Your Pet Looks Healthy, but What Is Happening on the Inside?
Dobbins Village Veterinary Hospital
Pets can be very convincing.
A dog with an early health change may still sprint to the kitchen when a treat bag opens. A cat may act completely normal while quietly losing weight or drinking more water than usual.
That is why we do not rely only on how a pet looks or acts when evaluating their health.
At Dobbins Village Veterinary Hospital, bloodwork is one of the tools we can use to learn more about what is happening inside your pet’s body. Sometimes we use it because a pet is sick. Other times, we use it to establish a healthy baseline, prepare for anesthesia, or keep an eye on changes as a pet gets older.
So how often does your pet need it? That depends on where they are in life.
What Can Bloodwork Show Us?
Bloodwork gives us information that is impossible to see during a physical exam alone.
A complete blood count looks at red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A chemistry panel can give us information about kidney and liver values, blood sugar, proteins, electrolytes, and other measurements.
We may recommend additional testing depending on your pet’s age and symptoms. Sometimes urine testing is just as important because it gives us another piece of the puzzle.
One abnormal number also does not automatically mean your pet has a disease. We look at the full picture, including the exam, symptoms, history, and previous results.
Young Pets: When Does Bloodwork Make Sense?
Puppies and kittens usually have plenty of appointments during their first year, but bloodwork is not automatically needed at every one.
We may recommend testing if your young pet is not eating normally, has repeated vomiting or diarrhea, seems weak or unusually tired, or is not growing the way we would expect.
Another common time is before anesthesia.
Before a spay, neuter, or another procedure, bloodwork can help us look for certain issues that may not be obvious during an exam.
Most young pets do just fine, but having more information allows us to make better decisions for that individual patient.
Adult Pets: Build a Baseline While They Feel Good
It can feel strange to run tests on a pet who seems healthy. But healthy bloodwork gives us something very useful: a starting point.
If your pet has testing at different points throughout adulthood, we can compare the results over time.
Maybe a value that was always at one level begins to creep in a different direction. Even if it is not dramatically abnormal, that change may be worth watching.
That is why preventive bloodwork is not only about finding disease. It is also about getting to know your pet’s normal.
Some adult pets may have bloodwork once a year, while others may need it less or more often. Their health history, age, breed, lifestyle, and previous results all help guide that decision.
Senior Pets: Small Changes Can Tell Us a Lot
As pets age, bloodwork often becomes a bigger part of preventive care.
Older dogs and cats are more likely to develop chronic health problems, and the first signs are not always dramatic.
Maybe your dog is asking to go outside more often. Maybe your cat has lost a little weight. Maybe your pet is sleeping more, eating differently, or not quite as enthusiastic about normal activities.
Those changes are worth mentioning.
Bloodwork can help us look for conditions involving the kidneys, liver, blood sugar, thyroid, blood cells, and other systems.
Some senior pets may benefit from testing every six to twelve months. Others may need more frequent monitoring because of a medical condition, medication, or previous abnormal result.
Do Not Wait for the Calendar If Your Pet Is Acting Different
If something changes, call us.
Bloodwork may be appropriate sooner if your pet has persistent vomiting or diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, increased thirst, increased urination, poor appetite, weakness, pale gums, collapse, unusual fatigue, or another significant change.
Sometimes bloodwork points us toward the answer. Sometimes it tells us that we need another test, such as a urinalysis, X-ray, or ultrasound.
Either way, it gives us more information than guessing from symptoms alone.
Pets on Medication May Need Regular Monitoring
If your pet takes a long-term medication, your veterinarian may recommend bloodwork on a specific schedule.
We may want to check that their body is handling the medication appropriately or make sure treatment is working as expected.
That could mean testing after starting the medication, after changing the dose, and periodically after that.
Even if your pet feels great, those rechecks still matter. Pets cannot tell us when a laboratory value has started to change.
What About Bloodwork Before a Procedure?
We commonly recommend pre-anesthetic bloodwork before surgery and other procedures requiring anesthesia.
A physical exam helps us evaluate your pet before anesthesia, but bloodwork adds information we cannot get by listening to the heart or looking at the gums.
If a result surprises us, we can decide what to do before the procedure starts. That may mean adjusting the plan, running another test, or postponing an elective procedure.
How Often Is Enough?
There is no universal answer.
A young healthy dog may only need bloodwork at certain points. An adult pet may benefit from routine baseline testing. A senior pet may need closer monitoring. A pet with an ongoing condition may have a completely different schedule.
At Dobbins Village Veterinary Hospital, we base that recommendation on your pet, not just the number of candles on their birthday.
If it has been a while since your dog or cat had bloodwork, bring it up at their next visit. We can look at their history and help you decide whether now is the right time.