Laboratory and Bloodwork

At The Pet Doctor, we utilize our In-house Laboratory every day to help diagnose our patients. Often, routine bloodwork can show us the earliest signs of illness, often before your pet even seems to be sick.
Testing gives us immediate insights that we might not otherwise discover. Treating your pet early can help with a better outcome and lower treatment costs, too.
If a pet is showing signs of illness, quicker diagnosis of problems leads to a quicker implementation of treatment. This gives your pet a better chance at getting over an illness quickly, with less complications.

For most pets, the veterinarians at The Pet Doctor will perform a complete blood count (CBC) and a complete blood chemistry panel. The CBC tells us if there is infection, inflammation or anemia. It can help us to diagnose some types of autoimmune disease and can sometimes tell us the stage of an illness.

The chemistry panel and electrolytes tell us if your pet’s liver, kidneys and pancreas are functioning normally. It checks a blood glucose level and measures protein levels in the blood. A urinalysis tells us if there’s infection or inflammation in the urinary tract—a common problem for pets of all ages. A Thyroid hormone level provides information about your pet’s thyroid gland function.

There are some less common tests that we have to send to an outside lab, but the more common tests are run in our hospital, using the latest and best equipment available. Immediate results allow immediate treatment. Our laboratory equipment takes only short time to get results and can save lives and costs in the long run.

With our in-house Laboratory, we can discuss the results right away. If results are abnormal and we need to run more tests, there will be fewer trips back and forth and less time wasted prior to treatment. If the results are normal, We can rule out certain diseases right away so you can worry less.

Quicker results are better for you AND your pet.

At The Pet Doctor, we feel that it is very important to do pre-anesthetic bloodwork screening prior to any anesthetic procedure. We perform this blood work the morning of your pet’s surgery, preventative dental scaling or other procedure that requires anesthesia.

Pre-Anesthetic bloodwork helps us to know that your pet will be safe under anesthesia. There is always an inherent risk with anesthesia and knowing that the pet’s body is functioning normally is one way that we do our best to keep them safe. If we have concerns after we see the test results, we can
do further diagnostic testing if needed. Sometimes we can reschedule the surgery for a day when your pet feels better. In some cases, the anesthesia used can be changed to be safer for your pet.

Doing the diagnostic testing the same day as the procedure means your pet has to skip breakfast only once and you need to make only one trip to our hospital. We know that’s easier for you AND your pet.

The following information can help you understand the tests that we run. If you have any questions, please contact us and we will be glad to go over any test results.

Complete blood count (CBC)
The CBC or complete blood count gives us the number of cells of different types circulating in the blood. There are three major types of blood cells in blood, this includes red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), and platelets. Red blood cells are used to deliver oxygen to cells throughout the body. The body usually makes new RBCs constantly to replace the body supply. Older red blood cells are removed from the body by the spleen and liver. A change in the RBC count can tell us many things. Red blood cell numbers can be decreased (anemia) if they are not produced in adequate numbers by the bone marrow, if their life span is shortened (which can be a condition called hemolysis), or if they are lost due to bleeding. Increased red blood cell numbers is often to concentration of the blood due to dehydration.

The white blood cells are also measured. There are several different types of white blood cells in blood, including neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils. Lymphocytes are produced in lymph nodes throughout the body. The other white blood cell types are produced in the bone marrow along with the red blood cells and platelets. The majority of white blood cells in circulation are neutrophils, which help the animal fight infections. Neutrophils can be decreased in pets with bone marrow disease, in some viral diseases, and in some pets receiving cancer chemotherapy drugs. Neutrophils are increased in pets with inflammation or infection of any part of the body and in pets receiving prednisone or other cortisone-type drugs. Lymphocytes also help fight infection and produce antibodies against infectious agents (viruses, bacteria, etc.). Monocytes may be increased in pets with chronic infections. Eosinophils and basophils are increased in pets with allergies or parasites.

Platelets are produced in the bone marrow and are involved in the normal clotting of blood. Low platelet numbers can happen if the bone marrow isn’t producing them, or if the platelets are destroyed at a faster rate than normal. One cause for this destruction can be an auto-immune disease. Low platelet numbers can lead to dangerous bleeding.

We also commonly run serum chemistry. The Chemistry measures many different enzymes that give us an indication of organ and body function.

Protein levels:
Albumin is a protein produced by the liver. Albumin can be decreased if the liver is damaged and cannot produce an adequate amount of albumin or if albumin is lost through intestinal damage or in the urine due to kidney disease. The only cause of increased albumin is dehydration.
Total protein includes albumin and larger proteins called globulins. Protein can be increased if the dog or cat is dehydrated or if the pet’s immune system is being stimulated to produce large amounts of antibody. Protein can be lost in the urine or stool or can be decreased if the pet is not making a normal amount.

Liver Function tests:
Alkaline phosphatase originates from many tissues in the body. When alkaline phosphatase is elevated, the most common causes are liver disease, bone disease or increased cortisol hormone.
ALT is an enzyme produced by damaged or diseased liver cells.
Bile acids are produced by the liver and are involved in fat breakdown. The bile acid test is used to evaluate the function of the liver and the blood flow to the liver.
Bilirubin is produced by the liver from the breakdown of pigment in old red blood cells. Bilirubin is increased in the blood in patients with some types of liver disease, gallbladder disease or if the pet is destroying the red blood cells abnormally (hemolysis).

Pancreas:
Amylase is an enzyme produced by the pancreas and the intestinal tract. Amylase may be increased in the blood in animals with inflammation (pancreatitis) or cancer of the pancreas. Sometimes pancreatitis is difficult to diagnose and some dogs and cats with pancreatitis will have normal amounts of amylase in the blood.
Lipase is another pancreatic enzyme which is responsible for the breakdown of fats and which may be increased in patients with pancreatic inflammation.

Kidney Function:
BUN (blood urea nitrogen) is influenced by the liver, kidneys, and by dehydration. Blood urea nitrogen is a product that is usually eliminated from the body by the kidneys. A low BUN can be seen with liver disease and an increased BUN is seen in pets with kidney disease. Pets that are severely dehydrated will have an increased BUN that will often resolve after fluid therapy.
Creatinine is a waste product that originates from muscles and is eliminated from the body by the kidneys. An elevation of creatinine is due to kidney disease or dehydration
Phosphorus in the bloodstream originates from bones. Phosphorus is increased in the bloodstream in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Potassium is increased in the bloodstream in the pet with acute kidney failure. It is lost from the body in vomit, diarrhea and urine.

Other values measured:
Calcium in the bloodstream originates from the normal building and breakdown of bone. High blood calcium can be associated with cancer, chronic kidney failure, primary hyperparathyroidism, poisoning with certain types of rodent bait and bone disease. A decreased blood calcium can also be a sign of systemic disease.
Cholesterol can be increased in the bloodstream for many reasons. It is much less common for cats to have increased cholesterol. Some of the diseases that cause elevated cholesterol are hypothyroidism, Cushing’s disease, diabetes and kidney diseases.
Glucose is increased in dogs and cats with diabetes. Glucose can sometimes increase in the blood if the dog or cat is excited by having a blood sample drawn. If the glucose is chronically elevated there will be glucose in the urine.
Sodium may be slightly increased in the blood if the patient is dehydrated although many dehydrated dogs and cats have a normal blood sodium. Low blood sodium is most commonly seen with Addison’s disease
.