Why should I test my pet?
Every animal has its own individual chemical makeup. A “baseline” value can be taken from a young, healthy animal and be filed for future reference when illness is suspected, or to confirm continued well-being as your animal ages. In the older animal, blood tests are used in the same way as they are used in people – to monitor your pet’s health and wellbeing. Blood testing may help to detect problems before obvious clinical signs appear which can help improve the potential outcome for your pet.
Prior to anaesthesia and surgery, blood tests can be used to ensure that your pet is healthy and strong enough to cope with the procedure. Conditions such as underlying infections and anaemia can cause serious complications during or after surgery. Anaesthetics are primarily “cleared” from your pet’s body by the liver and kidneys. Any condition that impairs kidney or liver function will delay anaesthetic clearance from the body. Delayed anaesthetic clearance can cause further kidney complications, extended recovery times and costs, delayed healing time and may even cause brain injury or death. A blood screening test prior to surgery aids in the detection of these conditions, allowing them to be treated where possible prior to surgery or steps taken to help reduce the potential impact of the anaesthetic on your pet.
Types of tests
There are two main types of blood tests available to monitor your pet’s wellbeing:
Haematology: this is done from a blood sample and gives information on the blood components ie red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. This information can help diagnose such things as infection, anaemia and dehydration.
Biochemistry: this is also done from a blood sample and provides a panel of results which can give an indication of how your pet’s organs are working. A change in the expected result of, for example, a liver enzyme will tell your pet’s doctor that the liver is not functioning properly. Some examples of tests which may be performed include:
Albumin – produced by the liver, reduced levels can indicate liver or kidney disease, or parasitic infections.
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) – high levels of this enzyme indicate liver disease.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) – high levels of this enzyme can indicate liver disease or Cushing’s syndrome.
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) – produced by the liver and excreted by the kidneys.
Calcium (Ca) – increased levels or calcium can indicate certain types of tumours, parathyroid or kidney disease.
Creatinine (Crea) – is a by-product of muscle metabolism and is excreted by the kidneys.
Blood glucose (GLU) – high glucose levels are seen with diabetes.
Phosphorus (PHOS) – an elevated level can be an indicator of kidney disease.
Total biliubin (TBIL) – bilirubin is a component of bile and is excreted by the liver into the intestinal tract. Abnormal levels can help diagnose problems in the bile ducts.
Electrolytes – abnormal levels of electrolytes can be life threatening to your pet. These tests are important in evaluating vomiting, diarrhoea and cardiac symptoms.
