Veterinary Services
Pet Blood Testing
Learn more about our pet blood testing services below.
Veterinary Services
Pet Blood Testing in Surry Hills NSW
Blood testing is an important tool in helping to assess your pet’s health from the inside. We run blood tests for a variety of reasons, from routine screening, monitoring illness and disease, and diagnosis of conditions.
Vets On Crown have a fully equipped in house lab that can run:
- Complete blood counts
- Full biochemistry panels
- Thyroid levels
- Electrolyte levels
- Pancreatitis
- Felv/FIV
- Heartworm
- Leptospirosis (see the following page for fact sheet)
Once we have collected the blood sample we need from your pet, tests can be run immediately, and results can be back within 30 minutes. This allows for rapid diagnosis and treatment of a condition when your pet presents unwell.
We do not only recommend that unwell pets get a blood screen. We also highly recommend that pets get a screen before putting them under general anesthesia. Depending on your pet’s age and health status, we may recommend running a Pre-Surgical profile which is a “mini” blood test that tests the organs that commonly metabolize medications (such as the liver and kidneys) but also checks glucose levels and protein levels to ensure that the body is in good shape to undergo anesthesia.
Once your pets get to a more mature age, we also recommend yearly screening to try and pick up early changes in your pet’s organs that may not be picked up on the year exam. Things such as kidney and liver degeneration are almost impossible to pick up early without blood and/or urine screen.
Leptospirosis
If you live in the area, there is no doubt you have heard of and seen the signs at the local parks warning of Leptospirosis being in the area.
Leptospirosis (Lepto for short) is a bacterial infection that is primarily spread by rodents via their urine. Lepto can be fatal if left untreated and is something that we can catch from infected animals. So if your dog becomes infected, you could also become infected. Infection can happen when your dog comes into contact with infected water that is ingested or passes across membranes such as small cuts or wounds. We have even had dogs that have come in after they have eaten a deceased rodent at the local park!
Stagnant water such as puddles, ponds, and parks with poor drainage all pose a risk, as well as direct contact with rodents means that both city and country dogs are all at risk.
Unfortunately, Lepto initially presents with very generic illness symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, and lethargy. Making it difficult to diagnose in the early stages.
Later stages of the illness present as Jaundice (yellowing of the skin, eyes, and gums) and causing damage to the liver and kidneys which can be irreversible, and often fatal.
Vaccination is so important to reduce the risk, especially if you live in an area that has had cases of Lepto.
Vaccination is an easy process, and the team can answer any questions that you have regarding Lepto and the vaccination. Vaccination initially is a course of 2 vaccines 2 – 4 weeks apart and then an annual booster to keep immunity up.
As mentioned before, Lepto is something that you can also catch from your pet if they become infected, so the vaccination protects not only your dog but you and your family too.
We can vaccinate from 6 weeks, but usually recommend that we vaccinate at your puppy’s 2nd vaccine (8 – 10 weeks) and again at their final vaccine (12 – 14 weeks). The annual booster can then be incorporated with their annual core vaccines each year.