Blood Work: Why Young, Healthy Pets Can Benefit

When your sick pet has a veterinary appointment, you probably already expect that they will have a blood test or other lab work done. Laboratory testing helps our veterinarians diagnose the underlying cause of the pet’s illness and provide safe and effective treatment.

Sometimes, however, pet owners are surprised to find out that their healthy pet might need a blood test. Keep reading to learn about the reasons why we might recommend a blood test or other diagnostics for a healthy pet.

Why Does My Healthy Pet Need a Blood Test?

Routine Health Screening for a Puppy, Kitten, Adult, or Senior Pet

Blood tests reveal a whole host of invaluable information about your pet’s health, potential congenital conditions, organ function, systemic diseases, and potential exposure to infectious diseases.

They’re often used as a tool in your pet’s wellness and preventative care routine to screen young animals for signs of predisposition to certain illnesses and older animals to check for the earliest signs of chronic diseases.

When it comes to managing chronic disease and treating infectious diseases, early detection is often key to providing effective treatment. Unfortunately, pets instinctively hide symptoms of illness which can make it difficult to detect until a disease has had the chance to progress significantly.

With routine health screening and laboratory testing, however, we can often identify and address illnesses before they ever cause your pet any noticeable symptoms.

Pre-Surgical Testing

Blood testing to evaluate a pet’s organ function is also recommended before any pet undergoes a surgical procedure or dental cleaning that requires the use of general anesthesia. This blood test ensures that the pet is healthy enough to undergo anesthesia and the upcoming procedure.

Pre-Medication Administration Testing

Certain pain medications can be tough on our pets’ organs and bodies, in general. That’s why we recommend running lab tests to ensure pets are healthy enough to take and safely process certain prescription medications before we administer them.

Pet Health Screening With Our Mobile Veterinary Clinic

Capital Home Veterinary Care’s mobile veterinary clinic is fully equipped to perform laboratory diagnostics on both sick and healthy pets to screen for the earliest signs of disease. To schedule a wellness and preventative care appointment for your dog or cat in the comfort of your home, we welcome you to contact us today.