Showing posts with label blood tests for pet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blood tests for pet. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 23, 2023

Can Your Pet Benefit From Blood Work?


Lab tests are expensive and often pet owners may subconsciously delay doing the necessary tests due to the cost. But bloodwork is extremely important, especially if you have an older pet. A blood test can help your pet in many ways. A CBC test, also known as a complete blood count, is the most common blood test done by veterinarians. It is usually suggested prior to surgeries, as part of a yearly wellness exam, and every 6 months as part of senior wellness checkups. Bloodwork can be the first step in detecting health issues like kidney and liver disease, cancer and pancreatitis. It can provide your veterinarian (and you) a snapshot picture of how your pet's organs are functioning. Even if you have a young pet, a blood test is important to establish a baseline. Bloodwork can be expensive but they can help you address health issues early on and give you more time with your pet. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

It Might Be Scary... But Be Brave

Yesterday was a tough day for us. Legend’s liver cancer has returned and he went in to have the tumor removed. Unfortunately, the tumor was inoperable due to its location and there were new liver nodules present as well.

In spite of all we went through, we have no regrets. While it was terribly disappointing to get the news, at least we know where we stand (waiting for biopsy results) and now have the information we need to make the very best decisions for Legend going forward. We are very grateful to Legend’s dedicated holistic veterinarian Dr. David Gordon Arch Beach Veterinary Clinic who has been guiding us through this challenging journey. However scary it was to go through the tests and surgery, we still have time left to see what else we can do. Without those tests, we would just be hoping he was doing ok at 14 years of age.

We wanted to share our story because we hope it might give you courage to move forward with any lab tests that you might be considering for your senior pet. While no one likes to get bad news, when it comes to lab tests, we all must find the courage to BE BRAVE so we can do the best for our pets.


Monday, October 10, 2011

Labratory Tests (Blood and Urine) Are Essential to Pet Health

Have you brought your pet into the veterinarian for an annual check-up? Plan ahead before the holiday rush and bring your pet in for annual blood and laboratory tests as well as a complete health and dental exam. A visit to the vet is not just for vaccinations. Also, be sure to request a fecal exam too. Many pets can have worms, parasites and giardia without symptoms. These are highly contagious to other pets.

Before the holidays come upon us, be sure to have your pet completely checked out. Disease sets in long before you see the symptoms. For example, kidney disease doesn't even show up as abnormal on your pet's blood test (values are Creatitine, BUN and phosphorous) until your pet has lost 75% kidney function. Discovering problems at their initial stages is the key to keeping your pets happy and healthy. Be proactive about your pet's good health. Early detection of common health problems such as elevated liver enzymes, kidney disease, and diabetes will help ensure you will have lots of extra time to spend with your beloved pet.