My dog's blood test shows high ALP. Are infections the cause?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. The ALP is quite high but this also depends on their reference ranges there. The symptoms you are describing could be consistent with a condition called hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease) which is when there is excessive steroid production in the body due to a pituitary tumor or adrenal gland mass. There is treatment for the disease but it needs to be confirmed first. If you want to know for sure, testing such as an ACTH or low dose dexamethasone test should be performed. You can try using melatonin and flaxseed lignans to treat cushings disease naturally. I have had some cases respond to this treatment but not 100%. Also, I see that cre is 18. If this is creatinine, this is very high. Again, this depends on the machines reference range, calibration and unit of measure. Creatinine elevates typically with renal disease, which could also explain the increased thirst. If you attach a picture and repost to the forum here, it may help us better guide you. I hope this helps! You can visit a website called lignansforlife.net and order the holistic medications that I spoke of earlier. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

ALP is released by the liver when there is damage to the liver cells. Causes can be simply age related, or the elevation can be from diseases like Cushings or Addison’s. It can also be elevated when there is a growth in the liver. I would recommend having your vet retest this value in 2 weeks as long as your dog is doing well otherwise. If it’s still high I’d do more diagnostics (cushings test, ultrasound). Hope that helps and best to you and Olive.

Cushing's or Hyperadrenocorticism is a fairly common endocrine disease in dogs. It can be caused by a bit of overactive tissue in the brain (in the pituitary gland, which is the master ruler of hormone secretion in the body) or a mass in an adrenal gland (sits by the kidneys, secretes hormones as directed by the pituitary gland). Basically what happens is an excess of a hormone in the body, usually a steroid called cortisol, if it is traditional Cushing's. This then causes some symptoms in the pet, blood work changes, and sometimes other changes like high blood pressure. I suspect based on the value that you report that this was a liver enzyme elevation call ALP. This very commonly occurs in pets that have Cushings, but is not specific for Cushing's and elevation can be caused by other disease processes. This value does not correlate with severity of disease as many dogs have a high value. It sounds like your vet is on the right track by recommending an ultrasound to look at the adrenal glands and also the rest of the abdominal organs to rule out other disease processes. Ultimately Cushing's Disease has to be diagnosed by some sort of endocrine testing which your vet may recommend as well. Treatment if then based on what type of Cushing's disease is present. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I'm sorry to hear about Chi Chi's recent issues. Vomiting and an anal gland abscess/rupture may cause some changes on the blood panel, but not typically ALP. When you have a significantly elevated ALP and normal ALT it is highly suggestive of Cushing's disease. Cushing's can be diagnosed with a few different tests, these tests involve taking blood, injecting a substance then taking blood again to see the body's ability to respond. I think it would be wise to have her checked. If she dies have Cushing's thankfully it is treatable with medication but this will be for life.

Hello, thank you for your question about Daisy. There are numerous causes for elevated ALP in dogs, many of which you have ruled out by the testing described. Some dogs can experience a condition called vacuolar hepatopathy, a benign condition that we can sometimes not identify the reason for. Many of these dogs demonstrated no symptoms even with a significantly elevated ALP. There is no specific ALP level that will lead to symptoms in dogs, it is very patient dependent (some dogs are much more sensitive to mild changes). I would recommend having her liver values monitored every 4-6 months, or sooner if she develops any signs such as vomiting or inappetance. Additionally, I would consider adding Denamarin/Denosyl to her treatment regimen. Although this may not normalize her ALP it can help prevent further elevation of the value in the future. Hope this helps, good luck!

She is a puppy. An elevated ALP is normal in puppies. ALP can go up because of liver problems, but also increases during bone growth. I see this elevation in about 80% of puppy bloodwork. I do not treat this as it it is not a problem and the value becomes normal when they stop growing. If there are other liver values elevated, then I am concerned, but ALP alone is not generally a problem. Per IDEXX, one of the largest veterinary pathology services in the United States, ALP values in puppies can be elevated 4 times normal (which is about where Luna is.) Denamarin, Vitamin B, and a low-carb diet will not hurt Luna, but they probably won’t change the ALP either. Best wishes to you and Luna.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. No, carbohydrates are not considered to play a role in ALP. However, I notice that Luna is 8 months old and ALP is often elevated in normal growing puppies (it is related to bone growth). In all likelihood, this elevation is nothing to worry about. Best wishes to you and Luna!