My cat got her blood test back and it says that her Bun/ Urea is 101 mg/dl. Her CREA is 1.3 mg/dl. I asked the vet if that meant kidney failure and he said he did not know. She is currently on insulin and Cephalexin for a bladder E. coli infection. He wants to give her fluids but I would like to know if the high Bun indicates some stage of kidney failure. The vets are so busy that they don't always have time to explain. The cat is lerhargic and has little appetite for her usual diet.

Updated On November 13th, 2019

Pet's info: Cat | Feral | Female | spayed | 13 years and 10 months old | 9.5 lbs

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

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Elevated BUN in a pet can indicate either kidney disease, internal bleeding, a high protein diet, or just like any other value can be erroneously elevated (an error). The next test that should be done to rule in/out a kidney problem is to do a urinalysis and check your pets urine concentrating ability (specific gravity). This is an easy and inexpensive test to do, because if the kidneys are not concentrating well, then we know that the kidneys are likely failing. Also, just to note, labs can have different normal ranges, so I am assuming the CREA was within normal range since you only indicated the BUN was high. At any rate, your pet is certainly not feeling well. Antibiotics can certainly have an adverse effect with pets and cause lethargy and inappetance, so if these symptoms didn't start until after the medication was started, you should certainly notify Cosita's veterinarian. I hope that this provides some insight on what to do next to get the bottom of your pets elevated blood values. Best of luck and take care.

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