Veterinary hepatology focuses on the study, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases affecting the liver and biliary system in animals. The liver’s critical roles in metabolism, detoxification, and digestion make it essential to an animal’s overall health. Examples of some of the diseases diagnosed and managed include bacterial, sterile, or copper-associated hepatitis (inflammatory liver diseases), liver cirrhosis and fibrosis, hepatic lipidosis (common in cats), portosystemic shunts (congenital or acquired vascular abnormalities) and gallbladder disease, such as inflammation, mucocele formation, or bile duct obstruction.
