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Bloodwork Services for Pets

Blood tests are processed in our in-house lab for early detection and treatment of health issues.

Pet bloodwork allows us to rule out or identify a wide variety of health conditions, much more than we could find by simply observing their physical symptoms. Blood tests get to the core of your pet's health, looking for clues that germs and bacteria leave in order to diagnose diseases early enough for successful treatment.

How do you perform bloodwork?

When our veterinarian takes a sample of your pet's blood, it's drawn into two tubes: a red-topped one and a purple-topped one. The red-topped tube allows the blood cells inside to clot. This chemistry panel allows our technicians to check the levels of certain enzymes and other chemicals in the serum, which tells us information about the condition of your pet's internal organs. The purple-topped tube has a chemical inside that prevents blood from clotting. This allows the technicians to count the white blood cells that fight infection, and the red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. The complete blood count (CBC) can show clues that lead our veterinarian toward diagnosing different health conditions.

What is the veterinarian looking for when they do bloodwork?

Blood tests can uncover a wide range of diseases in both cats and dogs. While illness can happen in pets of any age, it's more common for senior dogs and cats. At this stage, their bodies are less resistant to germs and bacteria and their immune systems are weaker. Some pets can develop diseases for a long time before they show any outward symptoms, so regular blood tests are the only sure way to make sure they're as healthy as they can be. Early detection is always better, and it can sometimes be the key to saving your pet's life. To learn more about bloodwork, please contact us at 416-245-8805.

What health issues does bloodwork detect?

One of the benefits of our in-house laboratory is fast and efficient results, regardless of if your pet is showing symptoms related to a specific disease. Some common health issues we often screen pets for include:

  • Decreasing kidney function
  • Diabetes, which is common in overweight cats
  • Thyroid issues
  • Liver disease
  • Cushing's disease
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