Therefore, I will recommend surgery only if the risk associated with surgery is less than the risk of continuing with medical management. There is always a small risk the dog may not make it through anesthesia/surgery, is permanently worse, or never improves.
1 The blood tests most frequently used for liver disease are the aminotransferases (alanine aminotransferase or ALT and aspartate aminotransferase or AST). 2  Normal levels of ALT ranges from about 7-56 units/liter, and 10-40units/liters for AST.
Liver panel or liver function tests also measure bilirubin, a waste product that forms when red blood cells break down. This test measures total bilirubin and direct bilirubin. Total bilirubin is the amount of bilirubin in your blood.Direct bilirubin measures the bilirubin that is made in your liver. liver panel checks the health of your liver and can help diagnose liver damage or disease. The panel consists of these tests: Albumin. Albumin is a protein made in the liver. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP). ALP is an enzyme found in high quantities in your liver, bile duct, and elsewhere in your body.