My dog isn't drinking water but eats normally. Is he hydrated?

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. ALT is an enzyme that is released when liver cells are damaged. The normal values are usually less than 100. Unfortunately, the presence of the enzyme does not indicate the cause or reversibility of the damage, nor does it tell us if this is recent, but temporary damage, or on-going problems with the liver. Toxins, including plants, medications, such as steroids, viruses, & endocrine diseases can all cause increases in ALT. If Kobee is not having any problems, then I would recommend retesting in 6 weeks. If Kobee is sick, there are many more diagnostic tests that can be conducted to try & get to the cause of the problem. Often, we actually never find this out, & dogs do very, very well with moderately elevated values. We actually do not even get concerned until the values are at least 3xs normal, or there are other parameters that are abnormal. If Kobee is well, then all I might recommend is discussing with your vet about putting him on a neutroceutical called Denamarin. It can help with oxidative changes in the liver. I hope he does well. Take care.

Hello, sorry to hear about your dog. Its likely that his liver disease needs to be further evaluated to rule out the need for antibiotics or steroids and ensure that his liver disease is not secondary to inflammation in another organ such as his pancreas. I would recommend speaking with your veterinarian about obtaining further information with an abdominal ultrasound and recheck bloodwork. It may be necessary for your dog to obtain more aggressive medical management with hospitalization. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Hello, thank you for your question about Loki. ALT is a liver enzyme and elevations can be a sign of underlying liver disease (caused by infection, inflammation, etc). BUN is considered a marker of kidney function but can also be elevated for other reasons, such as GI bleeding. Depending on the severity of these elevations and Loki's history I would recommend testing him for an infection called leptospirosis, as this disease can cause liver and kidney abnormalities. Alternatively, If Loki is still feeling well and the metronidazole is improving his symptoms, you could continue with this treatment regimen and monitor him for development of any symptoms. I would recommend rechecking these values after he has finished the course of metronidazole and considering the need for other diagnostics at that time. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. First of all, each lab company/machine has its own “normal” ranges so I cannot exactly interpret this. But I will say, compared to the reference ranges I am used to, these are all pretty mild elevations. Unfortunately livers elevations can be mildly or moderately elevated for about a dozen reasons including: gastrointestinal upset, trauma to the liver area, toxin, infection, inflammation, cancer and more. I usually do not put much significance on them or draw any conclusions from them unless I see them trending upward with time or at a very high level. An antibiotic and liver supplement are a great place to start for these non specific signs and mild elevations in my opinion. If that it not improving things, consider an abdominal ultrasound or X-rays. Best wishes to you and Gizmo.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. The ALP is quite high but this also depends on their reference ranges there. The symptoms you are describing could be consistent with a condition called hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease) which is when there is excessive steroid production in the body due to a pituitary tumor or adrenal gland mass. There is treatment for the disease but it needs to be confirmed first. If you want to know for sure, testing such as an ACTH or low dose dexamethasone test should be performed. You can try using melatonin and flaxseed lignans to treat cushings disease naturally. I have had some cases respond to this treatment but not 100%. Also, I see that cre is 18. If this is creatinine, this is very high. Again, this depends on the machines reference range, calibration and unit of measure. Creatinine elevates typically with renal disease, which could also explain the increased thirst. If you attach a picture and repost to the forum here, it may help us better guide you. I hope this helps! You can visit a website called lignansforlife.net and order the holistic medications that I spoke of earlier. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This depends on a lot of factors including if she is otherwise exhibiting any symptoms of sickness, if she is eating canned food which already has water in it, how much water she is actually having, among other things. If she is not drinking anything especially if having other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite and/or lethargy, she should be evaluated as soon as possible to prevent dehydration and to investigate the cause. If she is otherwise doing well and is eating canned food, it would be ok to monitor her for another 12-24 hours and if not improved to have her evaluated by a veterinarian then. Hopefully she returns to normal and there is no need for a veterinary visit. Have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Vito is adorable!! As long as Vito is eating, urinating and acting normal I am sure he is getting enough water from drinking or his food. He looks like he is a healthy guy! If you are still worried try adding extra water to his food. I hope this helps and have a great day!