# Why is the Bun/creative level generally higher in raw fed dogs?



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

I was just looking at Avery's blood work from March and it says the normal range is 4-27 but his is 47...the vet told me there was nothing concerning about his blood work so I'm wondering what it actually means.

The other levels out of range:
CK: Normal (101-328) Avery 97
GGT: Normal (2-8) Avery less than 1
HGB: Normal (12-18) Avery 20.4
HCT: Normal (37-55) Avery 59


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Simple answer, a kibble diet (which is what the normal ranges are based off of) is completely different from a raw diet. Raw fed dogs consume much more protein than kibble fed dogs who are also eating quite a bit of carbs. That is why the BUN and creatinine are higher.


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## Neeko (Aug 11, 2010)

They are both by products of protein metabolism. Blood urea nitrogen is produced by the liver in response to ingested protein and excreted through urine. Creatinine is a product of muscle breakdown. They are both easy measurements of kidney function because they are both filtered by kidneys. It's expected for those eating a diet with lots of protein to have high end of normal or slightly elevated levels. 

An elevated BUN without creatinine elevation is indicative of dehydration.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

But isn't Avery's really high for the range?


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## Neeko (Aug 11, 2010)

I'm not trying to be a fear mongerer. As a nurse, if I were looking at those values in relationship to normal, I would first suspect dehydration, ad secondly polycythemia vera.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Was he fasted before having the bloodwork done? That can make a difference in the results....


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

It was done in March so I don't remember the particulars, but he usually eats anywhere from 6pm-9pm...And the appt was probably a morning appt somewhere between 8am-10am. So perhaps he wasn't fasted long enough?


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

Have you had his BUN tested prior? It's always good to have a baseline - I have a dog whose BUN normally runs 32 or so and when it went up to 37 it was concerning only because that's not what it had ever been before. If Avery has prior tests with a lower BUN I would be more concerned that something is going on. Or, maybe he just has a high number OR maybe the test had a mistake.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

I don't think they did a BUN Creatine in the last test. 

But his HGB, HCT where within the normal ranges last year. His MCHC was high last year coming in at 36.3 when the normal range ends at 34...


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## doggoblin (Jun 6, 2011)

http://www.mountaindogfood.com/RawHelp/Raw_Food_Study.pdf may be an interesting link to read when it comes to raw blood work.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I would recommend rechecking blood work with in a few months. One sample of blood work doesn't tell you much. Trends, taken over time will tell you a heck of a lot more. 

When you retest- make sure Avery is fasted for like 12 hours and make sure he's well hydrated. 

When I do blood work on the girls, I do full panels out to the lab, with a UA and fecal. Getting UA readings along with blood work will help answer some of the questions of whether you need to worry about BUN/Creatinine values.


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