My dog has high creatinine. What do SDMA kidney test results mean?

SDMA (symmetric dimethylarginine) is a renal biomarker specific to kidney function. It has proven to be a more reliable indicator of kidney function than creatinine which enables veterinarians to detect kidney disease earlier. Once elevated, it usually will not go back down. A complete blood chemistry would check for any underlying diseases that might be causing kidney damage. Diseases like diabetes, hyperthyroidism or Cushing’s disease. If Tobi is on any chronic medications (like an NSAID (Rimadyl etc.) those may cause a decrease in kidney function. A urine bacterial culture might be indicated and an x-ray for possible urinary tract stones. You should have his blood pressure checked as hypertension is often associated with kidney disease. Tobi will need to continue to have the SDMA monitored as well as the other kidney values ( BUN, CREA, Phosphorus). If you want more information as to how the kidneys are functioning you could request a urine protein:CREA ratio test. The urine protein:creatinine ratio is a simple test that measures how much protein is being lost through the kidneys. It is used to determine whether a pet may have serious kidney disease. The test involves measuring the amount of protein and creatinine in the same urine sample, and expressing the difference between the two values as a ratio. Also, an abdominal ultrasound can be done to look at the architecture of the kidneys. This should be done by a specialist. They will also measure the kidneys to see if their size is appropriate. Kidney disease cannot be "fixed" but it can be managed especially if caught early with the SDMA test. Tobi should be placed on a prescription diet to help support the kidneys. Talk with your vet about this. I hope this helps. If you have any more specific questions please post again. Best wishes to you and Tobi.

Blood levels likely fluctuate every day for all pets and people. It's possibly related to how much water he has drank (or moisture in the food) and possibly what time and how much he has eaten within the last 12-24 hours. I recommend to have an additional test called an SDMA run. This test will accurately predict if kidney disease will develop within the next 18 months in about 95% of pets. Bruno should also be having his urine specific gravity tested along with his kidney values as you need to know all the values in order to know if kidney disease is a concern or not. For example, a dog with a higher CREAT and extremely concentrated urine is likely a little dehydrated. Where as a higher CREAT and not so concentrated urine may have kidney disease. I hope this helps.

The elevated creatinine on it's own does not indicate kidney disease. Remember, this blood was taken at one second in time, he may have recently eaten or been a bit dehydrated at the time which caused the CREA to be a bit elevated. You can not determine kidney disease with just this one test. If you are concerned this should be repeated when he is fasted and a urine test should be done at the same time. If you want to give him a kidney supplement that will help to support kidney function you can use this: https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=132504

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This level of creatinine is still within relatively normal range (according to most diagnostic laboratories and analyzers). Such a small increase can be incidental, Mav may have had a recent meal, or have been less hydrated than he was at his previous appointment. It is unlikely that this is related to the protein content in his diet. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

If your vet isn't worried about Kodiak, I would not be worried either. Slightly elevated creatinine can also be due to dehydration, so it could be that he may be dehydrated caused this elevation. A slight elevation isn't a cause for worry when other values are normal and there aren't any other concerning physical signs. To get him to drink more water, I'd consider adding canned food to his diet. It has a higher moisture content, and you can mix it in with his dry food. You would have to cut back on his dry food to a little to account for adding in the wet food, so ask his vet for the correct ratio. The other option is to add a bit of low sodium chicken broth to his dry dog food to get extra moisture into his diet. I hope this helps.

The SDMA test can be frustrating when values are borderline high, but all other kidney values are spot on. Elevated SDMA values can indicate that kidney disease may develop within the next few years... but this is not true 100% of the time. As with any test, false positives are certainly possible. At this point, with well concentrated urine (great urine specific gravity!) and a low UPC, it sounds as though Maddy's kidney function is great. I agree with your vet - lowering the protein content in her diet is out of an abundance of caution. It does not sound as though any changes in dietary phosphorus are necessary at this point. Instead, plan to recheck Maddy's blood and urine tests twice a year to track these changes, or more often if she shows signs of kidney disease, including increased drinking and urination, weight loss, loss of appetite, or vomiting. Try not to stress - this result sounds like a bit of a red herring. I hope this helps and that all goes well for Maddy!

His SDMA is normal which is a more reliable marker for kidney function. He may have been mildly dehydrated which can cause creatinine to elevate. Your vet could run a urinalysis to check his urine specific gravity and then recheck his BUN and Creatinine in 3 months to monitor for any increases.