My puppy has high ALP levels. Is this normal for a growing dog?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. No, carbohydrates are not considered to play a role in ALP. However, I notice that Luna is 8 months old and ALP is often elevated in normal growing puppies (it is related to bone growth). In all likelihood, this elevation is nothing to worry about. Best wishes to you and Luna!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Luna! Can you post the blood work results so we can see the normal ranges from this lab and the units of measure? Also WHY was the blood work done, was she sick? Was it a routine screening? For a young growing large breed the ALP doesn't really worry me by US measure (again I don't know your labs reference ranges or what units of measure). The ALP can be increased in growing puppies due to bone growth. Also if this isn't an animal lab and is based off human values I am not sure we can really believe the results. Her values should be measured against normal dog ranges. To be honest I think her values are likely normal for a puppy. Please take a picture of the blood work and repost. We can help you much better that way. Have a good day

Hello, thank you for your question about Daisy. There are numerous causes for elevated ALP in dogs, many of which you have ruled out by the testing described. Some dogs can experience a condition called vacuolar hepatopathy, a benign condition that we can sometimes not identify the reason for. Many of these dogs demonstrated no symptoms even with a significantly elevated ALP. There is no specific ALP level that will lead to symptoms in dogs, it is very patient dependent (some dogs are much more sensitive to mild changes). I would recommend having her liver values monitored every 4-6 months, or sooner if she develops any signs such as vomiting or inappetance. Additionally, I would consider adding Denamarin/Denosyl to her treatment regimen. Although this may not normalize her ALP it can help prevent further elevation of the value in the future. Hope this helps, good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are several conditions that can cause an elevated ALP and some of them do not require therapy right away. However, in terms of supplements, you could consider using a product called Denamarin which can help the liver in general with several different conditions. Good luck and have a good night!

ALP is released by the liver when there is damage to the liver cells. Causes can be simply age related, or the elevation can be from diseases like Cushings or Addison’s. It can also be elevated when there is a growth in the liver. I would recommend having your vet retest this value in 2 weeks as long as your dog is doing well otherwise. If it’s still high I’d do more diagnostics (cushings test, ultrasound). Hope that helps and best to you and Olive.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Luna. This value is a liver enzyme. It can be elevated due to liver disease or a skeletal muscle problem. Liver disease in young puppies can be congenital disorder such as a portosystemic shunt or secondary to an infection. When I have a result such as this, I will recheck blood work in a week. If the value is still elevated, then I will run a separate blood test known as a bile acids panel. This is a liver function test. The elevation could due to something as simple as her shaking during the blood draw (skeletal muscle), but you want to ensure she is not experiencing any disease. I hope this information helps!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Unfortunately ALP is such a vague value and does not tell us much in the way of specific diseases that it is not a very useful value. In older dogs with a high ALP, this may be a normal finding not related to any disease. Cushing's disease can cause an elevated ALP along with many other causes. If the ALP continues to rise or does not resolve, I would consider testing for Cushing's disease and have an abdominal ultrasound performed. Bronchitis and a tooth infection generally would not cause an increase in this value in my experience. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.