Bloodwork Services

We offer comprehensive bloodwork to assess your dog or cat’s internal health. Bloodwork isn’t only recommended before surgery or if we suspect your dog or cat has specific health issues. Routine bloodwork helps us keep a pulse on any changes to their health before they start showing external symptoms.

Can my dog or cat eat before doing bloodwork?

Before their appointment, our veterinary team will provide detailed instructions on how you should prepare them for their bloodwork. Some tests will require your dog or cat to stop eating at least 6 hours before their appointment. When they don’t fast, fats in their food can affect bloodwork results. Though you should limit food, your dog or cat can have water, which helps maintain good hydration when we collect samples. It’s also important to keep your pet as calm as possible since anxiety or stress could alter their results. 

What disease can bloodwork detect?

During routine bloodwork, we assess certain metrics connected to specific parts of your dog or cat’s body, which can reveal vital information like the early stages of a disease. For example, one of the most common tests we run is the Complete Blood Count (CBC) which provides measures of your pet’s red blood cells, white cells and platelets. Some health issues this test can help us detect include:

• Anemia
• Cancer
• Hyperthyroidism
• Diabetes
• Liver/kidney disease 

What does it mean if some results are out of the normal range?

Our veterinary team will support you in understanding your pet’s bloodwork results. Sometimes when a value is slightly outside of the normal range, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is a cause for concern. However, if additional testing is needed to further understand what’s happening internally, we could recommend diagnostic imaging like X-rays, ultrasounds or fecal tests. If you have questions about bloodwork, please contact us at 613-384-0986.