|
| |
Blood Screening the Older Pet
By Dr Rob Miller (Veterinraian)
Once a cat or dog reaches the age of 7 years old it is time for twice yearly
routine check ups. This is equivalent to you visiting your doctor only once
every 3.5 years. Indeed the American Veterinary Association now suggests three
routine visits a year as the norm.
One of the routine visits coincides with the annual vaccination. Here we check
on general health and pay particular attention to ensuring your pet is up to
date with all the routine preventative medications.
What is new at Seaforth Vets is that when your pet is over 7 years old then six months after
each
annual vaccination you will also receive our 7-plus Health reminder.
Amongst other things we recommend routine urine and blood screening at such
visits. The reason is clear. Many significant diseases of the mature pet can
only be detected in their early stages by the use of blood and urine samples.
The urine sample will tell us how well the kidneys are concentrating urine and
cross reference the bloods results so we know we are localizing the correct
organ for abnormalities. The sample can also detect diabetes, evidence of
bladder disease such as infection, stones and tumours.
The blood sample looks at a broad spectrum of internal health. Liver, pancreas,
kidneys, diabetes, electrolyte disorders, calcium abnormalities, anaemias,
leukaemias, infections. Early detection means early intervention with better
long term outcomes and milder therapeutic options which often involve dietary
interventions.
Finally another time when routine blood samples become important is when your
pet needs surgery. A preoperative bloods screen can help us minimise anaesthetic
risks, something all clients worry about.
|
