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We strongly recommend pre-surgical blood work prior to putting your pet under anesthetic. This gives our doctors the ability to get an internal look at your pet to ensure that all their vital organs are functioning correctly. The following tests check the liver and the kidneys, which are the two organs that are responsible for processing and breaking down anesthetics.
- Blood Urea Nitrogen - (BUN) - Produced by the kidneys. Abnormal high levels can lead to kidney disease or dehydration, and low levels can be associated with liver disease.
- Creatinine - (CREA) - This is a by-product of muscle metabolism and is excreted by the kidneys. Elevated levels can indicate kidney disease, urinary tract obstruction or dehydration.
- Alkaline Phosphatate - (ALKP) - An enzyme present in multiple tissues, including live and bones. Elevated levels can indicate liver disease, Cushing's Syndrome or steroid therapy.
- Blood Glucose - (GLU) - High levels can indicate diabetes. In cats high levels can indicate stress which can be cause by a mere trip to the veterinary office. Low levels can indicate liver disease, infection or certain tumors.
- Alanine Aminotransferase - (ALT) - An enzyme that becomes elevated with liver disease or injury.
- Total Protein - (TP) - The level of total protein can indicate a variety of conditions, including dehydration and disease of the liver, kidneys or intestine.
- Hematocrit - (HCT) - Provides information on the amount of red blood cells present in the blood. A low hematocrit indicates anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin.