Protecting Your Pet’s Powerhouse Organs.

Few organs in the body have such important functions as the kidneys and liver, yet they are often overlooked. Both are responsible for important metabolic processes necessary to sustain life, as well as the removal of toxins. The liver has many functions. It removes toxins from the blood, helps break down drugs, participates in energy metabolism, stores vitamins, and glycogen, aids in digestion, and produces proteins needed for blood clotting.

The kidney is an amazing multi-purpose organ. It is designed to do much more than produce urine and remove metabolic waste. It also manages hydration, blood pressure, red blood cell production, blood pH balance, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium balance, protein conservation, and more (Figure 1).

Because the kidneys and liver are multi-functional organs, problems with these organs can have different symptoms depending on the function affected and often affect other systems in the body. For example, a problem affecting the liver’s ability to make clotting factors may show up as bruising or uncontrolled bleeding.

Figure 1: The many functions of the liver and the kidney.

Common Challenges: Kidney and Liver Problems in Pets.

There can be many causes for problems in an organ system. These problems can come from the organ itself (primary) or from another area affecting the organ (secondary); they can be infectious (viral or bacterial) or non-infectious (such as cancer or toxins); and they can be born with the problem (congenital) or develop during the animal’s life (acquired).

The most common health problem related to the kidney is chronic kidney disease (CKD). Essentially, this is when there is not enough working kidney tissue to maintain its normal waste-filtering function. Chronic kidney disease is a problem for both dogs and cats, although it is more common in cats. Among dogs 7–11 years of age, 8–12 % have signs of CKD, with the percentage increasing with age. In one study of cats, the incidence of CKD was approximately 40 % in cats less than 15 years of age and 80 % in cats 15 years of age or older.

Dogs and cats overlap when it comes to kidney problems, but not with the liver. In dogs, the most common liver problem is chronic hepatitis. In most cases, the cause is unknown, but this disease may have a viral component such as canine infectious hepatitis. Dogs with chronic hepatitis often present with nonspecific signs like vomiting or poor appetite and not necessarily with signs of a liver problem (Figure 2).

Figure 2: The signs of kidney and liver problems.

In cats, feline hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver) is the most common potentially fatal feline liver disease. The cat has evolved to eat several small meals throughout the day, keeping lean with minimal fat storage. This all changed when cats were domesticated—the modern domestic cat has many opportunities to become overweight.

While this may not be a problem on a day-to-day basis, a reduction in food intake can trigger the development of fatty liver. In fact, fatty liver can develop in as little as two weeks with a 50–75 % reduction in food intake. During this period of starvation, fat stores are mobilized to the liver for processing into lipoproteins. However, the cat’s liver cannot handle the large amount of fat; the liver becomes fatty and fails.

However, the most typical liver-related findings in dogs and cats are elevated liver enzymes. Elevated liver enzymes are common and often nonspecific. High liver enzyme values may indicate a specific liver disease, but in some cases, liver enzymes may be elevated due to problems elsewhere in the body or simply due to age.

The Gut-Kidney-Liver Connection: A Delicate Balance.

A third organ system that is connected to both the kidneys and the liver is the intestinal tract. It has been reported that cats with CKD have altered microbiota profiles compared to healthy cats. In addition, this dysbiosis may result in the production of nitrogen-containing toxins that can damage intestinal epithelial tight junctions and reduce intestinal barrier function.

This can interfere with normal digestion and nutrient absorption, and it also can allow pathogenic bacteria and toxins to enter the body, with the liver being the first stop. One such group are the mycotoxins—harmful secondary metabolites produced by molds that can have devastating health effects. Aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, fumonisin B1, zearalenone, and deoxynivalenol are the most common mycotoxins found in food and feed for pets and livestock.

Not only do mycotoxins themselves damage the gut and reduce its barrier function, but aflatoxin and ochratoxin, in particular, are known to cause liver and kidney damage in animals. Dogs are more susceptible to aflatoxins, in part due to their relatively low activity of the liver enzyme glutathione S-transferase. Aflatoxin toxicosis can often be overlooked due to nonspecific clinical signs.

Vital Organs, Vital Care.

HePaw Syn is a dietary feed supplement that is formulated for maximal pet health. It is a combination of beneficial ingredients such as betaine, a toxin binder, and pro- and prebiotics focusing on liver, kidney, and gut support. Together with highly bioavailable trace elements, vitamins, and natural phytoactive ingredients, HePaw Syn is a complete formula for additional metabolic and antioxidative support.

Betaine is a powerful methyl group donor for methylation reactions, an essential biochemical process for all life. Research in cats with CKD shows that betaine supplementation improves body composition with benefits in lean body mass, likely due to improved energy utilization, indicating increased one-carbon metabolism. This may help combat the loss of body mass experienced by animals—especially cats—with CKD. In the liver, betaine participates in protein and lipid metabolism and increases antioxidant capacity, protecting against stress.

Betaine protects from osmotic stress. In the kidney, betaine preserves cell volume and function in the presence of the high osmolarity required for proper renal function. Blood levels of betaine decrease with CKD, but studies in mice show that oral supplementation with betaine significantly increased markers of improved renal function. Studies in cats with CKD show that betaine supplementation results in changes in blood markers associated with better kidney health. In dogs with early-stage kidney disease, betaine supplementation resulted in positive effects on blood and intestinal health markers.

As the gut is a gateway to the body, another feature of HePaw Syn is its toxin binder. Mycotoxins can contaminate grains and grain by-products, which are widely used in commercial pet foods. Even with the high temperatures and pressure needed to make dry food, the mycotoxins remain unaffected and can make their way into the food. HePaw Syn contains toxin binders that irreversibly bind these harmful toxins and may provide protection against mycotoxin exposure. Complementing the toxin binder are two probiotics—a live yeast probiotic and the microbial probiotic Enterococcus faecium. Additionally, HePaw Syn contains a potent, primary cultured yeast prebiotic for effective gut microbiota support—a true synbiotic to support overall gut health and a balanced microbiota.

HePaw Syn’s unique formulation supports the function and health of vital organs like the liver, kidneys, intestine. It is perfect for supplementation when problems arise acutely, or it can be used for long-term support. HePaw Syn is designed to keep pets healthy!