What are Health Screens & Why Does My Pet Need Them?

At Nonantum, we are pleased to offer affordable routine health screens to ensure your pets are healthy.  

Health screens are lab tests, similar to what humans receive to make sure there is no underlying issue within several systems such as the function of the liver and kidney. Since pet’s can’t tell us when something isn’t right, we rely on their behavioral changes, symptoms, and lab tests to give us as much information as possible to their overall health.  

Routine pre-operative bloodwork is always advised before your pet undergoes anesthesia to ensure they can process the anesthetic medication properly. But even if your pet is not sick or undergoing surgery anytime soon, it’s still important to run health screens. Just like us, pets can vary slightly on what is ‘normal’ for them. Documenting these values when your pet is healthy can be crucial in establishing a ‘baseline’, so it’s easier to know when something really is wrong. In addition to that, catching a disease or problem as early as possible will ensure the best possible outcome for treatment.

How Often Should My Pet Get Tested?

We recommend annual screenings, but this may vary if your pet is on certain medications or already has known health problems.

Some specific tests include:

• CBC (Complete Blood Count) shows the number of red and white blood cells and platelets to detect anemia, infection, inflammation, and immune system response.
• Chemistry Tests show kidney, liver, and pancreatic function as well as blood sugar and calcium levels.
• Electrolytes show imbalances and can indicate conditions such as kidney or Addison’s disease.
• Urinalysis screens for infections and other diseases and evaluates the kidneys’ ability to concentrate urine.
• SDMA is a sensitive kidney function test which can detect early kidney disease.
• Fecal detects intestinal parasites including roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms.
• 4DX tests for heartworms and exposure to tickborne diseases: Lyme, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma.
• Thyroid (T4) tests for hyper and hypothyroidism.

Have any questions? We’re happy to help. Simply contact us or ask about our new health screen packages at your pet’s next office visit. You can also learn more about the services we offer here.

~The Doctors at Nonantum