Blood Tests

Blood screens are taken for many different reasons. Whatever the reason behind the testing whether it be pre-anesthetic, yearly blood work, or your pet has fallen ill, blood screens are often times monitoring the same parameters. Blood screens allow the veterinarian to see what is going on in the body internally. For example, a veterinarian can determine how well the kidneys, pancreas and liver are functioning, based on the values they obtain. Working with you, the veterinarian can help make adjustments in your pet’s life depending on the findings from the blood work.

There is no hard and set rule for how quickly blood results are received. Often times, blood test results only take 0-2 days, but depending on what kind of panel and when the sample was collected, it could take a few days more than that. As soon as the doctor has the results, they will call you right away to discuss it.

Unless directed by your veterinarian, often times there are no special precautions you need to take with your pet leading to a blood test.

The frequency of blood work can vary greatly depending on the health status of your pet. Pets who are on long-term medication ideally have yearly blood work done, this allows us to make sure your pet is still being adequately dosed on said medication and that internally, everything is still working as it should. Sometimes, especially after your pet has been recently diagnosed with a disease, it can be more often. For example, a cat who was recently diagnosed with diabetes and is having a hard time regulating its glucose levels may require blood work every couple of months, until its blood test results are in the normal.

Yes, here at Mission Ridge Animal Hospital, we are able to perform urinalysis and take biopsies.