Labradoodle & Goldendoodle Forum
annual blood tests
How many of you have annual blood tests done on your doodles and other pets? The animal hospital I work for recommends blood work for senior (5 years and older) pets but the vets also ask all pet owners if they would like to have their animal's blood tested. Just curious to see who has this done. For the past two months, Noah has been vomiting about once a week. Always in the morning right after he wakes up. I brought him to see one of the vets and they put him on some meds for an upset stomach, but they said if he continues to vomit, that they would run blood tests. I opted to wait on the blood tests because I think his vomiting is correlated to swimming in the pond (which doesn't look super clean). I haven't brought him to the pond in a week and he hasn't vomited since. I think I might have the blood tests done (they start at around $150) just to make sure everything is ok.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle on
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Well, some of us have blood titers done every years to check immunity rather than just automatically give vaccinations. I have also had a full thyroid panel done on Jack prior to his allergy testing, to rule out other diseases; that's always a good idea if there are certain strange behavior/symptoms.
I am wondering what your vet's office would be testing the blood for. There are blood counts, chem panels, thyroid, immunology titers, liver function, and many more. Which blood tests do they recommend you have done each year?
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Permalink Reply by Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie on
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I may be remiss but I don't take my dogs to the vet unless they need shots or are sick. My vet is "old fashioned" but an excellent vet. He might suggest blood work, but not as the first step.
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Permalink Reply by HANNAH 8/2/07 & HONEY 7/2/08 on
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A complete blood test, should include a complete blood count and chemistry panel, my vet also test for Heartworm if you have not been on the medication (interceptor, or heartguard) since you got your puppy. Sounds like a great deal of money, however if your dog is over five years of age or older it is money wisely spent. It is a huge prevention into what is happening inside your dog, it is that first line of defense against the large number of life threatening diseases that can attack your dog. It's preventative medicine, as it will alert you to serious problems that can possibly be nipped in the bud (so to speak) if caught in the very early stages of development. It can actually save you money in the long run. A dog's blood does the same job in a dog's body as ours does in our bodies. It carries oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues and carries carbon dioxide and wastes away from them. Blood aids in cell development, repair tissue, helps ward off infection and is full of all the necessary ingredients that are so important to a dog's health. Because of the important jobs blood does, it can also tell us when something is going wrong like heart disease, or even cancer. A blood test will do a red blood cell count, a white blood cell count and a platelet count, all of which will tell you exactly what is happening inside of the body of your dog. A chemistry panel, which is part of a blood test, can tell you what is going on with your dog's organs. It can evaluate the many substances in the body and tell if there are problems in the kidneys, liver, muscles or glands. A chemistry panel also measures the total amount of proteins and the affect they have on your dog's body to retain water and fight off infections. I wound up having to have Magics blood work every year because she had a 10lb tumor that grew around her spleen which was removed. If I ever find the pics I will post them. In the end it can save your dogs life, and if you have pet insurance they may cover some of this testing.
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I do have some friends who are Vet Techs and are also in the pet sitting business so we communicate a lot and frequently do meet ups and discuss lots of different issues concerning a variety of things with all types of animals, been with my Vet for over 20+years and do consult with him on a regular basis, again I had to go through blood test with my own dog because of her having a 10lb tumor and spleen removed.
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Permalink Reply by Allyson, Peri & Taquito on
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I will probably start having annual blood tests for Taquito if his kidney functions continue to stay off. Let's hope not! He had bloodwork done before a dental cleaning last week and I have to have him re-tested in 3 months to see if his kidney levels are down (not sure about the correct terminology).
However, if I had a healthy pet, I would probably not do the testing 1x/year.
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I lost my first Shih-Tzu because of Kidney disease and she was only 3years going on 4....maybe testing is better for even younger than 5 to 6 years of age because it is a good prevention method.
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Permalink Reply by Noble Vestal Labradoodles on
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I would have it done. Thyroid issues are very tricky and vomiting is a sign of a thyroid issue or liver infection.
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Permalink Reply by Chris & Boys on
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Hey Jane! I have my dogs done every year like clockwork. The way I look at it is this, my sons have an annual check up, why wouldn't my 4 legged boys get one? To me it may be an added expense, but it could save us money in the long run. And if the dogs ended up with something that could've been caught with a blood test earlier, I would feel guilty. You know, I got that Catholic guilt thing going on.....lol.....I just look at it better safe than sorry.
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You are probably right Chris....I know I will be doing this for my Tacky due to his many health scares (kidney, recalls, etc). Might as well add Peri next time :) You just passed that Catholic guilt along to me (it's true, I am a Catholic also!).
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ROTF! SORRY! Mom taught me you can't escape the guilt, you may as well just accept it.
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