My corgi weaned a litter of puppies the beginning of July. She was a bit underweight but was eating well and drinking well. Toward the end of July we began to see an increase in her abdomen. After ruling out gorging and uptake in water intake, we took her to our vet. She has significant distention of her abdomen but no other symtoms. She is not lethargic, still wants to be a part of our ball throwing and running each night. Our regular vet says that her heart sounds great, no signs of parasites, etc but her bloodwork shows that her protein and albumin are low. Sample of the fluid from her abdomen doesn't show any type of infection and all other bloodwork is normal. We have a referal from our vet to specialty clinic and have the earlies appointment scheduled for further testing, xrays, and ultrasound but I am trying to find out more of what may have caused this and what to expect at our appointment. The only difference from her first litter to this one after weaning is an obvious change in the texture and color of the dog food that we normally buy. No change in ingredients or percentages but a definite change in look, texture and smell. I have since quit feeding her the food and changed it. It may be wishful thinking but I believe there is a slight decrease in her abdomen since the switch.

My dog had low albumin of 1.1 on a routine blood test. Globulin of 4.0. The Internal Medicine doctor performed an ultrasound and additional blood work. Ultrasound normal. Albumin at 2.1. All kidney and liver blood work good. No digestive issues. No fluid. He is a Maltese which I’ve seen mentioned a few times on here. Could certain breeds naturally have lower albumin and nothing wrong with them?

My dog has a low alb levels he has build up fluid in abdomen, all of the test that we perform shown that his liver is damaged and how he ia in hospital and he is having IV with some proteins that should elevate albumin levels.My guestion is I am from Macedonia and there ia no technology in my country for transfusion on dogs or blood pasma to be giving he only can get iv with proteins I wanted to if there is any kind of pills for low albumin and if there is which one and what other things I can do help my dog I love him so much and I would gave him my blood and organs if I could to hel him.And is it possible that my dog is possined? Thank you

We took Remi to the vet four days ago after a series of vomiting and bad diarrhea that occurred early that morning. We found him sleeping by the bathroom after discovering three random spots he vomited over the night. When at the vet, he refused to eat a treat offered to him (which he never refused in the past). Also, he made random adjustments to his posture during the examination - which the vet said was a sign of abdominal pain. After his temperature was taken (which was low) and a further rectal examination, he suddenly had bloody diarrhea. The vet took a couple of x-rays and a blood test. X-rays revealed nothing, except the vet noted his liver is quite small. The blood test showed low levels of protein; and, after further analysis, his albumin level was at 1.7 (he's 3.8 kg). The vet decided to hospitalize him to ensure he got enough fluids as well as to monitor him further. They gave him a shot/IV fluid to help w/ his nasuea. Additionally, they gave him half a pack of plasma transfusion to boost his albumin levels. Later that day, they did an ultrasound. The small intestines appeared oddly rippled and at the entrypoint they saw a black mass which they thought was a build up of excess fluids. After consulting with their team, they felt it was most likely Remi had consumed a foreign object and should undergo surgery. They told us of all possible outcomes and we agreed to the surgery. Post surgery, it turned out there was no foreign object. They "explored" the area and found nothing abnormal beyond a minor build up of plaque in the intestines which they took as a sample and sent for a biopsy. Otherwise, Remi came out of surgery as good as possible. Day 2 Hospitalization: Remi was very weak, tired and refused to eat. They gave him the remaining half pack of plasma post-op. There was no improvement in his albumin levels. He appeared in a lot of pain. Day 3 Hospitalization: Remi was weak, tired and continued to refuse to eat. He threw up again during the day. He received some synthetic protein. His albumin levels actually decreased to 1.1. His belly area appeared bloated - but the vets noted this can happen due to post-op/anesthesia and a build-up of fluids in the body. We walked him for the first time during our evening visit. He was slow, but walked. During our walk, his stool was liquidy/soft but and dark brown. Day 4 Hospitalization: During our morning visit, the vet mentioned that he may have an infection of the pancreas. He received another two doses of plasma to boost his albumin levels, which are now 1.4. He also had a chest x-ray to see if he had any fluids in his lungs - which there was none. He had more energy and walked with us during our evening visit at a rapid pace. He did not eat from us - even when lunch meat was offered (which the vet okayed). Again during our walk, his stool was soft but and dark brown but firmer this time. Could there be any other causes for what is happening w/ Remi? Are there questions that we should ask the vert that we've missed? What can we do after he is released from the hospital to ensure he maintains appropriate/healthy levels of albumin - What foods would you recommend? Thanks!

My 7 year male,Schoodle, Louie, started with Ascites 2 months ago, blood work, low albumin,1.1-low hemoglobin-10.4,low hematocrit-31.7,low platelet-61. I told the vet i cant aford anymore tests if he won't be living too much longer based on the blood work,I also don't want to put him through tests. The vet said I can keep him comfortable but his life expectancy is very short. I've chosen to put him down this week since he is having breathing issues due to extreme ascites. Does anyone have an opinion?

