Quote:
Originally Posted by brightdoglover
I'm so sorry your guy seems to be getting worse.
I don't know if any vets or people with solid medical knowledge read this forum, or would know what the lab numbers indicate
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Oye!
OP: The biggest scare for such a dangerously low albumin count would be a crisis involving the protein count in his intestines. Did your dog look or feel bloated to you before you took him to the vet? The first sign is losing weight (the body is eating the muscle in a survival mode in order to process the protien from it, because the body is reacting to the thought that it has no protein in it - because the protien is is not being chemically digested properly due to inflamed lymph nodes. So while your dog is losing weight, you may not notice it as easily as it is trading body muscle for bloating.
Brightdoglover is right to an extent - while we can all give advice and opinions, none would come comparably close to those that a liscensed vet will having examined your dog in person.
If they haven't already, I would suggest my vet to biopsy the intestine if a blood test hasn't shown any diagnostic results. The heart rate levels can be due to stress or shock - either way your dog's body knows there is a problem, and is fighting it the only way it knows how to at the moment - by working overtime.
The BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) level of your dog is higher than normal. It should never hit higher than 100. It's showing an increase in protein intake that coincides with the liver trying to overcomepensate for not being able to process the protein being absorbed from the muscles.
This kind of problem points to an area in the intestines (with swollen lymph nodes, inflamed to the point where they are restricting blood flow) -and ending in renal or kidney failure.
While this may help explain some of what your dog is going through, or how his body is reacting, it does not answer the question as to
why.
I am sorry. I will say a prayer for you and your furry one.
The chances of it being lepto are positive. 1) it can be concluded by a simple blood test, and 2) dogs don't die from lepto anymore. And it can often be disguised or hide among traits commonly seen with liver and kidney failure. (as explained above would account for your dogs BUN and albumin level) But the statistics of dogs being infected with lepto are generally not a risk factor unless your dog was housed in a crowded kennel (with another carrier or infectee) Also, the lepto bacteria can not survive in colder temperatures. I don't know where or how you and your dog live, but it's something you may think to consider when toying with diagnosis.
Rocky mountain spotted fever can hide looking like kidney or renal failure as well with swollen lymph noeds. - the BCP that the vet took of your dog showing the higher level in higher protein proves that your dog's body is not giving up - but is actively trying to fight this infection, so don't give up yourself either! The only problem with it possibly being RMSF is ... a conclusive test is done in 2 rounds, spaced anywhere from a week to 10 days apart. Your dog needs to live long enough for them to determine whether it is rocky mountain or not, before treating. How long after you noticed your dog was feeling poorly did you wait before taking him in? Does he spend a lot of time outdoors unattended, or romping in high fields or woods? Do you have any other occurances of tick infestations of parasites in your area? Your local vet should be able to tell you whether you are in a high risk area for it or not.
We had to put to sleep a beagle with renal failure. His BCP looked much worse than yours, so don't give up hope. You did the right thing by taking him in, I'm sure they are doing all they can to help. The important thing when you're risking kidney and liver failure, is that you catch the root of the problem and treat it, before the damage from the symptoms is too great on the rest of his organs.
I don't know how long this just got, but I have a feeling .. too long.
Let us know if you have an update. If your doctors are at a loss, they should at least be able to refer you to a specialist.
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