My dog's liver looks like swiss cheese on imaging. What does it mean?

Scarring can cause connective tissue, so that could mean there was previous damage to the liver. The cells not being homogenous, means that there are different types of cells present throughout the liver. This isn't a lot of information to go off of to determine anything in particular however. A full report would be needed to make an accurate assessment, since non-homogenous livers can have benign nodules that don't concern us OR could have potential pathology (disease) present. Also the gallbladder and adrenal glands should have been assessed at the same time as the liver, to give us a complete picture of your pets health. I would recommend posting the entire report here on the forum if you want further recommendations. Also if this was done by a board certified ultrasonographer, then the report should also include potential differentials based on what was seen. I hope your pet does well moving forward. Best wishes and take care.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like your veterinarian is suspecting that Delilah has a liver mass, or tumor, and that the liver overall is larger than normal. This causes the stomach to be displaced, or pushed backward farther than normal. The GB is the gallbladder (an organ near the liver that stores bile), and a cholelith is a stone in the gallbladder, or a gallstone. A round heart can be seen on chest x-rays when there is underlying heart disease. Older small breed dogs such as Chihuahuas are at increased risk of mitral valve disease, which is a degenerative disease of one of the heart valves. This can result in blood leaking backwards in the heart, causing dilation of some of the heart chambers. Often a heart murmur is heard with this disease. An echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart) is needed to definitively diagnose this. I hope this interpretation is helpful!

I would be suspicious of a few things to cause these elevations, including: liver disease, or cholestatic disease (involving the gallbladder). Neoplasia also can't be ruled out here. I would highly recommend the next step here to be an abdominal ultrasound and a bile acid test to check the liver function. The ultrasound is valuable here b/c we can get a good look at the gallbladder and check for a mucocoele. I do hope that Bear's condition is able to be managed well moving forward. Best wishes and take care.

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.

I'm very sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, liver disease is very complex. We notice elevation of the liver enzymes on the blood testing but that does not tell us why the liver is sick - only that it is sick. Multiple tests need to be done and even then, sometimes we can't figure it out. This happens in human medicine too. There are just some cases that are difficult. A liver ultrasound to look at the liver and gall bladder along with a biopsy should be done to look at the liver tissue. That would probably give you the most definitive answer if that has not already been done. ( https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/liver-disease---testing )

It is difficult to state exactly what would be the next step if I do not have the actual blood work but if the liver values are elevated I would agree with your veterinarian that an ultrasound is not a bad idea for Tiny. With the ultrasound they will be able to see if it is generalized enlargement and damage or if there are lesion that would be a good thing to biopsy. I would recommend having an internal specialist perform the ultrasound (and biopsy if they feel it is needed). I would not change Tiny's diet yet until they find out what is going on with Tiny's liver. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I think it's worth having an ultrasound to check Russ's liver. Depending on the results of that, it may be treatable, but of course I can't say for certain without seeing him in person. He's only a middle aged dog, and if there is a chance you can treat him, I would follow up on the diagnostics to see for sure. I'm sorry he's so sick!