Blood work is a frequently recommended diagnostic tool, typically run in house to assist in the diagnosis of sick pets and in the early identification of hidden illnesses in pets who otherwise appear healthy. We also recommend blood work for our patients undergoing anesthesia to minimize anesthetic risk due to undetected conditions. This helps us to provide them with the safest anesthetic experience we can by making any needed adjustments to their anesthesia, pain medications, or fluids, or even postponing a procedure if necessary. Blood work helps us to identify infection, anemia, diabetes, liver and kidney disease, problems with hydration, electrolyte disturbances, and potential clotting problems. Many of these conditions may not become apparent in how our pets act and feel until they have become significantly advanced. Early identification allows us to more effectively treat or manage these conditions to keep your pet happier and feeling healthy for as long as possible! This is true not only for our geriatric patients, but also in our young puppies or kittens, when we may first uncover a congenital abnormality on routine preanesthetic blood work prior to neutering. Hopefully, we find your pet’s blood work to be within normal limits. This allows us to establish a valuable baseline to which we can refer later in life to detect changes or problems.
