There are many benefits of having bloodwork done on your pet. More information is obtained with blood test results than a physical exam alone. A baseline of how your pet’s organs function when they are healthy can give the veterinarian a clearer picture when your pet isn’t feeling well. The ability to compare healthy blood screening results to sick blood test results may lead to a faster diagnosis. This will allow the veterinarian to choose the appropriate treatment(s) and have your pet feeling better sooner!
WHEN DO WE TEST:
YEARLY: Yearly blood screening throughout your pet’s life will allow our veterinarian monitor changes as your pet ages and allowing quicker treatment to prolong the quality of your pet’s life. MVVS’s typical blood screening is called a Total Body Function and includes a complete blood count, a comprehensive blood chemistry panel and thyroid level. The Total Body Function is sent to a laboratory and results typically come back within 1-2 days.
BEFORE SURGERY: Blood screening is recommended and sometimes required prior to surgery. The information obtained will tell our anesthetist and surgeon how to tailor your pet’s anesthesia. They will see if there are potential clotting issues. They will know if the kidneys and liver are working well to process the medications that are necessary to perform surgery.
NEW PET: With just a small sample of blood, we can quickly test cats for feline leukemia, FIV, or heartworm disease, and dogs for heartworm disease and 3 tick-borne diseases: Ehrlichiosis, Lyme and Anaplasmosis.
MEDICATION MONITORING: Our veterinarians also use bloodwork to monitor medication levels such as thyroid, phenobarbitol and insulin. Blood testing is also used to monitor side effects that may be caused by long-term medications. Based on these test results, dosages are adjusted, and organ function can be monitored.
REPRODUCTION: Progesterone and brucellosis testing are necessary for successful breeding.
EMERGENCIES: Not all blood samples are sent to an outside lab. We can perform complete blood counts and chemistry panels in the clinic. This allows for quicker treatment of our sickest patients.
Your pet has a wealth of knowledge running through their veins. Blood screening and testing gives our veterinary team a picture of that knowledge to help maintain a healthy pet for you!
