Normal sdma, slightly elevated urea/crea

[Mahurboy]

Hello everyone,
We had check-ups for my cat (8 months old), the blood tests showed that he has normal SDMA (9 mg/dl) while the creatinene (162 mmol/l) and urea (12.6mmol/l) are sligtly elevated. The vet told me that SDMA is more reliable and urea/crea may be affected by something else. My boy eats well, has gained 1 kg in the last 2 months, sort of playful.. Have you seen anything like this before sdma is normal and crea/urea slightly elevated? What does this really mean?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi!. Those numbers for urea (nitrogen) and creatinine don't coincide with the norm ranges on my cat's tests, so I am not sure what ranges you were given. But, I do know that very muscular cats and/or ones whose diets are high in proteins can have slightly elevated creatinine levels. The urea level can also fluctuate due to a degree of dehydration. From all that I have been told and read, SDMA is a much better indicator of potential (either current or future) kidney issues. I would gather the vet will be performing a follow up on the coming months, just to check the levels again?

 

[MissClouseau]

Blood tests can be really difficult to read and confusing for those of us who aren't vets. They look at like one thing, right? If another thing exists alongside of it, that means X, but if it doesn't that means something else and so on. I definitely try to look for answers after every test too but just to say you can also ask the vet why then X could elevate like that and maybe get it confirmed online.

Like FeebysOwner said UREA can be elevated due to dehydration. It doesn't have to be general dehydration but like not drinking enough water that morning before the blood test might apparently cause some elevation.

Did they do the test to empty stomach or did your kitty had food before the test? That also cause some numbers to play. (One vet clinic I go to don't care and consider that if they see abnormal numbers. Another clinic I go to for example always asks the cat to not eat anything the last 8-9 hours prior to the test.)