# What are normal blood levels HELP



## KayC (May 3, 2005)

Hello. I had Zoey's lab for her pre-op for her spay. Her BUN was 41. I know this is high but why? Is this due her puppy stage (she's 8 month's old)?
Her alt was 83, the vet said normal should be 5-65 but I am finding normal on the internet 10-84. Her Alk Phos was 172, vet said normal is 10-84 once again I am finding on the internet normal to be 20-200. Is the vet trying to get more tests out of me or should I be concerned at this point?? This is not my normal vet. It is a spay/neuter clinic through the animal rescue. I hope someone knows what the correct levels are and can help me out. She started talking about Portosystemic Shunt, but Zoey has no symptoms what so ever. Thanks so much. Kay


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

I am a bit of a science nerd so I just happen to have a detailed list of the norms. See below:

GLU- GLUCOSE 67 - 125 mg/dL High levels can help diagnose diabetes and can indicate stress, excess of the hormone
progesterone, an overactive adrenal gland. Low levels can indicate liver disease, tumors
or abnormal growth on pancreas, an underactive adrenal gland.

ALT - Alanine aminotransferase 10 - 84 U/L An enzyme that becomes elevated with liver disease
Alkaline Phosphatase (ALKP) 20-200 - An enzyme produced by the biliary tract (liver). High levels indicate bone disease, liver
disease or bile flow blockage. 

TOTAL BILIRUBIN (TBILI) 0.04 - 0.40 mg/dL A component of bile, bilirubin is secreted by the liver into the intestinal tract. High levels
can lead to jaundice and indicate destruction in the liver and bile duct.

TOTAL PROTEIN (TP) 5.2 - 7.8 gm/dL Increases indicate dehydration or blood cancer, bone marrow cancer; decreases indicate
malnutrition, poor digestion, liver or kidney disease, bleeding or burns. 

GLOBULIN(GLOB) .9 - 4.0 Decreased levels indicate problems with antibodies, immunodeficiency viruses or risk of
infectious disease. Increased levels may indicate stress, dehydration or blood cancer, allergies, liver disease, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes.

UREA NITROGEN (BUN) 9 - 27 mg/dL BUN is produced by the liver and excreted by the kidneys. Decreased levels are seen with
low protein diets, liver insufficiency, and the use of anabolic steroid drug. Increased levels indicate any condition that reduces the kidney's ability to filter body fluids in the body or interferes with protein breakdown.

PHOSPHORUS (PHOS) 2.6 - 6.8 mg/dL Affected by diet, parathormone and kidney. Decreased levels shows overactive
parathyroid gland and malignancies, malnutrition and malabsorption. Increases with underactive parathyroid gland and kidney failure.

Creatinine (CREA) .4 - 1.4 Creatinine is a by-product of muscle metabolism and is excreted by the kidneys. Elevated
levels can indicate kidney disease or urinary obstruction, muscle disease, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, and disbetes. An increased BUN and normal creatinine suggest an early or mild problem. An increased creatinine and increased BUN with elevated phosphorus
indicate a long standing kidney disease.

Amylase (AMYL) 200 - 1290 The pancreas produces and secrets amylase to aid in digestion. Elevated blood levels can indicate pancreatic and/or kidney disease.

Calcium (CA) 9.5 - 12.0 Blood calcium levels are influenced by diet, hormone levels and blood protein levels. Decreased levels indicate acute damage to the pancrease or undersctive parathyroid. Muscle twitches may occur in decreased level. Increased levels can be an indicator of certain types of tumors, parthyroid or kidney disease. Dr. Goldstein mentioned in his book, Nature of Animal Healing that low calcium level may indicate deficiency of pancreatic enzymes, and high calcium level may indicate poor metabolism of fats and
protein.

SODIUM (Na) 140 - 153 mmol/L 

CHLORIDE (CI) 106 - 118 mmol/L

LACTATE DEHYDROGENASE (LDH) 10 - 273 U/L

MAGNESIUM 1.5 - 2.7 mg/dL

LIPASE (LIP) 200 - 700 U/L

CPK (Creatine phosphokinase) 20 - 200

GGT (Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase) 1.2

Albumin (ALB) 2.5- 4.3 Produced by the liver, reduced levels of this protein can point to chronic liver or kidney
disease, or parasitic infections such as hookworm. High levels indicate dehydration and loss of protein.

CHOLESTEROL(CHOL) - 110- 314 Decreased levels are found in an overactive thyroid gland, interstinal malabsorption.
Elevated levels of cholesterol are seen in a variety of disorders including hypothyroidism and diseases of the liver, kidneys, cardiovascular, diabetes, stress.

