My vet wants blood work for my healthy dog. Is it necessary?

If he is generally well then bloodwork every couple of years to record a normal level for him and to identify any changes is sufficient. From age 6-7years on then yearly testing can be helpful for early intervention

Bloodwork is typically done around 6 months of age before anesthesia for a spay or neuter. There is no set time that it should be done. Typically, if a dog is ill or requires sedation/anesthesia, then bloodwork is done to diagnose or to make sure the pet can undergo anesthesia. Some owners choose to have bloodwork done yearly as part of the physical exam. If Bruno has never had bloodwork, you can have your vet do it if only to obtain a healthy/normal baseline for comparison in case Bruno ever gets sick.

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.

Hi there! After looking at the lab results, I see that all of these are extremely minor changes - they usually don't mean anything at all, in a dog that's clinically healthy and acting normal. The one possible exception would be the elevated BUN, as this can sometimes be a sign of early kidney disease - but it can also be caused by mild dehydration (common in anxious dogs who are panting at the vet's office!), a high-protein diet, or other things that don't have any clinical significance. If you wanted to be sure that his kidneys are fine, your veterinarian could do a urinalysis to make sure that his urine is appropriately concentrated and doesn't contain protein or any other abnormalities. The other values will often be slightly variable from one patient to another, and should not be any cause for concern.

Blood work reflects a single snap shot in time. It can't predict any disease. Performing blood work days or weeks apart can help monitor disease progression or healing. On this lab machine, normal creatinine in dogs is under 1.1. This value can go up a bit if a dog is dehydrated, so that is why it is important to put the numbers together with the pet. The CBC isn't overly concerning. The red cell values are high, and the most common cause for that is dehydration. The total white cell values states high, but the individual values are within normal range. White cells increase with infection or inflammatory conditions. That supplement shouldn't cause increases in lab values.

You can get general blood work done at his next wellness visit - it's a good idea to do this yearly if possible, to get a good normal baseline established and help spot any problems early on. If his liver is normal, there is likely no benefit to giving milk thistle - but it won't hurt anything if you do decide to give it.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm so sorry to hear Smudge was diagnosed with kidney issues. Unfortunately, a complete blood chemistry panel that includes a urinalysis is very accurate for kidney disease. If you have concerns about Smudge's diagnosis, I would recommend you reach out to Smudge's veterinarian to discuss what the findings were, and what steps may need to be taken. Good luck.