Preventive Health Care - Routine Blood Tests.......

We, at some point in our lives have had blood drawn. Similarly our pets may have also had their blood drawn as well.

At Station Bridge Veterinary Surgery taking a routine blood sample from your pet for a complete blood count, chemistry panel and thyroid panel is helpful and in some cases instrumental in the early diagnosis of certain conditions.

Routine blood tests are recommended for animals over six years old, or animals on medications that have the potential to negatively impact the liver or kidneys. The types of medication include medications for pain, urinary incontinence and thyroid conditions amongst others.

Routine blood tests in an apparently healthy pet help to establish that animal's 'normal baseline'. Hence any slowly increasing values or abrupt changes from your pet's 'normal' state would alert the veterinarian at an early stage, which in turn means your pet is treated as quickly as possible.

Complete blood count - this is helpful in identifying anaemia, infections and certain cancers.

Blood chemistry panel - helps to evaluate kidney, liver and pancreas function. Early identification of kidney failure, liver disease and diabetes is very important in the successful treatment and care of your pet.

Thyroid panel - helps to evaluate the functioning of the thyroid. This is routinely overactive in cats and can be underachieve in dogs.

It should be noted that by the time your pet exhibits physical symptoms of disease it is likely that it has been ill for some time. Routine blood tests allow for the earliest possible detection of these illnesses.

At Station Bridge Veterinary Surgery we offer special discounts for routine blood tests with our Practice Health Plan.