97 Tips for Raising Labs
Following are approximately 97 questions readers of BigYellowDog.com submitted in recent years. They were answered by a licensed veterinarian on the site as a general service to all Lab owners. This information is for general reference only. Always consult your veterinarian for any questions about your Lab's health. We hope this information is somewhat helpful. At this time, we are not accepting any more questions.
Question
My 2 year old female lab just had her kidneys checked out and the creatin level was 1.78 and the vet says that normal ends at 1.8. She had a sore on her leg, but the vet wouldn't give antibiotics for it as she said it wouldn't be best with the kidney level so high. What preventative measures should I be taking to keep this level down or is there any? I do give her peanut butter in her kong toy, but I know peanut butter is a protein food, so should I stop that and maybe change her food? My vet said we would check her level again in the fall before making any changes in her food, but if I can do something now for her, I would like to.
Answer
To answer your question fairly I would have to see any previous bloodwork done on your lab. If your lab has never had bloodwork done before this may just be her/his normal blood value. Even though it is in the upper range it is still within normal value limits. For labwork to be considered abnormal we usually look for values that are 3 times the normal level before we become concerned. As your veterinarian recommended I would repeat your dogs bloodwork in 6 months to evaluate the normal level. As far as doing anything to prevent future problems as your regular veterinarian recommended I would wait to repeat labwork, then maybe consider a diet change if bloodwork is still a concern.
