Go Back   Pet forum for dogs cats and humans - Pets.ca > Discussion Groups - mainly cats and dogs > Dog health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time!

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old June 28th, 2018, 09:26 AM
svanderkolff svanderkolff is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Canada
Posts: 1
Elevated SDMA not sure what to do

We picked up our new dog a week ago from a rescue, she is a lab/husky mix, 5 yrs old. She was a pet for 3 years and then was sold to a breeder who got two litters from her over the course of 2 years. She seems to be well cared for and well adjusted. She was spayed immediately prior to our picking her up.
We took her to our vet just to have them check her out. They determined that she needed dental work and ordered a standard pre surgery bloodwork.
It came back with some abnormalities and now we are trying to figure out how bad this situation is.

Here is what the vet said:
1. Elevated SDMA and BUN, high normal Creatinine. These parameters relate to kidney function, and based on Ginger's levels she is in Stage 2 Kidney Disease. We can further assess the health and function of her kidney's by performing a complete urinalysis, which is $30 + tax if done at our clinic.

2. Elevated Potassium and low Na/K (Sodium/Potassium) ratio. These are the parameters that might possibly indicate adrenal dysfunction, or hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's Disease). We can further test for Addison's disease by testing Ginger's cortisol levels, which costs $64.92. If we contact the lab soon we may be able to run this on the blood sample they already have, or we may need to take another sample to send off. Alternatively, we can re-test Ginger's electrolyte values in 1-2 weeks to see if they are still abnormal.

3. Low free T4 (thyroid hormone). This result may indicate that Ginger is hypothyroid, or could be a result of the other changes we are seeing on bloodwork. Additional testing of other thyroid parameters would help us better assess Ginger's thyroid function. We are looking at roughly $100-200 for this depending on if we can add this on to the current lab sample or if we need to submit a new sample.

Glucose 6.0 3.5 - 6.3 mmol/L
IDEXX SDMA a 15 0 - 14 µg/dL H
Creatinine 130 44 - 133 µmol/L
Urea (BUN) 14.1 3.2 - 11.0 mmol/L H
Phosphorus 1.8 0.8 - 2.0 mmol/L
Calcium 2.80 2.20 - 2.80 mmol/L
Sodium 143 142 - 152 mmol/L
Potassium 5.8 4.0 - 5.4 mmol/L H
Na: K Ratio 25 28 - 37 L
Chloride 108 108 - 119 mmol/L
Total Protein 68 55 - 75 g/L
Albumin 28 27 - 39 g/L
Globulin 40 24 - 40 g/L
Albumin:Globulin Ratio 0.7 0.7 - 1.5
ALT 16 18 - 121 U/L L
AST 13 16 - 55 U/L L
ALP 26 5 - 160 U/L
Bilirubin - Total 2.2 0 - 5.13 µmol/L
Bilirubin -Conjugated 0.8 0 - 3.42 µmol/L
Cholesterol 14.3 3.4 - 8.9 mmol/L H
Amylase 394 337 - 1,469 U/L
Lipase 766 138 - 755 U/L H
Creatine Kinase 117 10 - 200 U/L

Sorry for the information overload but we are at a bit of a crossroads. We have had her for 2 weeks and she fits wonderfully with our family. On the other hand we really don't want to start this relationship knowing she will be gone in a year or two. Unfortunately there is also the financial aspect, her dental work is going to run around $1500, then the kidney tests and treatments on top of that, plus the original adoption fee. I have no problem paying all of this if we are going to have a family companion for the next 5 plus years but if its a short term relationship with heartbreak at the end, thats not a good thing. The breeder is more than willing to take her back and give her a comfortable home without treatments.

Your advice and insight would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for the help.
Steve
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old June 29th, 2018, 12:13 PM
hazelrunpack's Avatar
hazelrunpack hazelrunpack is offline
The Pack's Head Servant
Chopper Challenge Champion, Mini KickUps Champion, Bugz Champion, Snakeman Steve Champion, Shape Game Champion, Mumu Champion, Mouse Race Champion
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Just east of the Hazelnut Patch, Wisconsin
Posts: 53,771
This is a tough one, Steve. Every individual (both human and canine) is different and it's almost impossible to predict with any certainty how long it might take for a condition to progress. Your vet might be able to give you a little more idea of the prognosis and the possible costs, but it's going to have to be a personal decision. So sorry you're faced with such tough decisions right at the start.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference."

"It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!"

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Forum Terms of Use

  • All Bulletin Board Posts are for personal/non-commercial use only.
  • Self-promotion and/or promotion in general is prohibited.
  • Debate is healthy but profane and deliberately rude posts will be deleted.
  • Posters not following the rules will be banned at the Admins' discretion.
  • Read the Full Forum Rules

Forum Details

  • Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8
    Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
    vBulletin Optimisation by vB Optimise (Reduced on this page: MySQL 0%).
  • All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:34 AM.