Why is my dog stumbling with a digestive ulcer and elevated BUN?

I am sorry Chuck isn't feeling well. If his BUN was elevated I would be concerned about kidney disease and that could be why he is vomiting. Especially at 15 years old there is a lot of different things that can be going on with him. He needs to get to a veterinarian as soon as you can since without actually seeing him and knowing more information it is hard to give direct advice. With putting him to sleep at 15 years old I would recommend discussing this with your veterinarian to see if his quality of life and medical concerns and issues are something that you, your family and your veterinarian feel is the best thing for him. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Zeus. I would recommend having some bloodwork checked on him. Rarely, severe kidney disease can cause ulcers in the mouth. If this is not the case, he could be reluctant to move due to joint, muscle or abdominal pain. Unfortunately, his signs seen more complex than when he was originally evaluated so it is worth having seen again. Good luck!

That does sound concerning. It is possible that she is having another flare up of her previous ulcers. Other causes for diarrhea and vomiting with blood in it include Addison's disease, intestinal parasites, tick-borne diseases, IMHA, IBD, intestinal cancer, among many others. I would recommend that Gubbu get checked out by a vet as soon as possible. After physical examination and a review of her medical history, the vet may recommend bloodwork to check for anemia and other relevant things. They may also recommend an abdominal ultrasound, which will help use get a picture of what her digestive tract is doing and looks like.

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!

Thank you for contacting PetCoach with your question about Phoebe. Poor girl, I'm sorry she isn't doing well at the moment. Throwing up bile is quite concerning, and her ulcers may be acting up despite the medication. It could be she needs a higher dose of her medication, but I cannot advise making any change to her medication without seeing her in person. She also should not be peeing while on Proin, so I'm wondering if she has a UTI causing the urinating. She does need to see a vet for these issues. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. Best Friends also has a list of resources that offer financial assistance on their website. You can also see if you can borrow money from family and friends to afford the vet. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com http://bestfriends.org/resources/financial-aid-pets http://lessonsfromaparalyzeddog.com/when-pet-owners-cant-afford-veterinary-bills/ http://www.dogheirs.com/resources-affordable-veterinary-care/ I hope this helps!

This position can be a sign of a stomach ache or abdominal pain. This can be from many things including constipation, an intestinal blockage, stomach ulcer etc. please monitor if she’s eating, drinking, peeing and pooping normally. If not then please bring her in for an exam. They will check her over to see if they can find the reason for these symptoms, and may recommend abdominal X-rays and lab tests. Once they have a diagnosis then they can start the appropriate treatment. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bella.

This could be due to a bulging or ruptured intervertebral disc, causing pressure on the spinal cord resulting in ataxia and progressing to paralysis I recommend immediate treatment Your veterinarian will do a neurological assessment and perhaps an X-ray or blood tests to determine the diagnosis and will start treatment right away so hopefully Bubbas will regain the use of his legs. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Bubbas.