• "A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue" -Author Unknown
  • "Every boy should have two things: a dog and a mother willing to let him have one." - Anonymous
  • "Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." - Gene Hill
  • A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. - Elbert Hubbard
  • "A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away." -Bil Keane
  • "A meow massages the heart." - Stuart McMillan
  • "There is more to life than increasing speed." -Mahatma Ghandi
  • "Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it." - J. Petit Senn
  • "If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong." - Pat Parelli
  • "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." - Winston Churchill
  • "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." -Roger Caras
  • "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." - Winston Churchill
  • "Agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." - George Eliot
  • "To err is human - to forgive, canine."
  • "Money may buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail." -Kinky Friedman
  • "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
  • "I hope to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." - Unknown
  • "Horses - if God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself." - Author unknown
  • "Are we really sure the purring is coming from the kitty and not from our very own hearts?" - Terri Guillemets
  • "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." - Ben Williams

Healthy Pets Benefit from Pre-Surgical Blood Work

Pre-anesthetic blood work is highly recommended prior to surgery.  Your pet cannot describe symptoms to let us know that something may be wrong and many pets are very good at hiding symptoms.  Pre-anesthetic blood work allows us to perform a thorough assessment to detect abnormalities or disease conditions that may be present.

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 excrete the body of medications used during anesthesia.   If your pet's liver and kidneys are not functioning well, then anesthesia may be more of a risk.  In some cases, we will modify the anesthesia protocol or may recommend postponing the procedure.

Blood work is recommended for pets of all ages.  Whether the age of your pet is 10 months old or 10 years old, blood work will provide valuable insight to the overall health of your pet.  It is also valuable to have baseline parameters as it allows us to detect disease early and to monitor response to therapy, aging and environmental changes. 

The collection of a blood sample before anesthesia or as a part of a wellness evaluation is not just for detecting abnormalities, but also to confirm the health status and to establish baseline values for overall health in the future.  Any changes in health can be detected when the parameters change from baseline but remain in the normal range for the general population.  In other words, when a normal range is established for your pet, small changes become meaningful.

Remember, your pet is good at hiding illness and disease. 

Without  pre-anesthetic blood work, your pet is at a higher risk of complication during surgery.

Illness and disease know no age boundaries.  Protect your pet.
shutterstock_32460526

 

Components of pre-surgical blood screening

CBC (complete blood count):  Measures red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Abnormalities in this test could indicate anemia, infection, or blood clotting disorders.

BUN and Creatinine:  Measures the kidney's ability to excrete waste. If values are elevated, kidney disease is suspected.

Blood Sugar (Glucose): Elevated levels can indicate problems such as diabetes.  Low levels may be associated with liver disease or other issues.

Total Protein and Albumin: Measures important protein components of the blood which ensures that blood will clot normally, liver is functioning appropriately, and that the body can excrete the anesthesia efficiently.

ALP and ALT:  Elevations can indicate liver disease or endocrine disorders such as thyroid disease, diabetes, Cushing's disease or Addison's disease.