Why is presurgical blood work sent out and what does it show?

Hi. I would ask Bella's vet what tests they specifically run but many veterinary clinics have inhouse blood machines that can check a complete blood count (white cell counts, red cell counts, hematocrit) and chemistry values to can help assess liver and kidney function, as well as blood glucose, etc. in some cases urinalysis may also be run. With the in house machines results are typically available in under an hour. There are a variety of tests and panels that may be used as general health screening and/or preanesthetic screening. Please talk with Bella's vet about any concerns you may have. I'm sure they want you to be comfortable about any procedures being performed.

You have a good question! It is common practice to offer this to clients. The options your clinic gave you are best practice, and there are owners who refuse to do things like pre-op bloods because they don't want to spend the money. You are correct that doing this is part of doing the procedure properly, but unfortunately there are clients who want the cheapest option possible, meaning things like a pre-ob bloodwork and CBC are left out. Those owners are warned of the risk of not doing them, and they have to sign the estimate saying they refuse those tests. It would be nice if everyone would follow best practice options, but I'm sad to say it frequently doesn't happen. Good on you for wanting best practice for Spot! I hope this helps answer your question.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Poor Lincoln! It sounds as though your vet is most likely concerned about a cruciate ligament tear, patellar luxation, or the onset of arthritis from a possible prior injury. English Bulldogs are inherently more risky to put under anesthesia simply due to the conformation of their head and airways, but your vet is aware of these possibilities and should be prepared with proper monitoring equipment and oxygen supplementation. I always recommend pre-anesthetic blood testing whenever possible. Most anesthetics are broken by the liver and kidneys (which these tests will assess), which allows the animal to wake up after the procedure. I hope that all goes well for Lincoln!