The hepatoprotective effect of some herbal and mineral preparations in the treatment of various hepatopathies in dogs and cats

Abstract

A series of herbal medicines and minerals such as milk thistle, curcumin, sea buckthorn, artichoke and zeolite can be used as alternative solutions in scavenging oxygen free radicals incriminated in triggering of liver disease. The aim of this study was the therapeutic application of different herbal and mineral preparations with antioxidant properties and evaluation of their hepatoprotective potential in the complex therapy management of various types of liver disorders diagnosed in dogs and cats. The study was performed between October 2016 – September 2017 on 16 dogs and 4 cats of different breeds, sexes and ages which were presented and diagnosed with different degrees of liver failure in Medical Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine from Iasi. Anamnesis and physical examination have highlighted that the clinical onset of liver disease was nonspecific, in most cases, the diagnosis of a liver disorder could be deduced from the results of the biochemical tests corroborated with the ultrasound findings. The therapeutic management of liver disease has depended on the etiopathology, the degree of biochemical resonance of the cytolytic, cholestatic process and the synthesis imbalance in the liver as well as the presence or absence of complications of the liver pathology. Thus, according to the established protocol, patients were divided in three groups and they received the basic drug treatment in combination with hepatoprotective preparations of vegetal and mineral origin, respectively, milk thistle (silymarin), curcumin, sea buckthorn and zeolite. The inclusion of phytotherapy in the complex treatment of liver disease has contributed to the normalization of hepatic transaminases and cholestasis parameters. A positive therapeutic result was obtained after therapy with antioxidants from vegetable origin in mild and average forms of liver disease. In the final stage of the liver disease, treatment with natural hepatoprotective agents had a palliative character with transient reduction of clinical signs and temporary improvement of quality of life.