What is High Levels of Blood Nitrogen?
When your dog has high levels of blood nitrogen in his blood, it is caused by a buildup of waste materials, such as creatinine, urea, old cells, and food. There are four stages a dog goes through with this disease, which are:
Very Mild (Non-Azotemic) Kidney Disease
This is the beginning of the kidney disease and there are usually no physical symptoms in your dog. In fact, it will not even be found in blood tests yet because there is no damage to the kidneys to cause any clinical signs.
Mild Renal Azotemia
When there is enough damage to the kidneys that it causes few very mild symptoms and may only be found as a slight increase of nitrogen in your dog’s blood.
Moderate Renal Azotemia
At this stage, your dog’s kidneys have been damaged enough to cause both physical and clinical symptoms. At this stage, the damage done may be irreversible, but can be slowed or halted with treatment.
Severe Renal Azotemia
The damage to the kidneys at this point will be obvious. Blood tests will show elevated levels of creatinine, urea, and calcium. Urine tests will show an excess protein and increased urine specific gravity. Your dog will have most or all of the symptoms show below.
High levels of blood nitrogen is caused by renal azotemia, which is described as an accumulation of waste products in the blood. Symptoms commonly do not show up until there has already been some damage to the kidneys. The reason for this illness can range from many different things, such as the wrong kind of diet, infection, serious injury, urinary obstruction, acute and chronic kidney failure. There are four stages of azotemia, ranging from very mild to severe.
Symptoms of High Levels of Blood Nitrogen in Dogs
- Excess urination
- Exhaustion
- Nausea
- Throwing up
- Runny stool
- Depression
- Dehydration
- Constipation
- Loss of weight
- Appetite loss
- Foul smelling breath
- Muscle deterioration
- Hypothermia
- Very pale skin
- Blue or purple bruising
- Dry and unhealthy looking coat
- Small dark red or violet spots from bursting blood vessels
- Coma
- Death
Types
Prerenal Azotemia is the reduction of kidney function from blood loss or low blood pressure.
Renal Azotemia is acute or chronic kidney failure with 75% or more damage to the kidneys.
Postrenal Azotemia is a blockage or damage to the ureter or excretory tubes.
Causes of High Levels of Blood Nitrogen in Dogs
- Renal disease
- Heart problems
- High fever
- Sepsis
- Low blood pressure
- Liver damage
- Dehydration
- Acidosis
- Chemical exposure
- Stress
- Urinary tract obstruction
- Shock from serious injury
Diagnosis of High Levels of Blood Nitrogen in Dogs
Your veterinarian will need to know all of your dog’s medical history, what symptoms you have noticed, and when you noticed them. The veterinarian will do a complete physical examination of your dog, taking special notice to palpate the kidneys and abdomen. They will take your dog’s blood pressure and temperature before running some tests. Some of the tests they will need to do are:
- Urinalysis to check for anemia, specific gravity, white blood cell count, and protein levels
- Biochemistry to find levels of phosphorus, calcium, and the sodium to potassium ratio
- Clotting test to find your dog’s ability to stop bleeding
- CBC (complete blood count) measures all of the major types of blood cells, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets
- BUN (blood urea nitrogen) to find the levels of nitrogen in your dog’s blood
- Digital radiographs (x-ray) of the abdomen
Depending on the outcome of these tests, your dog’s veterinarian may decide to do more tests, such as:
- Ultrasound
- CT scan
- MRI
- Biopsy of the kidney
Treatment of High Levels of Blood Nitrogen in Dogs
The first thing your veterinarian will do is to restore fluids in your dog and reduce the toxins in his body. Antibiotics or other medications may be given for the underlying problem such as kidney infection.The treatment will depend on the cause of the disorder and the test results. If the results show that your dog is in either stages one or two, your veterinarian will put him on a special diet designed especially for dogs with kidney failure. This diet is low in protein and sodium and high in omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. The food also has potassium citrate for acidity and lower phosphorous so these do not build up in the blood.
Special vitamin supplements will also be prescribed for your dog to help with weight loss and anemia. Your veterinarian will also prescribe a medication for hypertension, such as an ace inhibitor that will aid in slow down or even repair some kidney repair.
