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ScruffyMom · 08-11-2009, 11:10 AM

Hello Everyone. My name is Sue and my fiancee and I are the proud owners of Peanut and Scruffy. Scruffy, our 3 year old Yorkie is an amazing little guy. After 4 days of diarrhea, I took him to our vet. He was eating somewhat normally, and his temperament was the same, I just knew that he was approaching dehydration and wanted to get him checked out. The first red flag was that Scruffy had gone from about 8.9lbs. to 7.8. The vet had recently switched scales, and assured me that it couldn't be that much. After a full physical examination, Scruffy was given a clean bill of health. He was not dehydrated, his stomach was not bloated, his eyes were clear, his heart and lungs sounded good, and he showed no signs of abdominal pain. The doctor recommended a CBC. Today, the doctor called me to check on Scruffy and discuss the blood tests. He informed me that Scruffy has low levels of albumin. He then went on to explain to me what could be causing this. The culprits included liver problems [though he said the other liver "levels" were normal], kidney issues, or issues with the bowels themselves. Scruffy has not had persistent diarrhea, and has only had a few bouts of it here and there. He also rarely if ever vomits, and is always a ball of energy. He eats his food, and was often fed table food by our families [even after being told not to]. Even after Thanksgiving scraps and potato chips he never vomited or had diarrhea. After spending the past few hours researching possibilities, I cannot say that I am encouraged. If anything, I am devastated. Is this PLN, or PLE? Does he have some kind of cancerous growth in his bowels that is prventing the absorption of necessary proteins? Could his liver be failing? If it is any of the aforementioned problems, I guess what it boils down to is: will Scruffy lead a long and happy life with us, even if he has a medical issue that we must keep in check? I will be bringing a stool and urine sample to the vet tomorrow evening and will know whether or not he is passing protein in his urine by Thursday afternoon. If anyone has any experience, advice, insight, opinions, etc I would greatly appreciate them.

08-11-2009, 11:10 AM	#1
ScruffyMom YorkieTalk Newbie! Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Caldwell, NJ Posts: 7	Low Albumin Levels in CBC Hello Everyone. My name is Sue and my fiancee and I are the proud owners of Peanut and Scruffy. Scruffy, our 3 year old Yorkie is an amazing little guy. After 4 days of diarrhea, I took him to our vet. He was eating somewhat normally, and his temperament was the same, I just knew that he was approaching dehydration and wanted to get him checked out. The first red flag was that Scruffy had gone from about 8.9lbs. to 7.8. The vet had recently switched scales, and assured me that it couldn't be that much. After a full physical examination, Scruffy was given a clean bill of health. He was not dehydrated, his stomach was not bloated, his eyes were clear, his heart and lungs sounded good, and he showed no signs of abdominal pain. The doctor recommended a CBC. Today, the doctor called me to check on Scruffy and discuss the blood tests. He informed me that Scruffy has low levels of albumin. He then went on to explain to me what could be causing this. The culprits included liver problems [though he said the other liver "levels" were normal], kidney issues, or issues with the bowels themselves. Scruffy has not had persistent diarrhea, and has only had a few bouts of it here and there. He also rarely if ever vomits, and is always a ball of energy. He eats his food, and was often fed table food by our families [even after being told not to]. Even after Thanksgiving scraps and potato chips he never vomited or had diarrhea. After spending the past few hours researching possibilities, I cannot say that I am encouraged. If anything, I am devastated. Is this PLN, or PLE? Does he have some kind of cancerous growth in his bowels that is prventing the absorption of necessary proteins? Could his liver be failing? If it is any of the aforementioned problems, I guess what it boils down to is: will Scruffy lead a long and happy life with us, even if he has a medical issue that we must keep in check? I will be bringing a stool and urine sample to the vet tomorrow evening and will know whether or not he is passing protein in his urine by Thursday afternoon. If anyone has any experience, advice, insight, opinions, etc I would greatly appreciate them.