Blood Tests for Dogs Back

Just like in humans, blood tests are required to diagnose your dog’s health issues. There are many situations when blood work needs to be performed. We do some blood work internally and also use an outside facility. At Bickford Vet, we partner with the best labs to ensure the accuracy of your dog’s blood test results.

Importance of Blood Tests

Blood tests are an important step in determining the health of your pet. We perform blood tests pre-surgery to evaluate how well your pet can tolerate surgical procedures and eliminate anesthetic drugs from their system. It is a standard practice to for our surgical patients to pre-screen them for internal organ function such as liver and kidney performance. The appropriate blood panel will depend on the age, health status, medical history and lifestyle of your pet. We also recommend blood test panels for senior dogs so that we can monitor their health as they age. Early detection of disease is always better than treating it in more advanced stages. Annual 4DX parasite testing is recommended in the spring for all our canine patients to screen them for exposure to heartworm or tick born illnesses.

Interpreting blood test results

Your veterinarian will share the results and recommendations for your pet. You are welcome to ask any questions about the results and how they will impact your pet. We can also provide you with an electronic copy of the results upon request.