Laboratory work and diagnostic testing for wellness, before surgery…..AND MORE!
Lab work…. is one of the diagnostics that I used to collect in practice from my small animal patients…and still do (under the veterinary request of course!). Labwork can be ordered for many reasons in a small animal hospital…everything from routine wellness screens, pre-operative screens, rechecking parameters for a certain disease process, or emergency situations. Often the staff drawing the samples are skilled veterinary technicians.
The skill required to collect these labs is essential, especially when pets arrive with low blood pressure, dehydration, collapsing veins, or even anemia. In practice clinical evaluation of the pet prior to the blood draw enables the veterinary staff to choose the ideal site for blood collection.
If you ever had your blood drawn, I am sure that you have noticed the large selection of tubes the staff selects for particular tests. Veterinary technicians are very keen on which tubes are used for various tests and how to properly collect and process the sample for testing so no interference is created that could affect results.
30 years ago pets only received a full health laboratory screening if they presented ill. Presently health screenings are highly recommended starting at the adult stage of a pet’s life. Testing has evolved in many areas which can allow a clinician to catch potential disease processes earlier. Labwork is performed in conjunction with the physical examination. Veterinarians are trained and skilled to look for early signs of illness as well as establishing a baseline for what is considered “normal” for your individual pet.
An example of labwork that can aid with early intervention of care would be testing for early-stage kidney disease in cats and dogs. There is testing available that can identify disease at 25% kidney function loss as compared to 75% loss. At 75% percent loss of kidney function, the disease has already progressed and the pet may now present with clinical signs resulting from the progression of disease. When 25% is lost, your clinician can discuss earlier interventions such as more water intake and switching your pet to a diet that is lowered in processed protein to decrease kidney workload.
A general health and wellness screen is composed of blood tests that evaluate organ function, electrolytes, and a complete blood count. Sometimes a urinalysis is added, every clinic is different regarding what they will recommend. Some of these tests can be run in-house, and some are sent to laboratories outside of the clinic. When your pet is hospitalized, testing is generally run in the clinic and evaluated. This allows for quicker rechecks in parameters to evaluate progress/decline and potentially make changes or additions to a pet’s treatment plan. To evaluate certain parameters with some medical cases, there may be smaller samples and testing to keep track of certain trends.
Laboratory work is also evaluated to evaluate liver and kidney function for pets that are on certain medications, as many drugs that people and pets take are excreted by the liver and kidneys. Pre-operative testing allows clinicians to devise the best course of action for an anesthetic plan for a patient based on results as well. Choices of anesthetic agents for induction and maintenance of a pet undergoing surgery are chosen based on a patient’s pre-operative labwork and physical exam. At times a pet may need to have surgery rescheduled if there is a parameter that is not within normal limits and/ or a pet is presenting with symptoms of a potential disease process. Further investigation may be needed before any type of surgery along with anesthesia is performed for that particular pet patient.
My cat Charlie just had his yearly laboratory work, and yes it is definitely an investment. His kidney function tests that are part of his labs were normal. As a pet mom and a veterinary technician, I want to know where my pet is at baseline and watch every year to see if there are any changes that would require a change in Charlie’s overall wellness and healthcare program.
Your veterinary team offers this to you to give you a snapshot of your pet’s health based on these values and the physical exam. Here are some basic components in detail that are generally performed in an animal hospital.
COMPLETE BLOOD COUNT (CBC)
This is a common blood test that counts the number and type of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets that are circulating in your pet’s body. It requires a small sample of blood. Most healthy pets will have normal CBC results, testing can reveal early signs of illness that may not be apparent with the physical exam. Anemia may not be noted on a pet’s physical exam, however, bloodwork can give us valuable insight earlier than later.
SERUM CHEMISTRY PROFILE
This panel evaluates basic organ function, electrolytes, plasma proteins, glucose, calcium, and more. A small sample of blood is needed as well for this testing.
URINALYSIS
Evaluation of the urine can give important information on how well a pet’s kidneys are functioning. It also can screen for urinary tract infections, and diabetes, or even give clues about potential urine stone formation
THYROID
Just like humans, small animals can encounter thyroid dysfunction. Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) is a condition most commonly affecting middle-aged to older dogs. Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) is a condition most commonly affecting middle-aged to older cats. Many times levels can indicate disease even before clinical signs are present. Testing allows earlier intervention to manage the disease.
There you have it….the importance and value of pet health screens. So glad that I had Charlie’s evaluated. Be sure to ask your veterinary staff what their wellness panels include! Stay tuned for my next blog on the physical exam and your pet!
