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published by: IDEXX Laboratories, LTD.

 

Facts about BLOOD TESTING and your pet's upcoming surgery

Because They Can't Tell You...
Four Important Reasons For Testing Your Pet's Blood

1. The health and safety of your pet is our foremost concern.

Because your pet cannot describe symptoms to let us know what might be wrong, we recommend blood tests to give us the answers we need, especially before surgery.

 

 

2. Blood chemistry tests provide an inside look at your pet’s vital organs.

By testing blood chemistries, we can evaluate the status of your pet's major organs. The function of the liver and kidneys is especially important because these organs process and rid the body of medications used during anesthesia.

3. Hematology tests provide an inside look at the blood itself.

Blood is composed of different kinds of cells.  It is important to know the status of each prior to surgery.

Red Blood Cells (RBC's) are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body.

White Blood Cells (WBC's) are the body's primary means of fighting infection.

Platelets play an important role in blood clotting and are critical in helping the body to stop bleeding.

4. Results of these tests will determine your pet's readiness for surgery.

Depending on the results, we may adjust the dose or type of anesthetic used or advise delaying the surgery.

Blood chemistry tests and the information they provide:

Albumin (ALB) - Produced by the liver, reduced levels of this protein can point to chronic liver or kidney disease, or parasitic infections such as hookworm.

Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) - An enzyme that becomes elevated with liver disease.

Alkaline Phosphatase (ALKP) - An enzyme produced by the biliary tract (liver). Elevated levels can indicate liver disease or Cushing's syndrome.

Amylase (AMYL) - The pancreas produces and secretes amylase to aid in digestion. Elevated blood levels can indicate pancreatic and/or kidney disease.

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) - BUN is produced by the liver and excreted by the kid­neys. Testing for it helps to detect liver and kidney abnormalities.

Calcium (Ca⁺²) - Increased levels of this mineral can be an indicator of certain types of tumors, parathyroid or kidney disease.

Cholesterol (CHOL) - Elevated levels of cholesterol are seen in a variety of disorders including hypothyroidism and diseases of the liver or kidney.

Creatinine (CREA) - Creatinine is a by-product of muscle metabolism and is excreted by the kidneys. Elevated levels can indicate kidney disease or urinary obstruction.

Blood Glucose (GLU) - High levels can help diagnose diabetes and can indicate stress - especially in cats. Low levels can indicate liver disease.

Phosphorus (PHOS) - Can be an indicator of kidney disease when elevated.

Total Bilirubin (TBIL) - A component of bile, bilirubin is secreted by the liver into the intestinal tract.  Blood bilirubin levels are useful in diagnosing problems in the bile ducts.

Total Protein (TP) - The level of TP can suggest a variety of conditions including dehydration and diseases of the liver, kidney or gastrointestinal tract.

Electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride) - The balance of these chemicals is vital to your pet's health. Abnormal levels can be life threatening. Electrolyte tests are important in evaluating vomiting, diarrhea and cardiac symptoms.

Hematology Tests

A variety of tests analyze and measure individual blood cells.

Hematocrit (HCT) or Packed Cell Volume (PCV) - Provides information on the amount of red blood cells (RBCs) present in the blood. This test is used to diagnose anemia.

Complete Blood Count (CBC) - A more complete panel of tests, a CBC, provides detailed information on RBCs, WBCs and platelets. These tests can indicate the presence of inflammation, stress or an inability to fight infection. Low platelets can indicate a potentially serious problem such as bleeding during or after surgery.

Morphologic Inspection - Looking at the cells through a microscope can provide information on the type of anemia or inflammation, or other abnormalities.

Benefits of testing now and throughout your pet’s life.

As with your own regular health check-ups, testing on a reg­ular basis lets us monitor your pet's health over its lifetime and enables us to detect any potential problems early on.