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When pets are sick, they can't tell us what's wrong. That is where laboratory testing comes into play.
Blood tests can be used to detect, treat and prevent potentially dangerous illnesses.
Sick
or older animals often have more than once disease process affecting
them at the same time, complicating diagnosis and treatment. Blood
tests can help pinpoint specific problems.
In
addition, some medications can be harmful if your pet has certain
underlying problems, such as kidney or liver disease. In such cases,
your veterinarian may order blood tests to make sure your pet is
healthy enough to take the medication.
Finally, even
in young and healthy pets, laboratory testing helps your veterinarian
establish a baseline picture of what represents god health for your
individual pet.
Blood tests are recommended as part of your pet's annual physical examination. | - provides
important information about the types and numbers of blood cells in
your pet's blood. A low number of red blood cells, for example,
indicates anemia, while a high number of white blood cells can indicate
an infection, chronic inflammation, or other disease process.
- particularly important for evaluating organ function (e.g. liver,
kidneys), electrolytes, blood sugar, screening for clues that an
endocrine disorder may be present, etc. Any abnormalities will help
direct your pet's veterinarian on any further diagnostic tests that may
be necessary.
-
measures the level of a thyroid hormone and helps to screen for
hypothyroidism (low) and hyperthyroidism (too high) diseases - which can detect evidence of heartworm disease.
- which can detect this potentially fatal disease, transmitted by ticks
- detects another potentially disastrous disease, transmitted by ticks | Before anesthesia is administered, as
an essential part of patient evaluation in preparation for a medical
procedure or surgery. Your veterinarian will decide which tests are
most important to run.
As part of your pet's annual physical examination, both to spot problems as early as possible and to develop a baseline picture of your pet's health
If your veterinarian suspects a health problem and needs additional information to make an accurate or complete diagnosis.
Whenever your veterinarian recommends medications for your pet that might be contraindicated if he or she has certain underlying diseases.
Your veterinarian or a registered veterinary technician can usually collect any needed blood samples during an office visit.
In
some cases, however, blood samples need to be drawn at specific times
over an extended period. Your pet may need to be kept at the hospital
for a few hours or, in certain circumstances, overnight. |
Blood tests are essential tools for identifying diseases at the earliest stage possible, when they are the most treatable. 
