Pre-Surgical Blood Work Saves Lives!
When was the last time you had a surgical procedure? How many pre-surgical tests did your doctor order for you? By ordering those tests, your doctor was keeping your best interests in mind.
Pre-surgical blood work is recommended to decrease risk of anesthesia for all animals, but is required for animals over 5 years of age or at the discretion of the veterinarian. Our in-house laboratory testing will check for anemia and infection as well as kidney and liver function and your pet’s blood sugar. This information is always nice to have before your pet goes under anesthesia, your pet may look healthy on the outside but we don't know what is happening on in the inside unless blood work is done. Keep in mind that blood work will look at what we are unable to see on a physical exam.
If your animal has had medical issues in the past, we may also require blood testing prior to surgery. If your animal has been tested at another veterinary hospital we may accept pre-anesthesia bloodwork if it was done within one month of the procedure.
Because fleas and ticks can cause problems with your pet’s ability to clot properly, additional testing may be required for anemia, low platelets and/or Ehrlichia canis (aka tick fever).