Why are my dog's urea levels high? Is it diet, meds, or dehydration?

If her SDMA is normal and her creatinine is wnl then her kidneys are likely normal. BUN can be increased from dehydration, a stomach ulcer, a high protein diet or a very muscular physique. You would normally see vomiting or black stool if she had a bleeding ulcer so I doubt this is the cause of the high BUN. To ensure her kidneys are okay, I would talk to your vet about checking a urinalysis on her. Your vet will assess her protein levels and specific gravity to see how her kidneys are functioning. If the protein levels look high on the dipstick and there isn't an infection, I would talk to your vet about doing a urinary protein creatinine ratio. If it is elevated it could be challenging the kidneys and can cause future problems. There is a medicine to help called benazepril. You can also switch her to a prescription kidney diet just because they have a much lower protein content than the food over the counter. Some dogs just naturally have a higher BUN and as long as it isn't progressively getting worse, I would just continue to monitor it. I hope this helps!

I'm sorry that your pup had diarrhea but I'm glad it resolved! Yes dehydration can cause abnormal kidney values. BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and creatinine can both be high in dogs who are dehydrated from non-kidney related illnesses, such as diarrhea (and vomiting). It's a good sign that her bloodwork is now normal. I hope this helps!

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.

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.

Elevations in phosphorus in a puppy can be due to normal bone growth, but it also could be due to underlying kidney issue. Elevations in BUN (blood urea nitrogen) can be present if the diet is too high in protein or if there are underlying kidney issues. My hope is that Roxy's BUN and phosphorus are simply elevated due to her young age (bone growth) and a diet high in protein (raw) as these should correct themselves. However, it is a good idea to check a urine sample to ensure there is no underlying kidney problem. If the urine is not well concentrated or has protein present this could indicate kidney disease and warrants further investigation. The BUN being elevated may indicate Roxy needs to be on a better balanced diet as it could be elevated due to a high protein diet. The fact that two puppies had the same elevations could be for the same reasons listed above. However, it's still important to rule out hereditary kidney disease by checking a urine sample first. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to Roxy!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Linda. I would stop feeding any treats and keep her strictly on the kidney diet. She should have her blood pressure checked and a urinalysis done to look for extra protein in the urine. Both are common with kidney disease. There are medications that she can take that will help both conditions if necessary. This will slow further progression of her disease. Depending on her results, I will add a potassium supplement (if her potassium is low) or a phosphate binder (if her phosphorus is high). These things will help her to feel good for as long as possible. Always ensure she drinks plenty of water. I hope this information helps!

This is best to discuss during a one-on-one consultation; however, the blood work results reveal that your pet has a high white blood cell count (indicates infection or inflammation), mild anemia (low red blood cells), a UTI with a low specific gravity (concentrating ability of the kidneys which should be rechecked once UTI resolved, as well as protein in the urine which should be rechecked after resolution of UTI. as well as high BUN, CREA, which suggests kidney damage or kidney failure. Because of the concurrent UTI, it is best to resolve the UTI with anti-biotics, perhaps consider a SDMA test (specific kidney disease test) to confirm suspected kidney disease/insufficiency, and then rechk Urinalysis in 2 weeks. I am not sure why your pet is on Lasix, unless there is also underlying heart diseasee, which could have caused the erroneous reading of low specific gravity on the test. If there is more to discuss, then pleasea don't hesitate to request a private consultation for this, because this is a complicated case that needs to be on a more personal level in order to get full clarity on the recommendations above. Best wishes and take care.