So what does it mean when we say we recommend performing bloodwork on your pet? Blood work – presurgical or otherwise – is usually a combination of a complete blood count (CBC) and a blood chemical analysis. Blood work is a basic evaluation tool.
Pets, particularly senior ones, should have a CBC and baseline chemistry panel at every annual examination. In addition, blood work allows a veterinarian to monitor normal organ function, detect disease processes early for best possible treatments or monitor the progression of a pet’s already diagnosed disease.
When the blood sample is drawn from your pet, both the cells and the fluid they “travel” in are examined.
At Greenfield Animal Hospital we have several in house laboratory machines for bloodwork and diagnostics. This way we’ll have answers to your pets ailments in minutes!
Equipped with TWO Abaxis VetScan 2 for in house Chemistry panels. These profiles help us to quickly gather information on your pets internal organ function; liver, kidneys, digestive, electrolyte panels etc.
Below are a few of the chemistry panels we can offer in house:
- Comprehensive Diagnostic Profile – Ideal for providing complete chemistry and electrolyte analysis for pre-anesthetic, general health, ill patient, geriatric and wellness testing.
- Prep Profile – Basic health screen for pre-anesthetic evaluation and testing minimal values for baselines of young, health patients or recheck profile for some disease states.
- Critical Care Profile – Ideal for serial testing, rechecks, fluid therapy and monitoring hospitalized patients.
- Thyroid (T4) and Cholesterol – Ideal for routine screening of hypothyroidism in dogs and diagnostic for hyperthyroidism in cats, titrating and monitoring patients on thyroid hormone replacement therapy or patients being treated for hyperthyroid disease.
- Mammalian Liver Profile – Ideal for obtaining baseline liver values, diagnosis and monitoring of hepatic disease and monitoring hepatic function while administering nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAISs) or other potentially hepatotoxic medications.
- EVEN Avian/Reptile Profiles for birds and lizards – Ideal for measuring analytes that represent the most important areas of concern in avian and reptilian patients.
“A blood-chemistry panel measures your pet’s electrolytes, enzymes and chemical elements of his blood such as calcium and phosphorous levels. These measurements help your veterinarian determine how your pet’s organs, such as kidneys, pancreas and liver, are currently functioning.
Blood-chemistry panels also help your veterinarian accurately diagnose and treat illness, as well as monitor your pet’s response to treatment. Your veterinarian may also use the results of a blood-chemistry panel to determine if further testing is needed.
Your veterinarian may recommend a chemistry panel to obtain your pet’s baseline values, which can be compared to later tests. Any differences between the baseline values and values measured at a later time will help your veterinarian diagnose new problems.” Read More…
Abaxis HM5 Complete Blood Count (CBC) Machine
A five-part cell counter offering a comprehensive 22-parameter complete blood count for dogs, cats, horses and cows. That evaluates the following:
- Red-cell count
- White-cell count
- Hydration status
- Platelet count
- Can aid in diagnosing infection, anemia, internal blood loss and many other ailments/conditions
“The cell part of the blood is examined in the CBC. The CBC determines the number of erythrocytes (red blood cells), the number and type of leukocytes (white blood cells), the number of platelets (thrombocytes), the hemoglobin level, and the hematocrit (packed cell volume, PCV). Erythrocytes carry oxygen throughout the body. Leukocytes fight infection and are part of the immune system. There are five different types of white blood cells: neutrophils, lymphocytes, basophils, eosinophils, and monocytes. Platelets are clotting proteins and indicate how fast your pet’s blood can clot; slow clotting can be a serious problem. A CBC can tell your veterinarian if your pet has an unusual number of erythrocytes (anemia, polycythemia), leukocytes (leukopenia, leukocytosis), or platelets (thrombocytopenia).” Read More…
Reference Laboratories
Any testing that cannot be completed in house will be sent out to one of our reference labratories Antech or Idexx Laboratory which, depending on the test, will typically send us detailed reports within days!
