Does my dog need to fast before a thyroid blood test? How long?

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.

Hello, Sable can eat her normal meal. Fasting before the test can actually invalidate the test results. So she may eat and take her medications normally the morning of the test. Hope this helps and best of luck.

I do not typically with hold water from my patients, but everyone has different preferences and it could be based on the procedure planned as well. I would go ahead and pick up the food and water tonight before bed and then call the office tomorrow morning for further clarification. if they allow you to offer water then you could do so at that time. Best of luck and I hope this helps! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

It really depends on the exact blood work that is being done. If it is just a routine CBC and Chemistry profile then he probably doesn't need to be fasted. If the blood-work is being done the same day as the procedure then he should be fasted because of the procedure. You should probably call your vet for specific instructions. I am sure it is worrisome to put your dog under anesthesia but the benefits of cleaning the teeth and extracting the diseased teeth outweighs the risks of the anesthesia. As long as he is healthy, the risk is minimal.

Yes you can feed your dog normally if you are just taking him to the vet for a check up. If you are going to have a blood test, or a procedure that requires sedation or anaesthetic, then he should be starved but I think they would have informed you beforehand. Hope this helps, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If that is what was recommended by your veterinarian who knows Bailey well, then yes fasting Bailey before her blood tests should not be an issue. Fasting is not necessarily contraindicated in dogs in kidney failure. Good luck!

Hello, In dogs, unlike humans, we generally don't worry about their diets with high cholesterol. High cholesterol can be associated with both hypothyroidism and adrenal disease, as well as a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol. I would recommend talking to your vet about the rest of the of blood panel and seeing if there are any other abnormalities that might point to an endocrine disorder or a genetic predisposition before changing his diet. However, some boutique, "fancier" diets are not actually balanced for canine nutrition. In particular, grain free diets have been associated with heart disease over time. I would talk to your vet about his diet and make sure it's meeting his nutritional needs before making any new changes. If you do decide to change his diet, please do so over a course of seven days so the rapid change of food does not cause stomach upset. Other signs of hypothyroidism include: increased appetite, weight gain, lesser activity levels, hair loss, and changes of the skin Other signs of adrenal disease, either Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease) or Hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease), can include: vomiting, diarrhea, panting, weight gain, increased thirst and urination, hair loss, and skin changes If Rocky has any of these other changes occurring, this is likely why your vet is recommending further testing to examine his endocrine health. Luckily, most endocrine diseases can be well managed over time once they are diagnosed. I hope this has been helpful! I know it's a lot of information, but I wanted to try to answer everything. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!