High Cholesterol and Triglycerides in Dogs: Causes and Tests

High lipid in a dog means that the fats in the blood, mainly cholesterol and triglycerides, are above the normal range on a lab report. A high result can be a short rise after a meal, but if it stays high on a fasting sample your vet will look for the cause.

What does high lipid mean in a dog?

Lipids are fats in the blood. Cholesterol is a fatty substance the body needs to build cells and make hormones. Triglycerides are fats the body uses and stores for energy. Some of both is normal and needed. The medical word for levels above the usual range is hyperlipidaemia.

Blood fats rise for a few hours after a fatty meal. This is why labs ask for a fasting sample, taken after your dog has gone without food for some hours. If the level is still high on a fasting sample, something more than the last meal is usually involved.

Very high triglycerides can make the serum, which is the clear part of the blood, look cloudy or milky. This is called lipaemia. It can also disturb other test results, which is one more reason for a fasting sample.

What can cause high lipids in dogs?

Several things can raise blood fats:

• A fatty meal shortly before the sample was taken.
• A high-fat diet, or being overweight.
• Breed. Miniature Schnauzers are well known for high triglycerides, and some other breeds are also prone.
• An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
• Diabetes mellitus.
• Cushing's disease, in which the body makes too much of the hormone cortisol.
• Pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas, the organ that helps digest food.
• Some liver diseases, and kidney diseases in which protein leaks into the urine.
• Some medicines.
• An inherited (primary) problem, when no other cause is found.

Finding the cause matters, because the plan depends on it. Your vet may suggest checking blood fats even in a dog that looks well, if the dog is overweight, is a Miniature Schnauzer, or has had pancreatitis or a hormone problem.

Why does it matter, and what signs can you see?

Many dogs with high lipids look completely normal. When problems do develop, they may include:

• Pancreatitis, a painful and sometimes serious illness. Signs include vomiting, poor appetite, tiredness and a sore belly.
• Cloudy or whitish patches on the clear front of the eye, when fat builds up there.
• Changes in the liver and gall bladder.
• In some dogs with very high triglycerides, seizures (fits) have been reported.

Unlike in people, high cholesterol in dogs is not a common cause of heart attacks or strokes. It still deserves attention, because of the problems above and because it often points to another illness, such as a thyroid or hormone problem. Signs like weight gain, low energy or extra thirst are not specific, so only a blood test can show whether lipids are high.

How is it tested, and what happens next?

Your vet will usually ask for a fasting blood sample, often after about 12 hours without food, with water allowed. Follow your vet's exact instructions. Ask first before fasting a young puppy, a very small dog or a dog with diabetes.

The main test is the Lipid Profile, which includes cholesterol and triglycerides. These can also be measured singly, as Cholesterol Total and Triglycerides. To look for a cause, your vet may add:

• A thyroid test, such as the Thyroid Profile (T3, T4 & TSH).
• Blood sugar, liver and kidney tests, and a CBC.
• A Canine Pancreatic Lipase (cPL), which helps look for pancreatitis in dogs.
• A urine test, and cortisol-based tests if Cushing's disease is suspected.

After a high result, your vet decides the plan. Depending on the cause and how high the values are, the vet may look for an underlying disease, suggest a diet or weight plan, treat the cause, or choose a medicine. Please do not start a special diet or any medicine on your own. Your vet may repeat the test after some weeks to see how things are changing.

When to talk to your vet

Show your vet any report with high cholesterol or triglycerides, and mention any change in your dog's appetite, thirst, weight or energy. Take your dog to a vet promptly for repeated vomiting, a painful belly, severe tiredness or a seizure. A registered veterinarian reads lipid results together with your dog's signs, history and other tests.

Pashupatinath Vet Lab provides free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. Elsewhere, your vet or clinic can send the sample to the lab by courier or bus parcel, and the lab coordinates by phone or WhatsApp. Routine blood chemistry tests are normally reported the same day or within 24 hours. See all tests for Dog on this website.