Should my senior cat get regular blood tests to catch issues early?

An exam and bloodwork should be done at least once a year. After a cat turns 8, ideally bloodwork should be done every 6 months. If twice a year is not feasible, then yearly is fine as long as the cat is behaving normally.

Screening wellness blood work can be helpful to establish a baseline or catch problems early. I often recommend a mini panel to establish a baseline around 5 years of age, and then yearly screening blood work starting at 7-8 years of age. I think a blood panel would be very helpful for Brownie.

If all his bloodwork was normal that rules out kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, etc. If your vet did not test for hyperthyroidism than a test should be done. An x-ray and/or ultrasound is defintely needed and will, hopefully, provide more information. He could have an infection, cancer, or obstruction/foreign body to name a few other possibilities. If he is not able to keep food down, I am not sure waiting until Friday is a good idea. He may continue to weaken and may become dehydrated. If your vet can't take an x-ray then you could consider taking him to an emergency clinic or another vet that can. An anti-vomiting injection may be helpfull if your vet didn't give him one. I hope that his problem is diagnosed and treated soon!

Increased thirst and urination can be commom symptoms of many disease processes and you are right that the first things we check for are metabolic (kidney disease, diabetes, etc.). The answer to your question is both. A urinalysis should always be performed as part of a blood panel, otherwise you are missing crucial information. Your vet will likely order a senior kitty wellness panel from an outside lab which will include cbc, chemistry panel, thyroid testing, and urinalysis. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

From what the blood results are showing your cat is not having any important renal issue at this stage. Hyperthyroidism is well controlled as well. It will be good anyway to keep monitoring renal parameters (Urea and Crea) but adding also the so called SDMA which can indicate early stage renal failure (more sensitive than the other two). I think is a good idea to increase anyway the amount of wet food he is having, and if he likes sardines, of course that is a good option. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

She should have her blood pressure, blood work and urinalysis checked at least every six months. The doctor may also want to check another test called a urine protein creatine ratio if they are concerned the condition is worsening. This will help you to know what her kidney are doing. She should get a physical exam every 3 to 4 months unless she seems sick. Then she should be examined at that time. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. If the veterinarian did not test her urine, I would recommend having her urine tested to see if she is dealing with a urinary tract infection. If she has a UTI, she will need an antibiotic and potentially an anti-inflammatory. If her urine was tested and came back normal, I would recommend providing her with multiple litter boxes with different litter and consider the use of a product called Feliway, which can be found online or at your local pet store. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please remember to rate this answer as helpful or not. Thank you!