Globulin
Chemistry ·Also called: GLOB, globulins, serum globulin
What it is
Globulins are produced by the liver and by immune cells. They are usually calculated on a panel by subtracting albumin from total protein rather than measured directly, and a laboratory can separate them into subgroups by electrophoresis when needed.
Why your vet measures it
The albumin-to-globulin ratio is often more informative than either value alone. A low ratio — low albumin with high globulin — is a recognised pattern in chronic inflammatory disease and is one of the supporting findings in feline infectious peritonitis.
What a high result can mean
- Chronic infection or inflammation of any kind
- Tick-borne disease such as ehrlichiosis in dogs
- Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), classically with a low albumin-to-globulin ratio
- Multiple myeloma or lymphoma producing large amounts of a single antibody
- Dehydration
What a low result can mean
- Loss through the gut, alongside albumin
- Failure of a newborn to absorb antibodies from colostrum
- Severe blood loss
Dogs and cats differ
A markedly high globulin with a low albumin in an unwell young cat is one of the patterns that prompts consideration of FIP, though no single blood value confirms it. In dogs the same pattern more often reflects chronic infection or an immune-mediated disease.
Questions worth asking your vet
- What is the albumin-to-globulin ratio, and is it low?
- Would protein electrophoresis help narrow this down?
- Is there a chronic infection we should be looking for?
Related terms
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