Blood Work

Routine blood work is now a common recommendation by many veterinarians. The purpose of routine blood screening is to try to identify organ dysfunction before clinical signs are seen. In some cases, treatment can be performed depending on the cause, to prevent further organ dysfunction.

Blood work is also routinely performed on sick patients to try to identify the reason for an illness. It is generally recommended pets have blood work performed prior to surgery or anesthesia to help to identify any abnormalities.

The procedure is relatively simple, which simply consists of drawing a sample of blood. This blood testing may allow your vet to identify organ dysfunction that cannot be seen on physical exam.

Most blood screens show the following information:

1. ALP - This is an enzyme that can elevate with liver disease, gallbladder disease, fatty liver disease, pancreatic disorders, bone disease, Cushing’s, and steroid use.

2. ALT - This enzyme elevates primarily due to liver disease and can also elevate due to damage to muscle cells.

3. BUN - This elevates when kidney function is altered or a protein rich meal is ingested and decreases when the liver is not functioning properly.

4. Creatine - The increased levels are present when kidney function is altered or severe muscle damage is present.

5. Glucose - Small elevations of the blood glucose can be caused by stress. The most common cause of an elevated glucose in pets is diabetes. Low glucose levels can be caused by inadequate carbohydrate intake, liver dysfunction, or cancer.

6. Protein - The causes of a low protein include inadequate protein intake, liver dysfunction, protein loss in the intestinal tract or loss through the kidneys.

7. Amylase - This can elevate with disorders of the pancreas or severe kidney dysfunction.

8. Calcium - Elevated calcium levels can have a variety of causes such as: renal dysfunction, Vitamin D toxicity, hyperparathyroidism, and cancer.

9. Thyroid hormones - Elevated levels often indicate hyperthyroidism and low levels may indicate hypothyroidism.

10. WBC (white blood cell count) - These cells are responsible for fighting off infection. The number of cells circulating in the bloodstream often increase in pets who have a bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection. The white blood cells may be normal in some pets with an infection if the infection is localized. Viruses frequently lower the WBC count. There are several types of white blood cells in the body which include; basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and monocytes.

11. Basophils - This may increase in allergic conditions and parasitic infections.

12. Eosinophils - This may increase in parasitic infections, (ex. heartworms or intestinal parasites).

13. Lymphocytes - Will often decrease during stress, viral infection, and steroid use, may increase in infection and cancer.

14. Neutrophils - Will often increase when an infection is present or inflammation.

15. Monocytes - This may increase in cases of chronic inflammation or infection.

16. Red Blood cells - These cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to the body's tissues. They are produced in the bone marrow in response to a hormone produced in the kidneys known as epo. The common causes of a low red blood cell count are parasites, heartworms, chronic infection, flea infestation, tick born disease, bone marrow disease, cancer, kidney disease, autoimmune disease, and a variety of others. The most common cause of an elevated red blood cell count is dehydration.

17. Platelet count - Platelets are cells that help the body to clot when a blood vessel is damaged. Several of the common causes of low platelets are: increase utilization due to active bleeding, autoimmune disease, tick born disease, and bone marrow disease.

For more information on other topics, see http://www.freeonlinevet.com.