Triglycerides 20 - 200

LDH (Lactate dehydrogenase) 30-190

THYROXINE (T4) 1.0 - 4.7 ug/dL

I can also give you a breakdown of the normal hematology values as well if you need it


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

Based on Zoey's results it does seem like something is going on with her liver. It could be something as simple as she got into something that she is trying to flush out of her system (toxin, chemical, some vaccines cause this reaction too, etc) or it could be something genetic like a shunt.

I would invest in further testing - especially a liver function test. Basically what they do is try to stress the liver into working and see what the levels go to.

Also Portosystemic Shunts usually "come out of the blue", meaning in the initial stages - they do not show symptoms and most owners wouldn't realize there was an issue until it was too late and Zoey is right at the age that this usually comes to light and she is a small breed - so that is a possibility.

It might be worth while to see if your vet can do the contrast portal radiology at their clinic or not as that is the best way to see if there is a problem with the blood flow to the liver.


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## KayC (May 3, 2005)

That is GREAT, Thank You so much. From those numbers it seems everything is in the Normal range except the BUN. Would further testing be the Bile Acids testing??


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## OrchardLane (Aug 30, 2008)

Yes the bile acid response testing would be the next step. It is a fairly simple test that actually measures the functional capacity of the liver indirectly. 

It is a test that is done after at least a twelve hour fast. 
The vet (or vet tech) will draw a sample of blood for a baseline value for bile acids. 
A small meal is then fed to the dog right away and then blood is drawn again in two hours. 
If the bile acids are elevated significantly on either test, or if there is a significant rise in bile acids between the first and second blood samples then it is likely that there is a decrease in the functional capacity of the liver. 

If the bile acid response test is normal then there isn't much chance of Portosystemic Shunts being the issue so there is a good chance that there is enough liver capacity to allow for a good response to treatment for other liver diseases. 

If the bile acid test is abnormal then it would be a good idea to re-evaluate the liver using ultrasound examination, rectal scintigraphy, contrast portal readiology or other testing as seems appropriate based on the results.


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## lacedolphin (Nov 20, 2005)

I don't know anything about this but I sure hope Zoey is Ok.


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## BellaLina's Mom (Mar 16, 2007)

We hope Zoey is okay too. Bella, Lina, and I send hugs to Zoey.


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## amy527 (Aug 8, 2008)

I hope Zoey is okay! Mr. Big and I are sending good thoughts your way


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## ItZy BiTzY (May 15, 2008)

Kay, 
Keep us updated on Zoey's results. Hope all goes well. I see you got really good information 
(from Orchardlane) to go on. What a plus!
(((((Zoey)))))!


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## rebel_yell (Mar 24, 2008)

I just copied this from my thread and brought it here to make it a little easier for you to find 



> I was wondering how Bruce was doing. If you see my post on Zoey's blood work I am asking about her levels. The vet is recommending a Bile Acids test as well. What were Bruce's level's? Did he show any symptoms of this in the past?


First I just want to say my heart goes out to you, I know all too well how stressful and worrisome this is for you. The reason I finally had a blood panel done on Bruce was because after he was neutered, he was not coming around as quickly as Lola had and they were both fixed on the same day. But Bruce had always displayed GI upset problems since he was 3 months old. He would have bouts with constipation and vomiting--some days he would just be "off". Once he even had mustard like diarrhea. 

What I know now is that these GI problems are not uncommon with liver disease, and the reason he was having a hard time after the neuter is because the liver has to filter/process toxins out of the blood and anesthesia (from the neuter) is particularly taxing on the liver when it is not normally functioning. 

His bilirubin was high as was his alt (I can't remember the initial numbers at the moment) so the vet recommended the bile acid test at that time. His bile acid levels were extremely high. 

I would go ahead with the bile acid test at the vet you are most comfortable with. What I've learned from research and from the vet is that this is a valuable test when the initial panels are indicating possible liver problems. If it comes back normal it will give you peace of mind. If not, then you can start thinking about your next steps. But don't panic, although it is scary, there are some treatment options, diet changes, supplements etc.. that are available. Liver disease or failure is a devastating thing to learn that your baby has, I know. But there is always hope and determination. And Bruce is doing ok by the way. He is a fighter and he has his good days and bad. 

Zoey has a good, caring mama - and that in itself gives her an advantage right off the bat! 

I will be praying for you and Zoey. ((((hugs))))


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