Sometimes when you bring your dog to the vet, it might be recommended that a blood, urine, or tissue sample is taken. This will give your vet a better indication to your dogs’ health status than a physical exam. The various tests will help your vet diagnose disease, determine prognosis, and monitor therapy. Blood tests are also useful for monitoring health status in apparently healthy animals. You should have pets over the age of 8 years tested yearly. This will not only give a baseline of your pets’ health status, but it will help to identify problems early.
Blood can be tested for many different things. Haematology gives a measure of the different kinds of cells and amount of haemoglobin in the blood. The main blood cell types are red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Abnormalities in the red blood cell count can indicate anaemia or dehydration. Abnormalities in the white blood cell count can indicate infection, inflammation, allergic response, parasite infestation, and certain cancers. The blood can also be tested for clotting abnormalities. A blood biochemistry gives a measure of the amounts of different chemical substances that are produced by the organs. These substances are present in the liquid component of the blood, known as plasma. The biochemistry evaluates the kidney, liver, pancreas function, electrolyte and glucose levels, and muscle and bone enzymes. A blood smear can also be examined under a microscope. This is useful for determining abnormalities in red and white blood cells, for example, a dog with leukaemia will have a large number of lymphocytes. These cells will vary in size and may be replicating, which is visualised under the microscope.
Your vet may also take blood to test for endocrine diseases, infectious diseases, vaccination titres, and heat detection. Allergy tests can even be done using a blood sample.
Another test that your vet may perform is a urinalysis. This measures the presence of glucose or cells, acidity and concentration of the urine. This will help to diagnose diabetes, urinary tract infections, or kidney disease. Similar to a blood sample, a urine sample is examined under a microscope to see the presence of red cells, white, cells, epithelial cells, sperm, and crystals.
If your pet is itchy, or has skin problems, skin scrapings and hair plucks may be done. These are examined under a microscope for the presence of parasites. If these are negative, skin biopsies may be performed. For a biopsy, the animal has to have an anaesthetic and a small piece of skin is cut out. This is sent to a specialist for analysis, to help determine exactly what is wrong with the skin.
Biopsies are also useful for any abnormal tissue that is removed surgically from a dog, be it liver, spleen, kidney, or tumours.
Whatever the test is, it is an invaluable tool to your vet in helping to diagnose a problem. Some of the tests can be very expensive, but they are worth it because whether your pet is sick or healthy, your vet can provide the best possible care.
For further enquiries, please phone 045 480 478 or www.animalsfirst.ie
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