My dog has very high kidney and liver blood test results. What now?

Oscar's lab work is pointing to both liver and kidney issues. Unfortunately it's impossible to tell if this is truly a kidney problem or just dehydration secondary to other issues (not eating, not drinking, losing fluids through vomiting and diarrhea) without knowing the specific gravity of his urine. Possible causes these values could include liver diseases like viral or bacterial hepatitis, cancer of one or more abdominal organs (liver and kidney), or the bacterial disease leptospirosis. Unfortunately it's impossible to say for sure how to treat Oscar without more testing, and based on just these values alone. At the very least IV fluids may help to treat either dehydration or kidney disease, so you can talk to your veterinarian about starting there, but ultimately there are more questions to be answered.

It looks like he is suffering from some liver and kidney values elevations and he also is anemic. (Low red blood cells). Since I do not not his current condition and how long this has been going on, it is difficult for me to give you a survival time. If this has happened quickly and could be a toxin then with aggressive therapy (hospitalization and IV fluids), then these values could go back to normal and stay that way as long as there wasn't any permanent damage. If this has been chronic and his urine is very dilute then this could be permanent damage to the kidneys which is a much poorer prognosis long term. I would still recommend hospitalization and IV fluids if possible. I would talk to your vet about whether he needs fluids, antibiotics, appetite stimulants, anti-nausea medicine etc. I hope this helps and your sweet baby gets well really soon!

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.

It's very hard to tell, he needs to be hospitalized and needs to receive treatment for liver failure, a liver shunt needs to be checked as well, only time will tell if he can be saved or not but this is definitely a very serious condition.

Mild increases in liver values can be seen for a number of different reasons, and sometimes it can be very difficult to determine what the underlying cause might be. Infections like leptospirosis, migrating parasites, congenital diseases like a portosystemic shunt or some toxins can cause liver values to increase. It seems like Leo is on supportive medications for the liver - it would be helpful to know if his values are increasing or decreasing since trends are most important. An abdominal ultrasound might be the next step, or you could also ask about referral to a specialist if available in your area.

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!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The blood results show that Finn definitely has some problems with the liver. Some of the liver enzymes and bilirubin are mildly elevated, which is never normal. What is more, ALP and GGT results could not be determined. It means that there was a machine fault when measuring these parameters, or these values were too high for the machine to read. I would suggest to run bile acid stimulation test, ultrasound scan of the liver and repeat the blood test that was run at your vets on the 7/15/20. You may consider running ACTH stimulation test to check for Cushing's disease, but it is unlikely that Finn has this problem. Based on these results, it can be decided what to do next.