. Loperamide has also been used to treat acute colitis and malabsorption/maldigestion.
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Lorazepam (brand names Ativan®, Lorazepam Intensol®) is a benzodiazepine medication used off label to treat behavior problems such as anxiety, fears, and phobias in cats and dogs. It can also be used to treat seizures or to stimulate appetite in cats. It is given by mouth or injection. Do not use in pets that are allergic to it or other benzodiazepines, or that have severe breathing problems, or liver disease. If a negative reaction occurs, please call your veterinary office.
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Lotilaner is used to treat and prevent flea infestations and treat and control tick infestations in dogs and cats. After being administered to a pet, lotilaner is distributed throughout the body. When fleas or ticks bite the dog or cat, they are exposed to the drug and killed during their blood meal.