Is your pet about to be sedated or put under an anaesthetic?
Due to our strong commitment to providing the best medicine that we can for your pet, we strongly believe that regular blood testing is important in helping your pet to achieve a long and happy life.
Pre-anaesthetic blood tests provide information about vital organ function, particularly the liver and kidneys, and include a count of red and white blood cells. The great benefit of testing is that we can then identify healthy animals that have pre-existing internal problems that cannot be detected through physical examination. Such abnormalities can occur even in young animals. Statistics have shown us that 46% of dogs and 48% of cats have abnormalities in their blood results.
If the results are normal we can proceed with confidence knowing there is minimal anaesthetic risk. As an added bonus we then have a record of baseline levels for your pet.
Minor abnormalities on the blood screen may not prevent the procedure from going ahead but can mean that further supportive care (such as intravenous fluids) or an alteration in choice of anaesthetic agents will be required. It is common to recommend follow up testing in these cases to monitor the degree or progression of the abnormality.
In the event that significant or severe abnormalities are found on pre-anaesthetic blood testing, the added risk to the patient must be carefully weighed against the benefits of the procedure. In this situation, you would be contacted by the veterinarian to discuss the findings before we proceeded any further.
GOLD (Bronze + Silver + extra 7-panel blood test)
Recommended for pets of all ages
Provides information about:
- Three markers of kidney function
- Four markers of liver function
- Glucose – abnormalities could indicate diabetes or an insulin tumour in the pancreas
- Total protein – abnormalities can indicate: dehydration, protein loss, inflammation
- Albumin – abnormalities can indicate: intestinal malabsorption or malnutrition, EPI, chronic liver disease, kidney disease, blood loss
- Globulins – abnormalities can indicate tissue injury and inflammation
- Amylase and Lipase – abnormalities can indicate inflammation of the pancreas
- Cholesterol – abnormalities can indicate: thyroid disease, liver disease, acute pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus
- Calcium – abnormalities can indicate cancer, chronic kidney disease, hyperparathyroidism
- Complete blood count – see below for details (Bronze)
SILVER (Bronze + 10-panel blood test)
This is our most common pre-anaesthetic blood profile. We can also use this profile as a screening test and upgrade to a gold profile if abnormalities are found.
Provides information about:
- Two indicators of kidney function
- Two indicators of liver function
- Blood Glucose – abnormalities could indicate diabetes or an insulin tumour in the pancreas
- Albumin – abnormalities can indicate: intestinal malabsorption or malnutrition, EPI, chronic liver disease, kidney disease, blood loss
- Globulins – abnormalities can indicate: tissue injury and inflammation
- Total protein – abnormalities can indicate: dehydration, protein loss, inflammation
- Complete blood count – see below for details (Bronze)
BRONZE (Complete blood count)
Provides information about:
- Red blood cells, which carry oxygen to tissue
- White blood cells, which are the body’s primary defence against infection
- Platelets, which are crucial in the clotting process especially during and after surgery
- Identifying abnormalities helps detect: anaemia, inflammation, acute or chronic infection, bleeding disorders, dehydration
ELECTROLYTE TEST
Can be added to any of the above profiles:
- Measure Sodium, Potassium and Chloride levels
- Abnormalities can indicate endocrine diseases, kidney disease, and dehydration.
- Crucial in choosing the correct IV fluids for your pet.
