The Importance of Routine Lab Work

Blood tests can be used to detect, treat, and prevent potentially dangerous illnesses. 

We offer a wide range of preventative care from physical examinations, heartworm tests, and intestinal parasite exams to full panel bloodwork. When we consider your pets health, the lab work may be one of the most important pieces of his or her puzzle. The lab work will tell the doctors about the status of your pets internal functions "the unseen" . 

The signs when your pet is actively sick are not always obvious or easily noticed. Routine screenings not only uncover diseases before its too late, but can also help you avoid significant medical expenses and risks to your pets health!

Why does my young dog need bloodwork?

When laboratory testing is done as part of your pet's annual examination, those values can be used to establish baselines and  trends over time. We can review your pet's health record at each visit and spot changes and trends sooner. This means often before a serious disease like kidney failure can develop, we can make changes to benefit and extend the life of your pet.

We feel so strongly about obtaining this information that we offer our clients  special preventative care packages with their annual vaccines. This is the most economical way to check the status of your pet's overall health. We believe in providing your pets with the best health care possible. The prevention packages allow us the ability to discover hidden illnesses such as early kidney disease or diabetes. By catching illnesses early we have the best chance to treat efficiently. We offer 3 packages for both cats and dogs. 

Dogs:

Good includes: Short Chemistry panel, Complete Blood Count, Thyroid check and Heartworm test.

Better includes: Full Chemistry panel, Complete Blood Count, Thyroid check and Heartworm test. 

Best includes: Full Chemistry panel, Complete Blood Count, Thyroid check, Heartworm test, and Urinalysis.

Cats

Good includes: Short Chemistry panel, Complete Blood Count, Thyroid check, FIV and Leukemia Test

Better includes: Full Chemistry panel, Complete Blood Count. Thyroid Check , FIV and Leukemia Test

Best includes: Full Chemistry panel, Complete Blood Count, Thyroid Check, FIV, Leukemia Test, and Urinalysis

What do these test mean? 

Complete blood count (CBC) tells you if your pet has an infection, if inflammation is present or if your pet is anemic

Chemistry Panel - including electrolytes provides information about your pet's liver, kidneys and pancreas; as well as other functions of the body, such as blood sugar and hydration levels

A urinalysis - identifies an infection, possible crystals or inflammation in the urinary tract

Thyroid test - detects whether or not your pet's thyroid gland is functioning properly. Thyroid disease is very common in older cats and dogs

There is a great handout that explains lab work and results more extensively. The handout can be found at Blood work and your pet .