# Protein Levels in Blood



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

My new vet [we moved to a new town] just called with Grim's blood tests. Everything is in range but his "blood protein" - Nitrogen, perhaps? Is on the high side of normal and they want me to come back in a few months for retesting. I metioned he was on Innova EVO and they were talking about maybe putting him on a "kidney diet". 

Grim is 6+, working, but a SAR Cadaver dog so I would class his life really more of a pet life than a "working" life compated to, say a true police or herding dog.

He has no problems. He *can* pee for a Looooong time but he can also go Long periods without peeing and has no kind of urgency issues and he does not drink an abnormal amount of water [no moreseo than any dog fed kibble] 

I seem to recall dogs fed raw tend to have higher protein levels in their blood and realize the ranges for what is "normal" is probably based on the abnormal dietary conditions of primarily grain fed dogs......

So, when I get the results, what should I do? What should I look for? What is the recent research? Should I consider feeding him a slightly lower protein food? What about phosphorus and the aging dog?

Oh I should add, he ate about 2-3 hours before the vet vist.


----------



## James Downey (Oct 27, 2008)

Of course they want you to come back. That's how they make money.


----------



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

_"I seem to recall dogs fed raw tend to have higher protein levels in their blood and realize the ranges for what is "normal" is probably based on the abnormal dietary conditions of primarily grain fed dogs...... "_


You recall right. 

If you post the actual numbers when you get them, I can dig up my saved material on this.


----------



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> Everything is in range but his "blood protein" - Nitrogen, perhaps?



BUN (blood urea nitrogen)?


----------



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Ok, I have results for both dogs. Both dogs eat the same diet. Cyra has an active case of pyoderma from what I thought was just seasonal allergy but they found a flea on her and it progressed rapidly; I had given her benedryl for about a week and then knew when the skin got red it was time to go to the vet. 

She has not had flea allergies before but she was inundated with them a few years ago when we had a Frontline resistant flea strain and really had to fight with them. Grim was just in for annual checkup. Her results scare me more than his but she has an active infection FWIW. Both dogs had eaten a few hours before the test.

Reference Ranges given
Total protein 5-7.4 g/dL
Urea Nitrogen 5-25mg/dL
Creatinine 0.5-1.6mg/dL
Albumin 2.7-4.4
Globulin 1.8-3.6

Cyra – 6 years last April
Total Protein 7.8 g/dL
Urea Nitrogen 26 mg/dL
Creatinine 1.4
Albumin 3.3
Globuline 4.5
---

Grim – 6 years last August
Total Protein - 6 g/dL
Urea Nitrogen 32
Creatinine 1.6 mg/dL
Albumin 3.4
Globulin 2.6

HIS blood was slightly lipemic but they had just eaten and EVO is also high in fat. liver values were fine.


----------



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Hehe, I just got done with my clinical pathology rotation, so I've got this stuff on the brain right now. It's definitely not easy though! :lol: 

You need to submit a urine sample, otherwise the renal values (the BUN and creatinine) are not diagnostic for renal disease. The urinalysis panel should include a specific gravity, which is used to tell if the kidney is concentrating urine like it is supposed to or not. If they have a refractometer in house, they should be able to tell you the urine specific gravity pretty quickly. Hope that helps!


----------



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Also, I'd probably make it a fasting blood test next time (which it really should have been this time). JMO.

QUOTE:_ Effect of diet on test results 
A study comparing the blood work of raw-fed and kibble-fed dogs found that the raw-fed dogs had higher average BUN and PCV (hematocrit, a measure of red blood cells) values. Hemoglobin, MCH, MCV and MCHC (all measures of red blood cells), total protein, albumin, creatinine, BUN/creatinine ratio, sodium, osmolality, and magnesium were also statistically higher, and total leukocyte, neutrophil, and lymphocyte counts (all measures of white blood cells), phosphorus, and glucose were statistically lower according to a detailed analysis. Note that all values were still within normal ranges or only very slightly different; values that are well outside the normal range are always meaningful. Fasting (no food, but continue to give water) for at least 12 hours before the blood is drawn should eliminate most effects on blood tests that are caused by diet. This is a good idea for all dogs, as a recent meal can also cause lipemia, making blood test results less reliable (see below)._ 
END from http://www.dogaware.com/misc.html#bloodtest

Also,_
A study was also done to test whether dogs fed a high-protein diet would have microalbinuria (albumin in the urine, which can be an early sign of kidney disease), and the results were negative; a high-protein diet does not appear to cause microalbinuria. There is speculation that a high-protein diet may also increase urine protein-creatinine (UPC) ratio, though once again, it should remain within the normal range (up to 0.5). If this is a concern, feed your dog a lower-protein diet for a day or two before the test.