Your dog will have to go back to see the veterinarian every few months for blood tests and urinalysis. The veterinarian has to watch his protein levels so they do not get too low. Because the kidneys are needed to process medication, the veterinarian will have to be careful with what medication he decides to use. The unnecessary work for the kidneys may cause more harm than the not giving the medication.
Recovery of High Levels of Blood Nitrogen in Dogs
The prognosis for high levels of blood nitrogen depends on the cause of the disorder and what stage it is in when found. If you follow the diet and other instructions that your veterinarian prescribes, your dog could live happily for several more years. You will have to keep track of how often and how much your dog urinates to check his kidneys’ function. Regular veterinarian care and blood tests every six months are essential to your dog’s health so be sure to keep all of your appointments.
High Levels of Blood Nitrogen Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Has Symptoms
My dog is 12 years old, 45 lbs, very athletic (shepherd mix), but recently (last month or so) started being very lethargic before walks, suddenly changed from being the Willie Mays of catching treats to missing quite a few, has tripped a couple of times, and in general doesn't seem as happy. Our vet recommended seeing an ophthamologist which we will do next week.
He also said she is now in renal insufficiency and I need to cut back on her proteins and have her blood checked again in a few months.
Her blood test shows Creatinine level 1.8, BUN 31, Potassium 4.9, Calcium 11.2, GGT 9, and Monocytes at 2%. I have all the other values if that's helpful. The rest were all in normal range.
I went back and looked through her other blood tests over the previous several years and her Creatinine has varied between 1.6 (2014) to 1.2 (2017) to 1.5 and now to 1.8. Her BUN has always been in the mid 20s until now.
Being a can-do family, we want to help her kidneys function better again and get those values back to where they need to be. How serious is this situation and what do you recommend as the best course of action? Thank you.
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my dog JAX is almost 2 years old was just neutered 60 days ago after 1 week he started drinking more often and urinating more the usual we have done urine test showing LSG 0f 1.014 and BUN 14.3 and Creatlnlne of 146 my vet says he has kidney problems but other then drinking and urinating more he is himself running playing eating could he be misdiagnosed ?
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Hello
I have 4 year old German Shepherd dog. Suddenly he stops eating food, then I did some test and found Blood urea level is 210 mg and serum creatinine level is 11.61 mg. What should I do and Renal royal cannin food is good for him or not. Please give me some advice to treat my dog.
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My yorkie had diarrhea and vomiting..he is app 12 years old..his BUN is 140 and ALT is 306..calcium is 13.1 and creatinine is 4.5..few others slightly elevated but not as severe as these..was told he is in kidney failure.His breath is also very bad now..Do you agree and do you know what his prognosis would be? Thank you
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Has Symptoms
My German Shepherd female dog was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy at the end of January. She was put on a concoction of drugs which included diuretics (Furesomide and Co-Amilozide) because her breathing rate and pulse were elevated. For a while, she coped with the diuretics but in the past week she stopped eating, has been lethargic. A visit to our vet for blood tests had revealed high levels of BUN and creatinine in her blood, which decreased only slightly after reducing the dose of diuretics considerably. Our local vet has advised euthanasia. Is there any hope for her?
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I understand your situation, but there are many factors that go into a recommendation for euthanasia; assessment of diet, liver and kidney health as well as general health and welfare are all considered which your Veterinarian would have done. If you have concerns, get a second opinion from another Veterinarian in your area as I haven’t examined Rita and really cannot comment legally. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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Has Symptoms
My female dog Annie 9yrs has been diagnosed with high bun level and it is 127.6 so my pet is now on glucose daily and a liquid by Venkys i.e RKLEEN for cleanup of kidney and liver once a day...but she is not eating proper diet...so what diet should be given so that she could eat...she hardly eats anything and her weight is goin down day by day and also she feels weak while walking...please advise what all should be given to eat during this period...it would be of great help if u could answer me in whole details...please thanx in advance
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The most important step is to reduce the level of protein in the diet to relieve the pressure on the liver and the kidney’s and to feed a diet higher in fat. I generally tend to steer clear of homemade diets as some nutrients can be missed out. There are many different commercial diets available for kidney disease and for liver disease; both Hills and Royal Canin have suitable diets available which are available almost everywhere, you may also have local or national companies producing similar diets depending on your location. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
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Thanks Dr. King for reply.