If your pet is eating, playing, and acting like themselves, it is easy to assume everything on the inside is working perfectly too. Most of the time, that may be true. But pets are also very good at hiding early changes in their health.
That is where bloodwork can help.
At Coolidge Veterinary Hospital, we use bloodwork for many different reasons. It may help us establish a healthy baseline, investigate symptoms, check your pet before anesthesia, or monitor a condition or medication over time.
How often should your pet have it done? There is no one answer for every dog and cat. Their age, health history, medications, symptoms, and previous results all matter.
What Does Bloodwork Tell Your Veterinarian?
Bloodwork lets us look at parts of your pet’s health that we cannot evaluate during a physical exam alone.
A complete blood count looks at red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A chemistry panel gives us information related to things like the kidneys, liver, blood sugar, proteins, and electrolytes.
Depending on your pet, we may recommend additional testing such as a urinalysis, thyroid test, or infectious disease screening.
We do not expect one blood test to answer every question. Instead, we combine the results with your pet’s exam, medical history, and what you have noticed at home.
Puppies and Kittens: Does Bloodwork Start Right Away?
Healthy puppies and kittens generally do not need a full blood panel at every routine appointment.
Bloodwork may be recommended if a young pet is not eating normally, has ongoing vomiting or diarrhea, seems unusually tired, is not growing as expected, or has another health concern.
Another common time is before anesthesia.
If your puppy or kitten is having a spay, neuter, or another procedure, pre-anesthetic bloodwork can give us additional information before medications are given.
Young pets are usually healthy, but their age does not guarantee that every internal value is normal. Testing helps us make a more informed plan.
Adult Pets: Why Test When They Feel Fine?
This is where preventive bloodwork becomes useful.
When your adult pet has normal bloodwork, those results become part of their medical history. The next time we test, we can compare the new numbers with the old ones.
That can help us recognize a trend before it becomes a dramatic change.
Some healthy adult pets may have bloodwork annually. Others may follow a different schedule. Your veterinarian will consider age, breed, lifestyle, previous results, and medical history.
The goal is not to search for problems unnecessarily. It is to have useful information about your pet while they are feeling well.
Senior Pets: More Information Can Be Helpful
As dogs and cats get older, we tend to watch their internal health more closely.
Senior pets have a higher chance of developing conditions involving the kidneys, liver, blood sugar, thyroid, and blood cells. Many of these problems can begin with subtle signs.
You may notice your dog drinking more water. Your cat may slowly lose weight. Your pet may sleep more, eat differently, or need more bathroom breaks.
Those changes are worth mentioning, even if they seem minor.
Some senior pets may benefit from bloodwork every six to twelve months. Others may need more frequent testing because of a medical condition, medication, or previous abnormal result.
There is no universal age when every pet becomes senior. Large dogs often reach that stage earlier than small dogs.
When Should Bloodwork Happen Sooner?
If your pet is acting sick, do not wait for their next routine exam.
Persistent vomiting or diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, increased thirst, increased urination, reduced appetite, weakness, pale gums, collapse, unusual tiredness, or major behavior changes can all be reasons to contact your veterinarian.
Bloodwork may help us identify clues and determine what other testing or treatment is needed.
Sometimes the next step is urine testing or imaging. Other times, laboratory results help us start treatment or decide what needs to be monitored.
Pets Taking Medication May Need Their Own Schedule
Some medications require regular bloodwork.
We may need to monitor kidney or liver values, blood cells, electrolytes, or whether the treatment is having the intended effect.
Testing may be recommended after starting a medication, after a dose change, and periodically once your pet is stable.
Even if your pet looks great, those rechecks can still be important because laboratory changes are not always visible at home.
Why Bloodwork Before Anesthesia?
A physical exam is an important part of preparing for anesthesia, but it cannot show us everything.
Pre-anesthetic bloodwork provides another layer of information before surgery or another procedure.
If we find something unexpected, we may recommend another test, change the anesthetic plan, or postpone an elective procedure. If the results look good, they still provide useful baseline information.
Your Pet’s Schedule Should Fit Your Pet
A healthy two-year-old dog, a ten-year-old cat, and a pet taking daily medication should not automatically have the same bloodwork schedule.
At Coolidge Veterinary Hospital, we look at your pet’s current health, age, history, medications, and previous results when making a recommendation.
If you are unsure when your pet last had bloodwork, ask us at their next visit. We can review their history and help you decide whether it makes sense to test now or wait.