In early stages of diseases, pets may not exhibit and show signs of disease. Blood testing allows us to detect illness as early as possible, so we can address problems sooner, implement treatments to slow disease progression and treat effectively for a better prognosis.
Why are blood tests for dogs important?
In critical situations, our in-house laboratory equipment ensures your pet gets fast accurate results when time is essential to the treatment plan.
Rapid accurate results equal speedy diagnosis for your beloved animal. The sooner we have a diagnosis the sooner the treatment plan can be implemented meaning two important things; a shorter stay in the hospital saving you time, making it more economical for you, but more importantly, your pet will feel better sooner.
Tests may also be sent to an outside laboratory for more extensive or specialized testing as required.
PRE-ANESTHETIC BLOOD TESTING
Pre-anesthetic blood testing provides insight as to what is occurring internally. We are especially concerned with the health of the liver and kidneys as these organs help the body clear medications used during anesthesia. This testing could uncover health concerns which cannot be detected from the physical exam alone. Our in-clinic lab allows us to run the blood work the morning of surgery.
SENIOR WELLNESS TESTING
As your pet reaches those golden years, routine check-ups combined with annual blood work can be vital to early detection of abnormalities when no symptoms are present. We offer age-specific wellness panels for your canine and feline companions. The wellness panel includes complete blood count (CBC), full chemistry panel, electrolytes & urinalysis. For cats, we add on a thyroid test (T4).
HEARTWORM/LYMES TESTING
We recommend heartworm testing every 2 years for all our patients. Even if your pet has been on a heartworm preventive all its life there is always the chance of a breach in protection. Late or missed doses, weight gain that can result in underdosing, unknown vomiting of oral medication, changes in weather that extends the mosquito season or travel to endemic areas during our off-season, and medication-resistant heartworm (identified in some regions of the USA) could leave pets susceptible. Our heartworm test also tests for tick-borne illnesses, including Lyme disease. It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito or () tick for your pet to become infected.
How do I understand the blood test results?
Your veterinarian will interpret laboratory tests in light of the entire assessment of your pet. Sometimes laboratory tests need to be repeated to evaluate trends, which may provide more information than measurement of a single test. We strive to help you understand your pet’s health considerations and we encourage you to be involved in decisions regarding your pet’s health care.