Temporary changes in test results due to high-protein diets are not a concern and do not indicate that the diet is harmful. They are the natural result of protein waste products, which the body is designed to handle, and they vary only because most dogs are still fed diets that are high in carbohydrates, which distorts the average values seen on test results. Remember that "average" is not the same as "normal" or "healthy." For more information on the safety of high-protein diets, see High-Protein Diets. I have additional information on my web site in the sections on kidney disease and liver disease._ (Mary Strauss)

and
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q...&gl=us&sig=AHIEtbTBGSIhwYaJx928FoHQHK5kGzVFwA


----------



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

For my female who is now on a short term steroid and antibiotic should we wait? I have asked the vet to call me back.


----------



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

As you mentioned, Nancy:
_
Temporary changes in test results due to high-protein diets are not a concern and do not indicate that the diet is harmful. They are the natural result of protein waste products, which the body is designed to handle, and *they vary only because most dogs are still fed diets that are high in carbohydrates, which distorts the average values seen on test results*._


----------



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Forgot to mention...total protein usually goes up in an animal because of dehydration, so that's the most common reason. Next, there are two components of total protein in the blood. First is the globulins (you may have heard of immunoglobulins, particularly if you raise cattle or horses, which are part of the globulin class). They tend to go up if there is inflammation present (like with an infection that Cyra has). Albumin is the second component and it's a very important transport protein in the body. Albumin tends to go down if there is inflammation is present, as it is a negative acute phase protein. Hope that makes a tiny bit of sense, but in her case, the protein levels make sense for the inflammation. We can't speculate on the renal function unless we have a urine specific gravity.



Nancy Jocoy said:


> For my female who is now on a short term steroid and antibiotic should we wait? I have asked the vet to call me back.


Corticosteroids are notorious for making bloodwork squirrelly (more so things like the CBC, glucose, and the liver enzymes than protein, but anywho...) so I'd probably retest along with a urinalysis once she's been tapered from the steroids.


----------



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Ok - her blood test was before any drugs. I will wait on her but see if I can get in a urinalysis on him. I seem a bit less upset right now. Next blood test will be fasting.

Oh, I used to work in a blood donation testing lab and before we did ALTs we would sometimes have to let the blood sit and ream the "cream" off the top to get a good reading. If you saw what that cheeseburger in paradise did to your blood [often people eat a big meal just before donating] you would think twice. I saw some real milky blood come through.............Yeah, the lipemia did not concern me given the recent meal.


----------



## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Nancy Jocoy said:


> I saw some real milky blood come through.............


Really? :-&


----------



## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Miniature schnauzers often have hyperlipidemia in their serum just naturally. Can look just like a vanilla milkshake sitting in the top of the blood tube. Potential reason they also seem prone to pancreatitis. They do best with a low fat diet.


----------



## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Miniature schnauzers often have hyperlipidemia in their serum just naturally. Can look just like a vanilla milkshake sitting in the top of the blood tube.


Wow! :-o

I had no idea that it could be so blatantly visible!


----------



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

I know in human blood a lipemic sample is actually a pinkish creamy color and the bad ones have fat floating on the top in the tube. We actually had a visual comparator because if blood is TOO lipemic it can mess with test results.


----------



## Nancy Jocoy (Apr 19, 2006)

Did discuss with vet and she is not too concerned. For Cyra , she just replied that was probably the infection and for Grim when I told her the protein content of the food and the time he last ate said it was probably just that.

But we also figured he is pushing 7 and probably does not need quite that much protein so I am going to back him up to a more moderate choice [26-32%] and do a fasting blood and urine test in a few months.


----------

