Blood Testing - Surgery - Walden Animal Hospital

Walden Animal Hospital

Facts About Blood Testing
And Your Pet's Upcoming Surgery

Because they can't tell you...
Four important reasons for testing your pet's blood

1. THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF YOUR PET IS OUR FOREMOST CONCERN.
Because your pet cannot describe symptoms to let us know what might be wrong, we recommend blood tests to give us the answers we need, especially before surgery.

2. BLOOD CHEMISTRY TESTS PROVIDE AN INSIDE LOOK AT YOUR PET'S VITAL ORGANS.
By testing blood chemistries, we can evaluate the status of your pet's major organs. The function of the liver and kidneys is especially important because these organs process and rid the body of medications used during anaesthesia.

3. HEMATOLOGY TESTS PROVIDE AND INSIDE LOOK AT THE BLOOD ITSELF.
Blood is composed of different types of cells. It is important to know the status of each prior to surgery.

RED BLOOD CELLS (RBCs) are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body
	WHITE BLOOD CELLS (WBCs) are the body's primary means of fighting infection.
PLATELETS play an important role in blood clotting and are critical in helping the body to stop bleeding.

4. RESULTS OF THESE TESTS WILL DETERMINE YOUR PET'S READINESS FOR SURGERY.
Depending on the results, we may adjust the dose or type of anesthetic used or advise delaying surgery.