ALT level in blood test

Hello. I have a female chihuahua, in the blood test her ALT level is 78 U/L  and according to the lab it should be below 70. After checking on google, i've found out that any level between 12 and 118 is considered normal. I'm a bit confused, do different labs have different standards or measurements? Find attached a picture of the test result. Thanks in advance.

Hello!  Yes, they do have different cut-offs and if checking lab results was as simple as putting a blood sample into the computer and the computer giving you an answer, vets would go out of business.   The fact is that every animal has a subtly different 'ideal range' of everything and the broad reference ranges greatly simplify them in order to give a general, 'average' idea.  The findings need to be examined in context of a patient and their physiological state in order to be of much use.  Your vet needs to take many factors into account when analysing blood profiles and to remember that each test is only a small price of a jigsaw.   Of course, some jigsaw peices carry more of a picture than others, but it depends what the picture is of, how significant this may be.

For example, if the liver has worked particularly hard one day, the ALT may go up.  But it may go down a short while later without any illness being involved.  If ALT was getting on for double the reference range, or a little bit high on a regular basis, or if other liver conditions were a known concern, this may be more significant in a one off test.

Your vet knows your chihuahua and is in the best position to interpret the results in context.