Learning About Annual Health Checks for Your Pet

» Why Does My Pet Need a Health Check Each Year?
» Health Check Testing May Include
» Pre-Surgical Screen
» You Can Help Reduce Your Pet’s Risk

Why Does My Pet Need a Health Check Each Year?

Natural selection has resulted in dogs and cats being very capable of hiding any outward appearance of illness, so that they don’t end up as a predator’s next meal.

Your pet’s instinct is to hide its illness until it overwhelms them. It’s important to discover illnesses early, while there is still time for effective treatment.

We recommend annual health checks for your pet. Older pets may need more frequent checks.

Health Check Testing May Include

Blood Chemistry
Blood Electrolytes
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Urinalysis
Kidney Damage Screening
Other Tests Based on Age and Breed

Blood Chemistry Tests

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)
ALT is an enzyme that is present in the bloodstream if the liver is diseased or damaged.

Albumin (Alb)
Albumin is a protein that can indicate a wide range of abnormalities from kidney and liver disease to parasite infestations.

Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)
ALP is a gall bladder enzyme that can indicate liver and gall bladder disease or damage. It can also indicate Cushing’s Disease, an abnormality of the adrenal glands.

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
A by-product of normal body functions, BUN is cleared from the blood by the kidneys. High levels accumulating in the blood usually indicate kidney damage or disease.

Calcium (Ca++)
Abnormalities in calcium levels can point to thyroid, kidney and other diseases or may indicate cancer.

Creatinine (Crea)
A by-product of normal body functions, creatinine is cleared from the blood by the kidneys. High levels usually indicate kidney damage or disease.

Glucose (Glu)
A nutrient normally present in the blood, high levels of glucose can indicate diabetes while low levels can indicate too much diabetes medication or other organ damage or disease states.

Total Protein (TPro)
If too high or too low, Total Protein signals a problem requiring further examination of the different proteins. Dehydration, kidney, liver, intestinal disorders and infections are just a few of the diseases that may affect protein levels.

Total Bilirubin (TBili)
A normally occurring by-product cleared by the liver. If elevated, can indicate disease of the liver and gall bladder, certain blood disorders and other abnormalities.

Electrolytes (Na+, K+, Cl-)
Sodium, Potassium and Chloride are essential in maintaining proper fluid balance. They are especially important in managing heart disease, diarrhea and vomiting. Even small variances can affect the heartbeat and cause severe illness.

Hematology Tests

Complete Blood Count (CBC)
A CBC provides a wide variety of tests in a single report that can indicate anemia, dehydration, infection, certain types of cancer and many other important factors. It can indicate the number of platelets important for blood clotting, especially prior to any surgery, and the different types of white cells essential for fighting infections.

Microscopic Review
Along with the CBC, this exam reviews the appearance and types of red cells, white cells and platelets present in the blood.

Kidney Damage Screening

A new test can now identify damage to the kidneys far earlier than traditional methods. If this test is positive, your veterinarian will look for a wide variety of conditions that cause kidney damage. The goal is to identify and treat the condition before the damage becomes severe.

Urinalysis

A urinalysis includes a battery of tests evaluating the physical and chemical characteristics of urine. Since the kidneys filter blood to create urine, results of a urinalysis may indicate disease from any part of the body. Kidney and bladder disease, diabetes, liver disease, blood disorders and cancer are just a few of the conditions that may be detected through a urinalysis.

Pre-Surgical Screen

Why Health Check Testing Before Surgery?

Surgery and use of an anesthetic put additional burdens on your pet’s body and internal organs. Many illnesses strain and can damage internal organs, making it very important to know an animal’s health prior to surgery, especially one requiring anesthetic.

We Recommend a Pre-surgical Screen Before Surgery.

While using an anesthetic is a common practice, it always has inherent risks, even for a healthy animal.

The risk of complications during surgery with anesthetic is greatly increased if your pet has an underlying illness that goes undetected.

If a problem is found prior to surgery, it could require a change in the anesthetic drugs and the type of monitoring used during the surgery.

It may mean your pet will require IV fluids containing electrolytes or other supplements during surgery.

You Can Help Reduce Your Pet’s Risk

Your veterinarian will be happy to discuss with you the right time to start annual health check-ups and the types of tests that should be performed, based upon your pet’s age, breed and environment.

If your pet is going to have surgery, pre-anesthetic testing can help determine the likelihood of an undiagnosed illness that could complicate the procedure.