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Welcome to our third case of the month! This month we revisit Mis-Step. If you remember from last month, we did several things before her surgery to ensure her safety, and one of these was blood testing. This month we'll examine what we can learn from blood results. |
MIS-STEP GIVES SOME BLOOD
There are several things we can evaluate with routine blood testing. The components of complete testing include the following:
BLOOD CHEMISTRY
| Albumin (ALB) | Albumin is a protein produced by the liver. Reduced levels can indicate liver or kidney disease, or disease involving the intestines, including internal parasites. | |
| Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) | ALT is an enzyme released by damaged liver cells. | |
| Alkaline Phosphatase (ALKP) | This is an enzyme found primarily in cells around the gall bladder. Elevated levels can indicate liver disease or Cushing's disease, which involves the adrenal glands. ALKP can also be affected by the drug cortisone (sometimes called a steroid, but it's a corticosteroid, which is different from anabolic steroids which are such a concern with athletes). Finally, increases in ALKP can result from normal bone growth in young animals, and from certain cancers. | |
| Amylase (AMYL) | Amylase is an enzyme produced by the pancreas, and elevations can indicate pancreatic or kidney disease. | |
| Bilirubin (TBILI) | Bilirubin is formed from breakdown of hemoglobin and is also a component of bile. Increased levels are associated with liver disease, conditions involving red blood cell destruction, and other problems. | |
| Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) | BUN is produced by the liver and removed by the kidneys. Increased levels can be toxic, and can indicate dehydration or kidney disease. Increases can also result from damage to or obstruction of the urinary bladder. Decreases can result from liver cirrhosis. | |
| Calcium (Ca++) | Calcium can be increased in association with kidney disease, certain types of cancer, and disorders of the parathyroid gland. | |
| Cholesterol (CHOL) | Cholesterol doesn't cause the same types of problems in pets as in people, but can change in response to liver and kidney disease or deficiencies of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). It can also increase with diseases of the pancreas, including diabetes and pancreatitis. | |
| Creatinine (CREA) | Creatinine is a by-product of muscle metabolism which is normally removed by the kidneys. Increased levels can result from kidney failure, obstruction of the urinary bladder, or significant muscle breakdown (starvation, muscle injury, or advanced cancer). | |
| Glucose (GLU) | High blood glucose levels can indicate diabetes or stress, while low levels can point to debilitating disease including severe infection or certain types of cancer. | |
| Phosphorus (PHOS) | Elevated phosphorus levels can result from kidney failure or abnormal destruction of red blood cells. Increased levels can be toxic. | |
| Total protein (TP) | Total protein evaluates the amounts of albumin and globulin in the blood. Levels of total protein are affected by dehydration, liver or kidney disease, intestinal disorders, and inflammation or immune system disorders . |
Now, here's how Mis-Step's blood chemistry looked:
| Test | Results | Normal Range | Indicator | |||||
| LOW NORMAL HIGH | ||||||||
| ALKP | = | 40 U/L | 14-111 |  |
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| ALT | = | 48 U/L | 12-130 |  |
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| BUN | = | 24.8 mg/dl | 16.0-36.0 |  |
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| CREA | = | 1.56 mg/dl | 0.80-2.40 |  |
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| GLU | = | 174.7 mg/dl | 76.0-145.0 |  |
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| TP | = | 6.52 g/dl | 5.70-8.90 |  |
Not bad! Her blood glucose (sugar) was elevated just a little, but that's not unusual for a cat under stress (we've seen values of 250-300 in healthy, very nervous cats). We paid close attention to her ALT, BUN, and creatinine, since the anesthetics we use are removed from the body by the liver and kidneys, and these values evaluate these organs.
Well, now you may know a little more about blood testing in your pet. See you next month!
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