This study found out that the use of ultrasonography allows to increase information content of diagnostic of liver lipidosis of domestic cats. In clinical practice changes ultrasonographic indicators are often uses as starting point for differential diagnosis and identify forms of liver disease. Based on ultrasonography results we can talk about the severity of the pathological process in the liver and predict the disease course considering research results of biological substrates.

The most informative method for diagnosis of liver lipidosis of domestic cat is considered a liver biopsy but as a result the severity of execution and possible difficulties of this method a small number of hosts agree on this manipulation. Because of this more widely used safer methods of diagnosis. Therefore, identify of degenerative changes of the liver it is advisable to use ultrasonography as main and convenient method of investigation.

On liver lipidosis often get sick animals with overweight, so we pay attention to the large number of visceral fat, which is located in the region of metasternum between the abdominal wall and a liver. This fat can distort the size of the liver and impair visualization of organ parenchyma, due to absorption of ultrasound in fat cells. For differentiation should pay attention to the fact that fat is not moving during breathing, in contrast to the organs of abdominal cavity.

Normal liver is echogenic, although the gallbladder and bile ducts can be visualized as not echogenic. Liver parenchyma looks grainy and has a homogeneous structure. The edges of organ levels hepatic fate clearly delineated. Typical changes include stretching of partial or complete obstruction of the common bile duct. The gallbladder and intra-hepatic bile duct echogenic with not echogenic content. The size of the gallbladder depends on the presence of animals with anorexia. The degree of changes in the liver of cats depends on the duration and severity of the disease. Hepatic vessels are normally not visualized except hepatic vein which can be observed as a line.

Cats that sick on liver dystrophy has uniform, diffuse increase of echogenicity of the liver parenchyma, which also was accompanied by a marked loss of signal in remote areas. Most of animals that has liver dystrophy also has enlarged liver, and the edges of the organ go beyond the costal arc. The edges of the liver, especially the right and square particles are rounded and ehostruсture capsule – dense. Vascular pattern is disturbed. Ehostructure of liver is uniform and coarse.

At later stages, in addition to the before mentioned sonographic symptoms visualized single areas of parenchyma with much increased echogenicity and eclipse in remote areas. Domestic cats, besides the before mentioned changes, frequently have symptoms of cholangitis and cholecystitis: increased echogenicity of the walls of the gallbladder and bile ducts.

The gallbladder had a rounded shape, while clinically healthy animals – pear-shaped. This is explained by the presence of anorexia as a characteristic clinical feature for this disease. Parallel study of morphological and laboratory parameters of blood of these animals confirmed the presence of liver lipidosis.

Key words: cats, liver, liver lipidosis, ultrasonography.