Elevated BUN

[Diane Margetts]

Hi all! Dakota and I have been gone for quite a while because it's been a helluva year. I lost my husband and then my mother in August so Dakota and I are just settling into our "new normal." Dakota had some bloodwork done today in front of his teeth cleaning appt this Thursday. Everything came back fine except a slightly elevated BUN. The vet, this was a stand-in vet and not Dakota's regular vet, attributes the elevated BUN to the chicken breast I add to his Taste of the Wild kibble. I might have paid more attention to him BUT he made the crucial mistake of recommending I stick to dog foods like Purina or Science Diet and back off on the chicken. I get that BUN levels can be indicative of a high protein diet so I will cut back on the chicken and start adding brown rice back into the mix. Does anyone have any other suggestions for elevated BUN? All other labs were normal . . .

[Minda and Callie]

I have no suggestions but wanted to say how sorry I am for you loss.  :(

[Gayle & Hunter]

I am also so sorry for your loss.

[Deborah Brown]

Hi Diane,

I don't have any advice but want to say hi. :)  We know you from the love of doodles forum.  I have a hard time believing that protein is bad for any dog. Is Dakota still active?  swimming, running hard?  Does he thinks its an early sign of kidney failure?

I'll be watching what the experts say.  I'm not too inclined to put much stock in a vet that recommends Purina.

[Carol and Banjo]

Diane,   Please accept my condolences.   I'm so sorry to hear of your losses.   I don't have any answers for you, but hope that Dakota is alright.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Diane, I am terribly sorry for your loss. 

There is no clinical evidence that elevated BUN levels are caused by higher protein diets. Not one study has shown this. This is particularly true if the creatinine levels are normal. There can be many causes of an elevated BUN level, and in cases where it's only slightly elevated with a normal creatinine level, slight dehydration can be the cause. If a dog isn't fasted for 12 hours prior to the test, that can be a cause. So a slightly elevated BUN level in itself is not cause for alarm, especially if it's lower than 35 and there are no symptoms of kidney disease. 

It's true that dogs with renal disease or failure require low protein diets, but the idea that kidney disease is caused by higher protein diets has pretty much been debunked. 

The best thing you can do for Dakota is get more fluid into him somehow. It's fine for you to cut back on adding chicken if that makes you feel more comfortable, but I would not add rice. Perhaps a little canned food or even some cooked vegetables with the cooking liquid added to his kibble might help. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am so sorry you lost two of your closest family in such a short time. It is good to "see" you again.
I really doubt the BUN is related to the chicken but I suggest you talk to your regular vet.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Diane, I am so sorry for your losses.  It has been a terrible year for you.  I wish you and Dakota a much better one next year.

[Gail and Bailey]

Sending my deepest condolences, Diane.  

[Diane Margetts]

Thank you all for your kind thoughts--I appreciate it very much. I'm so glad Dakota has been with me through it all--I don't know what I would have done without him. He is handling things really well. This is the first time he's ever had to spend any significant time at home alone.  (while I'm at work.) Just to show you how spoiled he was, even though my Mom's passing was very unexpected,she must have had a sense because she told me if anything happened to her, she wanted me to retire so Dakota wouldn't have to be home alone! --I wish I could!

Karen--thank you for the information. Dakota's lab results have not been posted on the website yet so I'm not sure what the exact BUN level was but it was no more than "slightly elevated" I'm sure. All other labs, including his creatinine level, were normal. I didn't do any advance preparation for the labs, such as having Dakota fast, because we were not expecting to get his labs done when we went in. since we happened to be there, we just did the labs in advance of his teeth cleaning apt. on Thursday.

Dakota is very active. This vet was surprised at the hardness of his body. He described Dakota as a 78 pound rock with the heart rate of an athlete. The vet did suggest that we redo the labs in a month or so to see what the BUN reading is then. Dakota drinks a lot of water so I'd be surprised if that was an issue. I feel pretty good about his diet--Taste of the Wild mixed with boiled chicken breast. Since his activity level will go down in the winter, I will cut back on the chicken a bit. I will be interested to see what his regular vet says. She is a strong advocate of nutritious dog food and I don't think she’d dream of recommending Purina or Science diet . . . I do give Dakota Omega 3 supplements daily--could that have anything to do with it? I give him two 1000mg capsules every morning . . .

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I doubt very much that the Omega 3 supplements have anything to do with it.

If I might make a suggestion, you might consider switching from the TOTW brand to Acana. It's a better quality food with a much better Omega 6:3 ratio, less fillers, and since the protein content is higher, you could eliminate the added chicken and probably at least half of the Omega supplement as well. 

[Diane Margetts]

I got a copy of Dakota's lab results that, the vet said, showed an "elevated" BUN. The fact is the BUN is not elevated, it's at the top of the normal range. I will have it rechecked in a couple of months--with the proper preperation--before I make any major changes. I will seriously consider switching back to Acana. It's almost time to buy new food and our pet supply store is having it's twice annual big sale in December. I will cut back on the chicken but I don't want to eliminate it just yet because he loves it so much . . . Here's a few readings from his lab results:

 

Test:	BUN/CREA
Result:	= 23
Normal Ranges:	( - )
Test:	BUN/UREA
Result:	= 27 mg/dL
Normal Ranges:	(7-27)
Test:	Chloride
Result:	= 114 mmol/L
Normal Ranges:	(109-122)
Test:	CREA
Result:	= 1.2 mg/dL
Normal Ranges:	(0.5-1.8)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Diane, his test results look perfectly normal. I really wouldn't worry at all about this, and I also see no reason to change his diet at this time. I'm sorry your vet caused you to worry unnecessarily.