Bloodwork is necessary for your pet at different stages of their life even if they are healthy. Our hospitals feature a full diagnostic laboratory that allows our team to care for your pet. With blood tests, we can diagnose many health problems like anemia, severe inflammation, parasites and immune disorders. We can learn your pet’s complete blood count (CBC) that checks the number of red blood cells, platelets and inflammatory cells. We can also determine how much proteins, albumin, electrolytes, glucose, and calcium are in their biochemistry profiles.
Why does my pet need bloodwork?
Here are the reasons why veterinarians recommend bloodwork for your pet:
- Your pet is showing signs of illness. Vomiting, weight loss, lethargy or loss of appetite are some symptoms that will need bloodwork to diagnose.
- To learn your pet’s normal health levels. If your pet is healthy blood tests show us their baseline health information which can be used later for comparison.
- To determine if surgery is a good idea for your pet. Blood tests can tell us how well your pet will respond to anesthesia.
If your pet needs to have bloodwork done, please reach out to us at 613-829-0220 or 613-843-1334.
Should my cat or dog fast before a blood test?
Fasting before having bloodwork done is recommended and necessary if time permits. We encourage you to withhold food for up to 8 hours before a blood test to prevent the blood sample from having any imperfections like fat droplets as they can interfere with the results. In urgent circumstances, our veterinarians may run blood tests even if your pet hasn’t fasted and still get accurate results.
Where are blood samples taken from?
Our staff is trained to quickly collect blood samples from your pet without them feeling any pain. We usually draw blood from veins on your pet’s neck or leg. The samples are immediately brought to our lab for processing.
