Lesson title

A Fatty Situation: The Science Behind Liver Disease

Created by University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine Class of 2028 students: Michaela Harshfield, Olivia Ancell, and Drew Gilman

Instructional Guide

Learners will explore the role of the liver, causes and symptoms of hepatic lipidosis, basic treatment options, and prevention recommendations. This lesson will include some short readings and a variety of interactive activities.

Intended Grade Level

This lesson is intended for high school students from grades 9-12. Students should have basic anatomy and basic liver function knowledge.

Learning objectives

1. Students will be able describe the importance of liver, and the three main functions it performs.
2. Students will be able to describe the primary cause of hepatic lipidosis, and the physiology behind it.
3. Students will be able to identify hepatic lipidosis symptoms and animals prone to develop this disease.
4. Students will be able to understand the outcome if hepatic lipidosis goes untreated.
5. Students will be able to understand simple treatment plans and preventative measures of hepatic lipidosis.

Lesson Format

This lesson can be done as a whole class or in smaller groups. The primary reading handout can be printed or read aloud by using an electronic device.

• First, students will either individually or popcorn read the entire short lesson on the liver function and hepatic lipidosis. (10 minutes)
• Next, students will either individually or as a small group complete the short exercises after the lesson. (5 minutes)
• They will then complete all three activities individually to have them actively learn while enjoying it. (15 minutes)
• Lastly, they will individually take the knowledge assessment quiz. (10 minutes)

Lesson Background

The teacher should know hepatic lipidosis can be due to many different things happening within the body, but mainly happens within the liver. The main cause of hepatic lipidosis is when an animal stops eating for over 24 hours. The lack of nutrients from not eating can cause free fatty acids to move from fatty reserves which gets processed through the liver to be converted into ketones or triglycerides. These can be converted to lipoproteins, and eventually cause damage to the liver and biliary system due to high build up of lipids. When the liver becomes damaged, this impairs its functions. The main functions of the liver include metabolism, nutrient storage, and bile production. Therefore, these are vital functions for the body to function properly and hepatic lipidosis can have a wide variety of symptoms. The symptoms include weight loss, lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, clotting disorders, neurological signs, jaundice, and vitamin deficiencies. Treatment for hepatic lipidosis usually includes providing the animal high levels of nutritional support through a feeding tube (if necessary) until normal appetite returns, IV fluids to treat dehydration, and any additional medications if necessary to help support liver function, decrease vomiting, and correct any electrolyte imbalances.

Activities

The first activity for the students to complete is a crossword puzzle based on the information from the readings. The next activity is a word search to help the students become more familiar with the terminology used in this lesson.  The last activity is to drag words to the correct sentences. This is to enforce the cause of events of hepatic lipidosis.

Link to student page  

Common misconceptions and challenge points

Hepatic lipidosis is a complex problem that can develop for a wide variety of issues. It is important to have the students to focus on the key concepts about this disease. The main points the students should get from the lesson:

• Hepatic lipidosis is mainly caused by the lack of nutrients getting to the liver and the body
• This causes a series of events that results in liver damage
• The treatment for this disease involves supportive nutritional care and fluid therapy

Further exploration

1. Fatty liver syndrome in cats- VCA hospitals
2. Hepatic lipidosis – Merck vet manual