Does basic dog blood work include EPI testing, and is fasting needed?

There are a few tests that require testing but most do not. A basic panel of bloodwork just as a routine screening does not typically require fasting. If she needed to be fasted your vet probably would have let you know. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry to hear that Uma is losing weight! Typically, EPI affects younger dogs, and you are correct, they typically affect German Shepherds. A lot of the time, the cbc and chemistry panels are normal. Occasionally, you can see elevated liver enzymes like ALT on the chemistry. However, to properly diganose EPI, you need to send out a special test to a specific lab. This blood test is called canine serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity. This is a direct look at the pancreas' functionality. Given Uma's age, she less likely has EPI since she is almost 10 years old. Therefore, there may be another reason she is losing weight. If her bloodwork is all normal, then I would recommend abdominal radiographs or an abdominal ultrasound. Good luck and I hope she gets better soon!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If your Vet was only testing for heartworm then that was likely the only thing ran. General blood work usually is a CBC and a chemistry. I think it is best to call your Vet in the am and ask if any other blood work was sent out with the heartworm test. You could also look at your invoice.

Feeding him before blood tests is not ideal and can really influence tests results (especially if it is a snap test for pancreatitis). I would recommend to repeat the test with a quantitative one if possible before getting into hospitalisation and treatment which may not be needed.

I recommend that your contact your vet's office to schedule a follow-up appointment. Your dog may need further diagnostics to determine the cause of the vomiting and diarrhea. While blood work is an excellent and worthwhile diagnostic tool (and I commend you on having it done), it does have limitations. Blood tests are extremely useful for looking at the overall health of your pet. From the tests, a vet can learn if your pet's vomiting is caused by an underlying medical condtion like diabetes, kidney or liver disease, or an infection. Blood work can also reveal if your pet is dehydrated from the vomiting. Many of these problems may not be obvious on a simple physical exam, but if caught early can be successfully treated or controlled, giving your pet a longer and better quality of life. Sometimes blood work can lead to a definitive diagnosis, but oftentimes blood work results guide us as to what the next diagnostic steps should be (radiographs, ultrasound or more specific blood testing).

All the conditions you mentioned except cancer are easily spotted on a full panel blood labwork, Cancer is the exception and is usually very difficult to diagnose when growing internally. a minority of cancers can be spotted on bloodwork, others can be spotted on xray, ultrasound, endoscopy and advanced imaging such as CT scan and MRI.

No, usually blood test is not required, unless there is another specific reason for it (other than Apoquel). 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.