My dog's low glucose pre-dental bloodwork: Is it a false reading?

I don't see an age, breed, or sex listed for your pet, which would give us helpful information in terms of how to interpret that finding. It is certainly lower than expected; usually when dogs (or cats) have their blood drawn, they are a bit stressed from being at the vet, which tends to increase the blood sugar for a short period of time, so usually we will see animals be over 80-90, and most commonly over 100. It may be worth asking your vet about running a "baseline cortisol" test to screen for Addison's disease. I will attach some information below. Keep a close eye on your dog as well. If he seems lethargic, tired, walks with a weak or wobbly gait at times, etc, (or certainly if he has more obvious problems such as a seizure), then this probably is a problem for him. Other possible causes of low blood sugar (again age, breed, and sex also play in here in terms of liklihood), include insulinoma (a tumor in the pancreas), liver disease, or toxin exposures (most notably xylitol). I hope that is helpful for you.... for more detailed information consider requesting a consultation so we can go back and forth with information. Thank you for asking PetCoach! https://www.petcoach.co/article/addison-s-disease-hypoadrenocorticism-in-dogs/

Normal glucose reading would be 70 to 150 mg, dL. 46 is too low, however, human diabetes test ers often show a lower glucose level than the actual level as it aims to keep human diabetics from getting hypoglycemic. I suggest you make sure your dog eats properly and schedule an appointment with your veterinarian for a blood test. The excessive drinking is also concerning and can point to endocrine or kidney disease.

Congratulations on the new boy! I see nothing here that concerns me very much. In fact, it’s pretty dang great for a dog Om’s age. Most of the changes are minimal enough to ignore in my opinion. The globulin (antibody) level is likely high due to the dental disease (although fungal infection and cancer can raise this level too). The BUN and creatinine (kidney values) are sitting at high-normal levels which could mean he’s very slightly dehydrated. I’d consider running this panel again in 3-6 months just to make sure those haven’t crept up into an abnormal range. (Sooner of course if any weight loss, increased drinking/urination, vomiting, etc.) Overall some pretty boring bloodwork! Hope this helps you rest easy and congrats again on Om!

Tartar always comes with gingivitis. My advice stands (I already answered your question before). Trust your veterinarian, he is right. Elevated Monocytes without clinical signs and all other parameters within normal limits, have no significance on the fitness for anesthesia. Your veterinarian is correct. You should not be worried.

Most of the parameters that are reading outside the normal range on this lab work are not likely to be significant and I can list what is abnormal and tell you what that could mean: 1. Slightly elevated leukocytes (white blood cells): while this can be a sign of infection or inflammation a slight elevation is more commonly seen with mild stress and may not be significant 2. Mild elevation in PCV (packed cell volume or red blood cells): this can be seen with dehydration or in very rare cases bone marrow disease; it is also common for some dogs to run slightly high for no significant reason 3. Elevated MCHC (mean cell hemoglobin concentration) only significant if the red blood cell level is low 4. Elevated ALP (alkaline phosphatase, a liver enzyme): can increase with liver or gallbladder disease, increases in cortisol, or bone lesions, but more commonly will be non-specific finding 5. Mildly elevated total bilirubin: can increase with gallbladder disease or anemia, but more likely to be a non-specific finding and potentially due to changes with the blood sample itself 6. Low BUN (blood urea nitrogen): can decrease with severe liver failure but there are not changes consistent with liver failure on blood work so it is a non-specific change With all laboratory values there is a general range that is considered 'normal' but there is always a certain percentage of dogs that will be normal and still fall outside this range. I would of course defer to your veterinarian's interpretation of the lab work since they know Bruno's history and physical exam findings which might change the interpretation.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! High and low blood glucose will be somewhat dependent on the method that is used though typically more than 180mg/dl is considered high and less than 60mg/dl is considered low in dogs. Have a good night!

It really depends on the exact blood work that is being done. If it is just a routine CBC and Chemistry profile then he probably doesn't need to be fasted. If the blood-work is being done the same day as the procedure then he should be fasted because of the procedure. You should probably call your vet for specific instructions. I am sure it is worrisome to put your dog under anesthesia but the benefits of cleaning the teeth and extracting the diseased teeth outweighs the risks of the anesthesia. As long as he is healthy, the risk is minimal.