Everything you need to know

As your veterinary practice, our aim is to support you and your pet to help them live happier, healthier lives. Pet blood tests cover all aspects of your pets’ health and these tests are important in helping us diagnose and arrange a treatment plan for your pet. Pet blood tests are not just limited to finding a diagnosis, but also can be part of your pet’s general health care.

A clinical examination with our vets is a great way to determine how healthy your pet is, but sometimes we require confirmation of a suspected disease or condition by looking at your pet’s blood results.

Blood tests at Orchard House Vets allow us to capture an overview of how your pet’s internal organs are functioning, allowing a clearer picture of your pet’s overall health and provide us with key indications for many organs and functions. Although we are an in-home service, we also offer blood testing and other laboratory tests. We use Idexx lab for some of our laboratory work, and normally receive results within 24 hours depending on the test. Their high-tech system allows us to track the process at every stage and keep you informed.

Did you know?

A pet may show no symptoms until 70-75% of their kidney function has been lost.

Blood testing can be extremely beneficial in monitoring the function of your pet’s internal organs, allowing us to identify problems in their earliest stages. This gives us the opportunity to intervene early with a much better likelihood of success in managing the problem.

What happens during a pet blood test?

After our nursing team make a comforting fuss of your pet the following will happen;

• your pet is taken to a clinical area where our team position your pet and reassure them whilst the sampling takes place
• a patch of fur will be shaved from the area where the blood sample will be taken. The most common areas are the front legs, neck, or occasionally the hind legs.
• our trained staff will gently hold your pet and raise the vein whilst the vet or nurse takes the sample

Sampling can usually be done within a few minutes; however, anxious or stressed pets can take a little longer.

Where possible, we may allow you to accompany your pet, but having owners present occasionally makes pets less likely to sit still. If we feel your pet is becoming too stressed, we may recommend a mild sedative for them.

Pets have quite delicate skin, so shaving of fur may occasionally cause some skin irritation, similar to a shaving rash. If this occurs, we will apply a cream to soothe the irritation.

What blood tests are normally carried out?

Our practice is equipped with a high specification blood analyser.  It is very important that pet blood test results are interpreted in conjunction with the findings of a thorough veterinary examination alongside any other recommended diagnostic tests.

The results are stored on your pet’s file, and we use these results to keep as a baseline reference range for any future blood work your pet may need.

Example of pet blood tests available:

• General health blood test – check organs are functioning well and your pets’ red and white blood cells. This test is used for ill animals to aid diagnosis
• Geriatric test – designed to check kidney levels, liver function and blood cells
• Specialised kidney tests – designed for pets who have known kidney issues
• Specialised heart test – designed for pets who may have a heart condition to aid diagnosis

IDEXX pet blood tests

We work on a daily basis with our external laboratory, IDEXX, which runs more rarely used tests and those which require expensive equipment or unusual reagents. They also have specialist staff whom we can consult to help us in complex cases, ensuring we can make the best recommendation for the treatment of our patients.

Samples are collected and delivered to the laboratory by overnight courier. Depending on the complexity of the test, many of the results are received on the following weekday whilst other rare and complex tests may take longer.

For external laboratory tests, as well as those run on our own ‘in-house’ machines, we will advise you on how soon to expect a call regarding results during the blood sampling appointment.

Non-blood tests

It isn’t just blood that provides an insight into your pet’s health. Samples from lumps and bumps or swabs can aid diagnosis too.

• Ear problems – swabs for pets with ongoing ear problems can help us ascertain what organisms are growing and how to treat the infection
• Lump samples – taking a sample from lumps can help with diagnosis and indicate whether or not your pet requires surgery to remove the lump.
• Faeces samples – not the nicest, but great for pets with on-going diarrhoea helping us to find out what bugs are causing your pets’ issues

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the surgery for more