We routinely recommend a preanesthetic blood test on patients that are going to have a general anaesthetic or as part of a health exam in senior pets. The question ‘why?‘ is often asked when we are standing in front of an apparently fit and healthy animal. The answer is because a significant number of pets have serious abnormalities in kidney and liver function amongst other things that go undetected without blood testing. This is due to the bodies amazing ability to compensate for loss of function.
Many of you will recall the late, great Jonah Lomu All Black Rugby Star who at the peak of his career was diagnosed with severe kidney disease and went on to receive a kidney transplant. This is not an isolated case. In fact 1 in 10 Australians over 18 years of age have indicators of chronic kidney disease and less than 10% of these adults have any knowledge of having the condition. The situation is even more common in dogs and cats.
When diagnosed a lot can be done to treat and assist pets to lead a longer more trouble-free life. We have state of the art in-house lab machines to have results within 10 minutes to help make the best decisions for your pet.
