Blood tests are an essential part of diagnosing what is ailing your pet, just as they are in human medicine. Blood tests can tell the veterinarian a myriad of things, from whether your pet is dehydrated to whether he or she has anemia to whether your cat or dog is suffering from cancer.
Common blood tests used by veterinarians
Veterinarians consider a minimum database of diagnostics to include a CBC (complete blood count), and basic chemistry, and a urinalysis. With those panels, we are able to get a picture of your pet’s overall health. The CBC will give us a picture of your pet’s red blood cells, which tell us if they’re anemic, their ability to carry oxygen, and if they carry any blood parasites. We will also get a picture of their white blood cells and platelets, which help us determine infection, inflammation, and some types of cancers. The chemistry is a test that tells us about your pet’s basic organ functions, protein levels, and can help us get a picture of any metabolic or endocrine dysfunctions. The final part of our minimum database is the urinalysis, which can help us to determine any signs of infection, aid in organ function testing, and detect early signs of other diseases (cancer, crystals, renal diseases).
While some pets will require more extensive testing depending on their individual health concerns, our basic panels give us enormous insight into your pet’s health and treatment plan.
Benefits of in-house diagnostics and bloodwork
While our diagnostic lab is one of our most valuable resources, if your pet is critically ill, Skye Ridge Veterinary Hospital offers state of the art, in-house diagnostics to get the results we need quickly. This benefit allows us to decrease the time between diagnosis and instituting a specific treatment plan for your pet’s illness and getting them feeling better fast.
Having a sick pet can be a scary thing. After all, they are part of the family. Skye Ridge Veterinary Hospital wants to ease some of your anxiety and get your pet on the road to wellness quickly. That's why we've invested in an in-house diagnostic lab. Call us today to learn more about our in-house testing lab or to make an appointment for your pet.
