Blood Tests for Cats
We perform blood testing for three main reasons. Before a surgery, we want to be assured that your pet is healthy enough to go under anesthesia. As part of a pet’s annual exam, we can perform blood testing to check for early stages of a disease that may not yet be showing itself, especially in senior animals. When an animal is sick, we run diagnostic blood tests to discover what is causing the illness, so we can treat it. In each of these scenarios, blood tests give us more information than we can gain from a physical exam only.
Why does my kitty need a blood screen?
From a single blood sample, we can gain information on the health of many of your pet’s organs. We can test for diabetes, anemia, clotting disorders, various infections, as well as assessing kidney function, liver function, pancreatic health, and electrolyte balance.
To obtain a blood sample, the technician holds the pet still while the veterinarian takes the blood from a vein in the leg, using a needle and syringe. You do not have to be present for this if you are bothered by needles. We then run the required tests in our in-house lab while you wait
How do I understand the blood test results?
In the case of pre-surgical blood work, if the results are normal, we can confidently proceed with the surgery. In any case where the blood tests show illness, the veterinarian will explain the test results to you, and will work with you to formulate a treatment plan. Even if a sick animal’s tests results are normal, this lets us eliminate many items from our list of possible reasons for the illness, leaving us closer to an answer, and giving us direction on which other diagnostic tests should be performed next.
What other tests do you perform?
To further help in diagnosing an illness, we are also equipped to perform urine testing, microscopic examination of cells from various samples, and enzymatic tests to identify bacteria and viruses. We also have access to the services of a referral laboratory that can perform any additional tests we may require.