Blood Tests for Cats Back

Just like in humans, blood tests are required to diagnose your cat’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 cat’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 cats so that we can monitor their health as they age. Early detection of disease is always better than treating it in more advanced stages. Cats are extremely good at hiding their symptoms of pain or discomfort which is why many times owners are unable to monitor them for any health changes that might be taking place. This is the reason why it is very important to get your cat a check-up annually so that you are not caught by surprise too late. Six years of age is good time to start these check-ups for most cats.

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.

Frequency of blood tests

Routine blood tests are recommended for cats aged six years and above. Apart from that if your cat has any ongoing medical condition, your veterinarian will recommend a plan for checkups and treatment that is tailored to your cat.

Urinalysis and Biopsies

We have access to a full-service laboratory for all types of samples including blood, urine, fecal and tissue samples. Our veterinarians perform all types of tissue biopsies in hospital while patients are under general anesthesia.