Why is my 6-year-old Golden Retriever's kidney failing and anemic?

The most significant finding I am seeing in the lab work is a decreased hematocrit, or anemia. Anemia can be related to intestinal parasites, blood loss from ingestion of rat bait or other toxins, some blood infections, or autoimmune disease. Your vet might recommend a fecal analysis, x-rays of the chest or belly, or sending out blood tests to look for infectious disease as a next step. Most of these diseases would be treatable. It seems like creatinine, a kidney value might also be elevated but there are no reference ranges listed so it is also possible that that is considered normal for that particular chemistry machine. If the creatinine is truly elevated there might be some concern for kidney disease. A urine sample would help determine if the kidneys are functioning okay and your vet might recommend this as a next step as well. Of course, your veterinarian was able to examine Dora in person and that is also an important part of interpreting lab work. I would recommend checking in with your vet to see what they would recommend as a next step, and what diseases they would prioritize based on her full history and exam.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry that Syzu is so sick! I am most concerned for the PCV of 10, that is a severe anemia. Causes of anemia are blood loss, destruction of the red blood cells (immune or infectious) or bone marrow disease. Even though he is only 3 1/2 cancer is still possible. I would have X-rays done, a slide agglutination ran, infectious disease testing and an ultrasound. Not eating for 3 weeks is very serious and he is likely very debilitated. I hope you get answers and I hope this helps. I wish Syzu the best!

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!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Glad to talk to a fellow colleague. I think in a case like this the first thing to consider is what is causing the clinical findings. In an older Golden retriever with such a high fever, I would be very concerned about underlying causes that can cause fevers such as for example an upper urinary tract infection such as pyelonephritis which can explain both the fever and the high renal values or possibly cancer. I think further diagnostics that can be pursued include abdominal ultrasound and urine culture and susceptibility. If there is any concern for lymphoma (due to for example the presence of peripheral lymphadenopathy), I would recommend checking an ionized calcium secondary to lymphoma for example as that could explain the increased renal values and potentially the fever. A CBC would also be helpful to try to see if there is an immature neutrophilia for example that could further support an infectious disease though this can also occur due to cancer to some extent. Thorough fluid therapy is important though again, diagnostics to try to pinpoint the cause of the fever would be crucial. If you are unable to proceed with diagnostics and physical examination does not point out any other possible causes, I would consider using broad-spectrum antibiotics such as enrofloxacin and Clavamox. Best of luck! Feel free to get back to use to further discuss this case.

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!

These two diseases are very frustrating to manage as the kidneys need fluid to help "flush" them but the heart cannot handle any additional fluid. Additionally many drugs used to treat CHF cause harm to the kidneys. With anemia and kidney disease there are synthetic hormone injections that stimulate red blood cell production. Your veterinarian has to administer these injections. Sometimes even a blood transfusion is given but this has to be balanced with the heart failure. I recommend discussing with your veterinarian which disease process is most critical right now and start treating that as aggressively as possible. This would likely mean hospitalization for Anthony.

Without seeing the blood work, I wouldn't be able to say if it is renal failure or not. If the BUN and Creatinine are elevated extensively and especially if the phosphorus is elevated then unfortunately Angel is most likely in renal failure. A urinary tract infection should not cause elevations in those values unless there is also a secondary kidney infection going on and she is in kidney failure due to that. I would recommend either requesting a consultation or resubmitting a question with the blood work attached. I am so sorry Angel isn't feeling well. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.