The second blood test usually performed before surgery is called a Chemistry, which will show the veterinarian how the kidneys and the liver are working. These organs especially do not usually start to show noticeable symptoms of disease on the outside until quite advanced, and the kidneys and the liver play a huge part in how the body metabolizes all of the sedative/anesthetic medications the animal will be given before and during surgery. Because of this, it is very important for us to know there are no kidney or liver issues before we put your pet under anesthesia, especially if they are older.
Even young puppies and kittens coming in for a routine spay or neuter can benefit from running pre-surgical bloodwork. The veterinarian can spot early signs of countless diseases this way and can get a better idea of how anesthesia may affect your pet. These signs will often show up on blood work before you notice any changes on the outside, so even they may seem completely normal to you there could be something going on inside their body. If they do see anything concerning, they may want to cancel or postpone the surgery and deal with that problem first to make surgery and anesthesia as safe and successful as possible for your animal.
Bloodwork before surgery also gives the doctor a chance to potentially alter their typical drug protocol for sedation and anesthesia to a combination of different medications that are safer for your specific cat or dog. Every drug has its side effects, and we want the best outcome possible for you and your pet.
Bloodwork is never harmful to your animal and always comes recommended to ensure a safe anesthesia and happy recovery from surgery for your pet. With this better understanding of why we recommend testing the blood before anesthesia, we trust that you will be able to make the right decision for your cat or dog next time you are given the option.
Many clients booking in their cats and dogs with us for surgery often ask the question, “Is the bloodwork really necessary?”
After the blood work is complete, the doctor will then review the results and decide on a safe surgical plan. If a serious medical issue is diagnosed the doctor may decide to delay the dental procedure in order to treat the medical issue. If the results are normal, the dental procedure can then be performed.
Pre-surgical blood work is not just for detecting abnormalities, but it also confirms that your pet is healthy and helps to establish a baseline for your pet’s overall health in the future. By running these tests we can help reduce the risk of anesthesia, diagnose underlying medical abnormalities, and perform the safest dental procedure possible.
Just as you would need to have blood work done before having a medical procedure, so does your pet. On admittance to the hospital for a dental procedure, a blood sample is drawn by the surgical veterinary technicians for pre-surgical blood work. Your veterinarian uses it to check for several things including liver and kidney functions, an increase in glucose levels, and dehydration. It is particularly important to ensure that the liver and kidneys are functioning well to be able to process the medications that are used under anesthesia. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious underlying medical issues that can only be diagnosed through blood work.
I know we need blood tests before taking our dogs in for teeth cleaning, and we had bloodwork done during a recent exam. How long do we have before the blood tests are not good for the dental work?
Blood test timing for dog dental work involves making sure results can be viewed in a timely manner for dental work, which may involve anesthesia – the tests are a pre-anesthetic screen. Generally these blood tests are good for three months, but the time can be longer or shorter depending on the age and health of the particular animal.
NOTE: If you live in the Los Angeles area, and your pet’s teeth need an exam, cleaning or other work, check our CSAH Low Cost Dental Clinics.
For more information on your pet’s dental health care, please read pet dental health care tips. For more about pet teeth cleaning, please click cat teeth cleaning. This Q&A from Dr. B offers more for our cat-loving friends on cat gum disease.
Is Anesthesia Dangerous for Dogs? When is it Worth the Risk? Vlog 103
It was a typical day during Dental Awareness Month at Bingle Vet, when a client called Mrs. Jones bought Angel in for her annual dental cleaning. Angel is a beautiful, spunky, white, five-year-old toy poodle, who knows and is loved by everyone in the clinic. On this day, like every time she visits, Angel bounced through the clinic, head high, little pompom tail wiggling as fast as it could from side to side, a picture of perfect health.
Prior to dental cleaning, we always recommend blood work to assure that the pet is healthy enough to withstand sedation. Our typical day turned gray when we completed Angel’s blood test and learned that she had an acute liver problem. If we had sedated her, she might have had complications.
Even if she had survived sedation and dental cleaning, however, Angel’s liver problem would have gone undetected, likely until the disease had progressed too far to save her. As I said, she was the picture of health. With the blood test, we were able to prescribe the proper medication. After four weeks we tested her blood again, and she was able to have her teeth cleaned. More importantly, her liver problem was caught early.
The facts are clear. Approximately 20% of all senior dogs that appear healthy during a physical examination actually have an underlying, undetectable disease. Undetectable, that is, without a blood test. Blood work identifies a variety of health problems, including diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, infection, anemia, Addison’s disease, and malnutrition. If these conditions are caught early, they can be treated before further complications set in. Once a pet starts showing signs of sickness or symptoms of disease, the condition is often so far advanced that it is difficult and costly to treat.
As Angel’s case illustrates, annual blood work should be considered an important part of any pet’s wellness program. I can perform physicals all day long, examining everything from your pet’s nose to the tip of its tail, but without blood work, there is no way for me to know what is going on internally. While physically, a pet may look and act healthy, the question begs, “What is going on inside?” The only way to know that is to “look” inside.
Blood work is an early detection tool that will help extend your pet’s life. It is a window into the body.