What are creatinine levels?
Creatinine is produced as a waste product of creatinine used in a dog’s muscles to produce energy.
High creatinine levels in your dog’s blood can be shown by a blood test and are not easily expected.
However, they may indicate a kidney problem in your dog that you will need to get checked out.
How do you lower the creatinine levels in your dog? It may require a lifestyle change significantly if the food your dog is taking is bad for the kidney. These are foods that are rich in processed protein and high sodium levels.
Your pet’s body is not designed to handle that much sodium and processed protein in the body, and the kidney may overwork itself by trying to remove that from the blood. Once the kidney starts overworking, other toxic substances, for example, creatinine, may remain in the blood in excess.
However, the good thing about this is that by making proper dietary changes, the condition above can be easily managed, and your dog will continue to live a healthy life.
How do you find out the levels of creatinine in the body?
It is recommended to get your dog regularly tested for creatinine levels in the blood.
This is because the level of creatinine is said to determine the proper functioning of the kidney.
Testing for creatinine levels is as simple as taking a sample of your dog’s blood and taking it to the lab to be tested.
It is crucial to get your dog tested as regularly as possible.
This is because kidney problems have very silent symptoms that are easy to miss until later when the problem has progressed.
A creatinine test is one of the surest ways of testing whether the kidneys are properly functioning by testing the glomerular rate in infiltration in the body.
What causes the rise in creatinine levels in dogs?
This is often an indicator of a problem with your dog’s kidney that may show it is overworked.
This is because creatinine is a waste material that should be removed from the body; thus, when it is high in the blood, it shows that the kidney is not functioning correctly.
Another reason for high creatinine levels is giving your dog a lot of processed proteins and sodium.
Your dog’s system is not meant to handle many processed foodstuffs because they have a lot of toxins and can prove to be challenging to process in the body.
This then gives the kidney a hard time when expelling the toxins from the blood, thus retaining creatinine in high levels in the blood.
What conditions could having a high creatinine level indicate?
High creatinine levels in your dog’s bloodstream should be an indicator that your dog may have an underlying kidney problem or kidney failure.
This is because it shows that the kidneys are not carrying out infiltration properly in the body hence the high levels of creatinine in the bloodstream.
High levels of creatinine could also indicate that your dog is not getting enough liquids hence is highly dehydrated.
It could simply mean that your dog’s diet consists of a lot of processed protein in the body, thus increasing the toxins in the body.
This leads to overworking of the kidney hence increased creatinine levels in the blood.
What types of food help reduce the creatinine levels in dogs?
Some types of foods are not advisable for your dog because they increase toxins in the body.
It is advisable to reduce the protein intake for your dog and replace it with an increase in fiber and water intake.
Omega 3 found in fish is also good for the liver and can reduce creatinine levels in the body.
Water intake should be increased for your dog to help the kidney flush out the toxins.
How do kidneys function?
A high level of creatinine in the body may be an indicator of a kidney problem in your dog.
This is because the kidney is part of the filtration system in the body and filters the blood for toxic substances and waste products in the blood.
If the kidney is working properly, the toxic substances and developments in the blood such as excess glucose and water, urea, and other substances go to the kidney and are later passed out as urine.
That is the working of a healthy kidney.
However, if your dog has shown high creatinine levels in the blood, this may mean that your dog may be suffering from a chronic kidney condition.
Chronic kidney disease has no known cure yet but is a condition your dog can learn to live with.
It is just a matter of making a few lifestyle changes, and you will be good to go.
If you suspect whether your dog has chronic kidney disease, there are some signs you could check on.
They do not necessarily mean that your dog has kidney dysfunction.
But could also be the underlying cause of something else that needs to be checked out.
What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease?
In case you are wondering whether your dog has kidney disease, here are some signs you should check on.
- Signs of lethargy and being uninterested in everyday activities.
- Rapid weight loss.
- Having bad breath
- A significant change in the water intake and the corresponding urine volume
- Vomiting
- A reduced appetite
How do you deal with chronic kidney failure?
This is a condition that can easily be managed by incorporating some lifestyle changes with your dog.
These are mainly dietary changes and the amount of time they spend on physical activity.
There are some of the things that you could do to ensure that your dog gets to live a more leisurely life without all the complications of kidney failure:
1. Adding high raw proteins to your dog’s feeding schedule and do away with the processed proteins.
This is because processed proteins contain so many toxins that will therefore overload your dog’s kidney system.
This is bad for your kidney because it makes it harder for your kidney to do its infiltration job properly, leaving many toxins in your dog’s body.
Feeding your raw dog proteins reduces the toxins in your dog’s body while adding more nutritional value to your dog’s body.
2. It is also advised to incorporate omega-three into your dog’s diet.
This can be found in fish that have high levels of omega 3 in them.
3. In general, when it comes to food being given to your dog, the best thing would be to avoid processed food because of its high toxin content that makes it more difficult for the liver to do its work.
4. Make sure to get your dog proper and regular exercise every day depending on the fitness and health of your dog.
This helps to increase the blood flow and generally keeps the body healthier.
This is then reflected on to the kidney and therefore helps your dog to have a healthier kidney.
5. Drinking a lot of water helps filter out and dissolve the toxins that are not being filtered by the kidney.
This allows the kidney with its job and keeps the body’s system healthy.
Final thoughts
A high level of creatinine levels in the blood should be an indicator of your dog’s kidney functions.
This, however, should not be a cause of alarm, for, with the necessary dietary changes and enough exercise, it is a manageable condition.