My dog has high BUN, creatinine, and liver enzymes. What's wrong?

Hi, Oscar needs to be hospitalized and treated with IV fluids, antibiotics, and gastrointestinal protectants. Additionally, he should be tested for infectious diseases such as leptospirosis and ultrasounded to determine if he has any problems in his liver or kidneys.

This could indicate renal issues/kidney disease. Leo needs to have an analysis done of his urine to check further for any signs of infection as well as to make sure he's not dehydrated and causing the signs. If it is early renal disease there are certain steps we can take to manage it. This could include medication to control blood pressure, a diet change, or even giving him fluids therapy. He may need medications to protect his stomach from ulcers. I recommend discussing these options with your veterinarian as well as any additional testing such as an ultrasound of his kidneys and liver.

I am sorry Sabastian is sick. Lepto would be my main concern in a dog with abnormal liver and kidney values. In-house tests for lepto can sometimes have false negatives, and I am sure that is why your vet is still treating with doxycycline. Increased drinking (and so increased urination) is common in pets with urinary dysfunction, such as with kidney disease. It may take several days of treatment before you can see a positive response.

A urinalysis would be needed to see if the increased kidney values are because of kidney disease or dehydration. I am concerned about liver failure causing the low protein levels and hypoglycemia. Additional diagnostics would be needed to determine the cause and most appropriate treatment. An ultrasound, biopsy or culture may be indicated. Symptoms can be treated individually, so discuss the use of anti-nausea medications with your vet. Other medications may also be indicated to reduce the effects of digestion with a failing liver, like metronidazole, lactulose, denamarin, and others.

Hello, thank you for your question about Loki. ALT is a liver enzyme and elevations can be a sign of underlying liver disease (caused by infection, inflammation, etc). BUN is considered a marker of kidney function but can also be elevated for other reasons, such as GI bleeding. Depending on the severity of these elevations and Loki's history I would recommend testing him for an infection called leptospirosis, as this disease can cause liver and kidney abnormalities. Alternatively, If Loki is still feeling well and the metronidazole is improving his symptoms, you could continue with this treatment regimen and monitor him for development of any symptoms. I would recommend rechecking these values after he has finished the course of metronidazole and considering the need for other diagnostics at that time. Hope this helps, good luck!

Hi there! After looking at the lab results, I see that all of these are extremely minor changes - they usually don't mean anything at all, in a dog that's clinically healthy and acting normal. The one possible exception would be the elevated BUN, as this can sometimes be a sign of early kidney disease - but it can also be caused by mild dehydration (common in anxious dogs who are panting at the vet's office!), a high-protein diet, or other things that don't have any clinical significance. If you wanted to be sure that his kidneys are fine, your veterinarian could do a urinalysis to make sure that his urine is appropriately concentrated and doesn't contain protein or any other abnormalities. The other values will often be slightly variable from one patient to another, and should not be any cause for concern.

I'm sorry to hear that Goldie is feeling so unwell. Thank you for attaching his blood results. They do show signs of liver disease (high ALT, ALP). Low albumin can also be tied to liver disease, as the liver is responsible for making albumin. A low creatinine value is less of a concern than a high value. Some possible causes of elevated liver enzymes may include infection, toxicity, liver shunt, liver mass, or chronic hepatitis. I would suggest an abdominal ultrasound and a bile acids test as a next step. If Goldie is still vomiting and feeling unwell, he may also need to be hospitalized back on IV fluids again to restore his hydration and energy. I hope this helps, and that Goldie is feeling better soon!