Total Protein in Dogs: What High and Low Levels Mean

Normal total protein (TP) in dogs is 5.0–7.4 g/dL. High TP almost always means dehydration or elevated globulins from chronic inflammation or infection. Low TP means protein is being lost — through the gut wall, through the kidneys, or because a failing liver can no longer produce enough. The key to interpreting TP is understanding what albumin and globulin are doing separately, because a normal total protein can mask serious problems in either direction.

What Is Total Protein?

Total protein measures all proteins dissolved in the liquid portion of blood (serum). It has two main components:

• • Albumin (~40–60% of TP): produced exclusively by the liver. Maintains fluid pressure in blood vessels, transports hormones, drugs, and fatty acids. Low albumin causes edema and effusions.
• • Globulins (~40–60% of TP): a diverse group including immunoglobulins (antibodies), complement proteins, clotting factors, and acute-phase proteins. Produced mainly by the immune system and liver.

Because TP is the sum of both fractions, you can have a normal TP while albumin is low (if globulins are elevated to compensate), or a low TP while albumin is normal (if globulins are very low). Total protein as a single number is a starting point — breaking it into albumin and globulin gives the full picture.

Total Protein Reference Ranges

What Causes High Total Protein in Dogs?

Dehydration (Most Common)

Dehydration is the single most frequent cause of high TP in dogs. When fluid is lost from the bloodstream, all dissolved proteins become more concentrated — a process called hemoconcentration. The elevation is proportional to the degree of dehydration. Packed cell volume (PCV) and red blood cell count are elevated at the same time.

Rehydration corrects TP without any treatment directed at protein itself. If TP returns to normal after IV fluids, dehydration was the cause.

Elevated Globulins — Polyclonal

Chronic infections and inflammatory conditions drive the immune system to produce large amounts of antibodies and acute-phase proteins, raising globulins across multiple classes. Common causes:

• • Ehrlichia canis — tick-borne disease; classic cause of hyperglobulinemia in dogs. Can cause TP above 10 g/dL.
• • Brucella canis — reproductive infections, chronic granulomatous disease
• • Leishmaniasis — endemic in Southern Europe and some U.S. regions; very high globulins
• • Systemic fungal infections (Blastomycosis, Histoplasmosis, Cryptococcosis)
• • Chronic hepatitis — immune activation drives globulin production
• • Immune-mediated disease — IMHA, IMTP, SLE

Elevated Globulins — Monoclonal

A single clone of plasma cells or B-lymphocytes produces one specific globulin in large amounts. Unlike polyclonal elevations (broad immune response), monoclonal spikes are more concerning for neoplasia:

• • Multiple myeloma — plasma cell cancer; monoclonal IgG or IgA spike. Often accompanied by hypercalcemia, bone lesions, and Bence-Jones proteinuria.
• • B-cell lymphoma — some cases produce a monoclonal immunoglobulin
• • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) — may show monoclonal or oligoclonal patterns
• • Waldenstrom-like macroglobulinemia — IgM-producing tumor (rare in dogs)

Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) distinguishes polyclonal from monoclonal patterns. A sharp narrow spike on SPEP is a monoclonal band; a broad diffuse elevation is polyclonal. SPEP is indicated whenever TP is significantly elevated without an obvious infectious cause, or when myeloma is suspected.

What Causes Low Total Protein in Dogs?

Low TP (below 5.0 g/dL) means protein is either being lost faster than it can be made, or production has failed. The most informative next step is checking albumin and globulin separately — the pattern of which fraction is low reveals the cause.

Protein-Losing Enteropathy (PLE)

PLE is one of the most important causes of low TP in dogs. The intestinal wall becomes abnormally permeable, leaking albumin and globulin into the gut lumen where they pass out in stool. Because both fractions are lost together, albumin and globulin fall proportionally — the ALB/GLOB ratio stays relatively normal even as both absolute values drop. Low cholesterol and low B12 (cobalamin) commonly accompany PLE and are useful supporting clues.

Protein-Losing Nephropathy (PLN)

PLN is protein loss through a damaged kidney filtration barrier. Because the kidney specifically loses albumin (smaller protein that slips through the damaged glomerulus) rather than globulins, the pattern is low albumin with normal or high globulins. Urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) confirms significant proteinuria. Causes include glomerulonephritis, amyloidosis, and immune-mediated kidney disease.

Liver Failure

The liver produces albumin, fibrinogen, and several other plasma proteins. Severe liver disease (cirrhosis, end-stage hepatitis, portosystemic shunts in young dogs) reduces albumin production. Globulins are made elsewhere and may even be elevated due to immune activation. The result is low albumin with normal or elevated globulins — similar to PLN, but distinguished by elevated liver enzymes, abnormal bile acids, and the absence of significant proteinuria.

The Critical Limitation of Total Protein Alone

What Happens Next?

Depending on whether TP is high or low, your vet's next steps typically include:

• • Check albumin and globulin separately — the most important immediate step
• • Urine protein:creatinine (UPC) ratio — to rule out protein loss through the kidneys
• • Full liver panel (ALT, ALP, AST, bile acids) — to assess liver production failure
• • PCV/hydration assessment — if TP is elevated, dehydration is the first thing to rule out
• • Tick-borne disease panel (Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Rickettsia) — if TP is high with high globulins
• • Serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) — if TP >9.0 g/dL or myeloma is suspected
• • Abdominal ultrasound — evaluate intestinal wall, lymph nodes, liver, kidneys
• • GI workup — if pan-hypoproteinemia (both fractions low) suggests PLE