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My dog has high BUN, but normal creatinine & SDMA. Are kidneys okay?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Miniature Pinscher | Female | spayed | 12 years and 9 months old | 15.5 lbs

Hello. My dogs BUN level is 49. But her creatine level is 1.6 and SDMA is 12. So everything is in normal range except bun. Why? She's been getting subq fluids and a lower protein diet as 2 weeks ago the crea was a little high but has since been normal. So are her kidneys ok or not? How can I lower bun. Why is it elevated? Help!!

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on May 2nd, 2018

If her SDMA is normal and her creatinine is wnl then her kidneys are likely normal. BUN can be increased from dehydration, a stomach ulcer, a high protein diet or a very muscular physique. You would normally see vomiting or black stool if she had a bleeding ulcer so I doubt this is the cause of the high BUN. To ensure her kidneys are okay, I would talk to your vet about checking a urinalysis on her. Your vet will assess her protein levels and specific gravity to see how her kidneys are functioning. If the protein levels look high on the dipstick and there isn't an infection, I would talk to your vet about doing a urinary protein creatinine ratio. If it is elevated it could be challenging the kidneys and can cause future problems. There is a medicine to help called benazepril. You can also switch her to a prescription kidney diet just because they have a much lower protein content than the food over the counter. Some dogs just naturally have a higher BUN and as long as it isn't progressively getting worse, I would just continue to monitor it. I hope this helps!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on April 13th, 2018

    A urinalysis is needed to make a definitive statement about kidney disease, but in general this is concerning for kidney disease. Hydration can help decrease the BUN if he is dehydrated. Often times creatinine is a more specific value to monitor and watch for changes, as BUN tends to be more dependent on hydrated status. Best of luck and I hope he does well. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

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    Answered By Maria DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 2nd, 2018

    You are correct in regards to BUN when elevated can indicate a decrease in kidney function. An elevation in BUN can also indicate dehydration. When evaluating blood work we look at the whole picture, not just one value. If the Creatinine (CREA) was elevated, yes we would be concerned about kidney disease. Since the creatinine is normal I agree with your veterinarian that everything looks ok. I do follow up with a urinalysis to check how well the kidneys are concentrating. If the concentration is high then I don't worry too much. If the concentration is low then there are other tests to run to see how the kidneys are doing. When the BUN and Creatinine are elevated and the urine isn't concentrated at that point about 75% of the kidneys are already damaged. I would recommend a urinalysis regardless due to the blood in her urine. I would be concerned about a urinary tract infection or bladder stones. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on May 2nd, 2018

    BUN is just one parameter that could point towards kidney disease. An elevated BUN alone is not indicative of kidney disease, however if CREA and PHOS was elevated as well, the three parameters together would point towards kidney disease. BUN can be elevated due to not drinking enough. We always take into consideration clinical signs, the result of the clinical exam, and the entirety, ie all individual parameters of the blood work. Only the entirety of information seen together will help us make a diagnosis. If only the BUN is elevated but everything else is normal, then there is no reason to believe that your dog is ill, or at least no indication of illness via blood values and clinical exam. You uploaded Val's complete blood count, and that is perfectly normal, pretty much the best it can look!

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