I took Duffy a ten yrs old to the vet for checkup because he is getting old. The vet said that he has a bladder infection and his cholestrol counting is kinda high. I understand cholestrol is related to diet, so what is the trigger for high cholestrol? He eats kibbles because he doesn't do well on raw diet. I guess too much for his senstive stomach so I'm looking at other options.

What kind of dog is Duffy? What kind of kibble are you currently feeding him?

In people high levels of LDL are caused by saturated and trans fatty acids. Saturated and trans fatty acids are an ingredient sometimes added in to dog food to make them more palatable. Sounds like possibly a fish based kibble or an excellent chicken based kibble may be the way to go if he can't tolerate the raw food.

Hi Lindsay,

About a year ago my now-19 month old's blood panel showed a slightly high cholesterol level. He's raw-fed so immediately I thought it was the diet, just like our diet affects our cholesterol.

Naturally, I PM'd Connie (who I trust more than most vets)and she pulled up some information that seemed to indicate that, in a nutshell, dogs don't have the problems humans do with dietary cholesterol and heart disease. It was complicated reading so what I'm repeating is very rough but I stopped worrying about my dog's diet and cholesterol after that.

Now, a high cholesterol number CAN indicate a thyroid problem so my vet ran a thyroid blood test when he saw the elevated cholesterol number. When that came back normal he told me I shouldn't worry about a one-time high number.

 Quote: Lindsay Janes

I took Duffy a ten yrs old to the vet for checkup because he is getting old. The vet said that he has a bladder infection and his cholestrol counting is kinda high.

Which cholesterol was elevated?

 Quote: melissa thom

In people high levels of LDL are caused by saturated and trans fatty acids. .... Sounds like possibly a fish based kibble or an excellent chicken based kibble may be the way to go if he can't tolerate the raw food.

This would be good advice to a human. High LDL can be caused by dietary sat and trans fats.

As you say, however, the sat fats and trans fats in a kibble are not always (or even often) directly related to the protein source.

Unfortunately, kibble is often doused with "recycled" restaurant frying oil (among other fat sources), so the protein source doesn't have as direct an effect on LDL levels as it might in a human's diet --- because it isn't necessarily the main source of the fat in the food.

 Quote: Lindsay Janes

I took Duffy a ten yrs old to the vet for checkup because he is getting old. The vet said that he has a bladder infection and his cholestrol counting is kinda high. I understand cholestrol is related to diet, so what is the trigger for high cholestrol? He eats kibbles because he doesn't do well on raw diet. I guess too much for his senstive stomach so I'm looking at other options.

Most important to me would be to understand that serum cholesterol levels are not necessarily related to diet, and to find out whether or not the vet has concerns about his elevated level of ... what, exactly? And what are the concerns? (The coronary artery concerns that we humans have are not the same in dogs.)

Is there hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol only) or hyperlipidemia (both triglycerides and cholesterol too high)?

Is the vet concerned about possible diabetes affecting lipid metabolism?

Anyway -- what I'm saying is that I would want more info. I always have to remind myself that dogs are not humans ... They do have many of the same diseases and even the same causes, but digestion and diet are very different in dogs.

BTW, what breed is the dog? (I was reading something about Mini Schnauzers and genetic hyperlipidemia after age 5.)

Duffy is an american eskimo and he will be 11 in aug. I am having him on natural balance, but he used to be on royal canine. Should I change his diet? I know that ed sell honest kibble, but I'm not sure if Duffy will eat it. He is pretty picky and refuse to eat for days to days. It gets to pont where we got really worried about him. He lose like 10 pounds from not eating. It is not like he refuse to eat for one day or two days, but more than few days. I know he can go on for a week.

He is eating now, but not a lot like he used to. I have checked his teeth and they are in need of dental cleaning. He was scheduled to have his teeth cleaning three weeks ago. The vet had to do blood work on him first before they can put him under anesthic. That is when I found out about the bladder infection and cholestrol being a bit too high. Poor my little old guy!

I m not sure which cholestrol was elevated, but his medical record just say chelestrol and other liver/kidney protein. I'm not sure what protein and they are supposed to be enzyme.

Lindsay,
The weight loss, loss of appetite/not eating and elevated liver enzymes makes me wonder if there is an underlying liver problem. Do you have details and numbers of which enzymes were elevated?

Sarah,

That gets me very worried. I really hope this is not case of liver or kidney problem. American Eskimo is pretty prone to kidney problems. We lost a dog to kidney failure at age 8. :s

Right now he is ok, but the amount of water he is drinking is about the same as three weeks ago. The vet gave me his medicine that is supposed to last for 10 days. I need to take him for his second visit after three weeks ago soon.

Lindsay,
I didn't mean to panic you. Dogs with liver or kidney disease can live happy lives for years with changes in diet and/or medication, but it really helps to find out early if there is a problem. That's why I wondered if your vet was looking beyond the immediate bladder infection. Sometimes just an infection can cause a temporary increase in liver enzyme levels, but it might be something to watch, especially in an older dog. Do you know what the numbers were?