When should my dog get his first blood tests: CBC, liver, kidney?

Actually this is true in the case of kidneys. It take up to 75% of the nephrons to fail in kidneys before symptoms are seen of kidney disease. It's always good to have blood work done on any dog, even healthy ones. Because our dogs cannot tell us if they are feeling sick or not, these tests are needed to make sure everything is healthy. In addition, many dogs will show no sign of illness until they are extremely sick. You can't know for sure if your dog is healthy without these tests, so if your vet is recommending doing the blood work, I suggest going along with your vet's recommendation.

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

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.

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.

Liver and kidney values (ALT, Alk Phos, GGT, BUN, Creatinine) are on Chemistry panels which can be ordered separately from Complete Blood Counts that measure neutrophil counts (elevated with infection), hematocrit (a measure of hydration status), platelet levels (an indicator of clotting function). I recommend asking your vet for pricing for just the Chem panel vs pricing for a CBC/Chem panel if desired. Good luck!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Max. I do recommend blood work and urine testing on a regular basis. I typically start testing to obtain baseline values around 2 to 3 years of age. It is good to test every year or every other year while the pet is young. Then I start annual testing or every 6 months when the pet is a senior. This age can vary a bit between pets, but typically start around 7-8 years of age. I recommend fecal testing every year as intestinal parasites can be spread to people. I hope this information helps!

It is possible there could a genetic component. For the best possible outcome, I recommend to spend the money and have the blood panel run on each puppy. Pre-existing liver or kidney problems can be exacerbated by medications used during surgery, low blood pressure or low heart rates. If the condition is severe enough, some pets are not candidates for the procedure. Genetics however are complex and just because mom has a condition, this does not mean that her babies do but you should play it safe. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.