Understanding Your Dog's Blood Test Report: Liver, Kidney, and Blood Cell Values Explained

After taking your dog for a health check, you receive a report full of abbreviations and numbers that look like gibberish. Actually, blood tests are the most direct way to understand your dog's organ function—even if the liver or kidneys have lost half their function, it may not be visible externally. Learning to understand basic values helps you communicate better with your veterinarian and protect your pet's health.

## Liver Values

The liver is the body's detoxification factory. Elevated liver values indicate the liver is being damaged, but don't necessarily affect liver function. If values remain consistently elevated, the cause should be actively investigated.

### ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase)

* **Normal range**: 10-125 U/L (varies slightly by laboratory)
* **Significance**: Most sensitive indicator for acute liver damage
* **Elevated causes**: Hepatitis, drug toxicity, liver tumors, infections

ALT exists primarily in liver cells. When liver cells are damaged, ALT is released into the bloodstream, making it an important indicator of whether the liver is being injured.

### AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase)

* **Normal range**: 0-50 U/L
* **Significance**: Indicator of liver and muscle damage
* **Note**: Found not only in liver but also in heart and muscles; less specific

### ALKP (Alkaline Phosphatase)

* **Normal range**: 23-212 U/L
* **Significance**: Indicator of biliary system and bone metabolism
* **Elevated causes**: Bile duct obstruction, Cushing's disease, bone disorders, steroid medication use, young dogs (during bone growth)

### GGT (Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase)

* **Significance**: Sensitive indicator of biliary disease
* **Elevated causes**: Cholestasis, cholangitis

### TBIL (Total Bilirubin)

* **Significance**: Evaluates anemia and biliary system problems
* **Elevated causes**: Jaundice, hemolytic anemia, bile duct obstruction

## Kidney Values

The kidneys filter waste from the blood. When kidney function declines, waste accumulates in the bloodstream.

### BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen)

* **Normal range**: 7-27 mg/dL
* **Significance**: Protein metabolism waste, excreted by kidneys
* **Elevated causes**:
* Kidney disease (most common)
* Dehydration
* High-protein diet
* Gastrointestinal bleeding
* Tissue necrosis

BUN doesn't only reflect kidney function—diet, dehydration, and other factors can affect it, so comprehensive assessment is needed.

### CREA (Creatinine)

* **Normal range**: 0.5-1.8 mg/dL
* **Significance**: Muscle metabolism product, excreted by kidneys
* **Elevated causes**:
* Kidney disease
* Urinary tract obstruction
* Severe dehydration
* **Note**: May be slightly higher in muscular dogs or those eating lots of meat

CREA is less affected by diet, making it a more stable indicator for assessing kidney function.

### SDMA

* **Significance**: Early kidney disease detection marker
* **Advantage**: Reflects kidney function decline earlier than BUN or CREA
* **Note**: May elevate when kidney function drops 25-40%

### Kidney Value Combination Interpretation

| BUN | CREA | SDMA | Possible Meaning |
|-----|------|------|------------------|
| Normal | Normal | Elevated | Possible early kidney disease |
| Elevated | Normal | Normal | Could be kidney issue, or dehydration/diet |
| Normal | Elevated | Elevated | Higher likelihood of kidney problem |
| Elevated | Elevated | Elevated | High probability of kidney disease, further testing needed |

## Blood Cell Values

Blood cell tests can reveal issues with anemia, infection, and immune status.

### Red Blood Cell Related

| Item | Abbreviation | Significance |
|------|--------------|--------------|
| Red blood cell count | RBC | Number of oxygen-carrying cells |
| Hematocrit | HCT/PCV | Percentage of red blood cells in blood |
| Hemoglobin | HGB | Oxygen-carrying protein content |
| Reticulocytes | RETIC | Immature red blood cells, reflects production capacity |

**Low values**: Anemia (possibly from bleeding, chronic disease, bone marrow problems)
**High values**: Dehydration, cardiopulmonary disease, polycythemia

### White Blood Cell Related

| Item | Abbreviation | Elevated Possible Causes | Decreased Possible Causes |
|------|--------------|--------------------------|---------------------------|
| Total white blood cells | WBC | Infection, inflammation, leukemia | Bone marrow suppression, severe infection, autoimmune |
| Neutrophils | NEU | Bacterial infection, stress, inflammation | Bone marrow problems, severe infection |
| Lymphocytes | LYM | Viral infection, immune response, lymphoma | Acute infection, steroid use |
| Monocytes | MONO | Chronic inflammation, infection recovery | Little clinical significance |
| Eosinophils | EOS | Allergies, parasitic infection | Stress, steroid use |

### Platelets

* **Significance**: Responsible for blood clotting
* **Low values**: Increased bleeding risk, possibly from immune destruction, bone marrow problems, infection
* **High values**: Inflammatory response, iron deficiency

## Other Important Values

### Blood Glucose (GLU)

* **Normal range**: 74-143 mg/dL
* **Elevated**: Diabetes, stress, steroid use
* **Low**: Insulin overdose, liver disease, sepsis

### Total Protein (TP) and Albumin (ALB)

* **Low values**: Malnutrition, liver disease, kidney disease, intestinal disease
* **High values**: Dehydration, chronic inflammation

## Report Interpretation Notes

1. **Single values don't tell the whole story**: Multiple indicators and clinical symptoms must be considered together
2. **Reference ranges vary by laboratory**: Use the ranges marked on your report
3. **Trends matter more than single readings**: Regular monitoring reveals changes over time
4. **Combine with other tests**: Urinalysis, imaging, blood pressure provide more accurate assessment
5. **Fasting affects results**: Whether the dog fasted before blood draw affects some values

## When Should You Be Concerned?

* Values severely outside normal range
* Multiple values abnormal simultaneously
* Significant worsening compared to previous tests
* Accompanied by clinical symptoms (decreased appetite, vomiting, lethargy, etc.)

After receiving blood test results, the most important thing is discussing the findings with your veterinarian. This article provides foundational knowledge; actual diagnosis requires professional judgment. Regular health checks can catch problems early, making treatment more effective.

---
**References:**
* [獸醫師教你看檢驗報告—肝臟篇 - 米花犬貓物語](https://blog.mihuavet.tw/caring/liver-profiles/)
* [寵物健康檢查報告英文縮寫意義 - 哈寵誌](https://www.hapet.com.tw/blog/posts/pethealthinspectionreport)
* [BUN、Cre、SDMA｜狗貓腎指數高的原因 - 墨墨獸醫師](https://momovet.com/2022/05/09/buncresdma/)
* [獸醫超詳細教你睇寵物體檢報告 - HK01](https://hk01.com/寵物/458105/獸醫報告-寵主必睇-獸醫超詳細教你睇寵物體檢報告)

---