Liver disease and arthritis in a dog

Our customer asked:

My friend has a dog with liver disease and arthritis. Vetzyme High Strength Flexible Joint seems ideal for the arthritis but it does contain fish oil. Because of his liver problem he cannot have cod liver oil, I presume because of the vitamin A and D content. Can you tell me if this product can be given to dogs with liver disease as prescription anti inflammatories can only be given for short periods.

Our reply:

The Vetzyme Flexible Joint should be safe to be given to a dog with liver disease. You are right about the high levels of Vitamins A and D being a concern with cod liver oil, but most fish oils are not like this. I would use it, but be aware that liver problems can recur anyway. It might be worth also using a liver support diet, such as Hills Prescription L/D diet. There are a host of liver support supplements too, such as Hepatosyl and Samylin, which might be worth considering.
Best to speak to your vet about this, but we can supply the diet and supplements if they are going to be helpful (no prescription needed for foods, despite the name).