I noticed my German Shepherd, Myllie, has notable swelling in her extremities. After a trip to the vet, blood work, urine sample, and abdominal xray her diagnosis is Hypoalbuminemia. She was prescribed metronidazole 500mg twice a day. After the vet didn't find a cause for the low protein this was the recommended treatment.

About a month ago, our dog came down with what appeared to be gastritis. After a few days of vomiting he became very picky and wouldn’t eat or drink much. To avoid dehydration, I fed him syringes of chicken broth, etc. For two weeks his lack of appetite continued, and he had very sporadic vomiting but nothing that we could pinpoint as a pattern. He was rechecked and our vet diagnosed him as having developed chronic gastritis. He prescribed Prilosec daily and said it may help him keep food down. As our dogs appetite improved we have seen less vomiting episodes, but this past week his abdomen began to swell. His appetite, energy levels, and demeanor are all totally normal. He has been going to the bathroom without any issue, so our vet said to just keep an eye on him. Today he vomited and I immediately brought him in. Xrays showed no enlarged organs/heart issues, CBC showed a low albumin level of 1. No signs of infection. Urinalysis showed what my vet described as an incredible amount of protein in the urine, I believe he said a value of 1,000. Glomerulonephritis is what he suspects, but recommended we see an internist or other specialist that can do an ultrasound. He did not give us any instructions or ways to raise the albumin levels at home, only an antibiotic in the event he has any infection in the kidneys that would worsen the problem. I am completely devastated. I know seeing a specialist will give us answers, but what exactly are they looking for? If this diagnosis is confirmed, can we expect to manage the condition or is it a terminal diagnosis? I do not want to put my dog through unnecessary tests/unfamiliar places only to be told there’s nothing we can do. He is still happy, eating well, and isn’t having issues breathing due to the Ascites.

My 15 year old Jack Russell has low protein in bloodwork and protein is high in urine. She has been taking Enalapril for almost a year for the protein levels in her urine. Protein levels have been going up in urine. What would you recommend? As stated, she is 15 years old...should I do further testing? Is there something else I can do?

I have a 11 yr of Pomeranian. I took him to doctor for simple neck pain and just requested routine blood work. to my surprise this was the result, TP 3.1 g/dL L 5.0 - 7.4 GLOB 1.5 g/dL L 1.6 - 3.6 ALB 1.6 g/dL L 2.7 - 4.4 AST 62 IU/L 15 - 66 ALT 27 IU/L 12 - 118 ALKP 64 IU/L 5 - 131 TBIL 0.1 mg/dL 0.1 - 0.3 CREA 0.5 mg/dL 0.5 - 1.6 BUN/UREA 10 mg/dL 6 - 31 PHOS 2.8 mg/dL 2.5 - 6.0 GLU 74 mg/dL 70 - 138 Ca 7.3 mg/dL L 8.9 - 11.4 Ca (CORR) 9.2 Sodium 153 mEq/L 139 - 154 Potassium 4.6 mEq/L 3.6 - 5.5 Na/K Ratio 33 27 - 38 Chloride 122 mEq/L H 102 - 120 and temp of 102. doctor did not see the result till next day so we went home with pain med for neck pain but he called me next day with lab result very worried that the dog may have cancer and I should take antibiotic till couple of days later that he would see the dog for quick Ultrasound and if he sees fluid leak in the stomach and to take samples. to add, the dog lost 1 lb in 4 months. next day, the dog was just fine with no symptoms and eating and everything else was normal. he just does not like his food because he has allergies and takes hydrolyzed protein soy base royal canine food that he hates. next day, I was imagining that he has distended stomach (maybe because I read too much about people's comments about their dog on this website). I took the dog to doctor (48 hours after original test). they did quick ultrasound and saw very little leak that was not enough to take sample from. they re-did of test and they got the following: TP = 4.6 g/dL L 5.2 - 8.2 GLOB = 2.7 g/dL 2.5 - 4.5 ALB = 1.9 g/dL L 2.2 - 3.9 ALB/GLOB = 0.7 ALT = 50 U/L 10 - 125 ALKP = 82 U/L 23 - 212 CREA = 0.7 mg/dL 0.5 - 1.8 BUN/UREA = 8 mg/dL 7 - 27 GLU = 82 mg/dL 70 - 143 BUN/CREA = 11 so pretty much the lab had improved and doctor discontinued pain med and antibiotic. and sent urinalysis out. note that 2 yrs ago, dog had serious pancreatitis. but he had no symptoms this time but there was a possibility of flare that doctor thought is far fetched. dog is pretty active and normal. so, we are all puzzled what this is. we will have urine result tomorrow. so, could it be liver? could it be cancer? can anyone help? thanks