FAQs/BloodWk.htm

Question 9: My veterinarian recently recommended preanesthetic blood work for my young, apparently healthy pet. Is the blood work really necessary?

Answer: Absolutely! We strongly believe that preanesthetic blood work is important no matter what the age of your pet. Our four main reasons for recommending preanesthetic blood work are:

	Provide the pet's owner with peace of mind by reducing medical/anesthetic risk and ensuring the health and safety of the pet.
	Reduce anesthetic risk by identifying potential problems which might require a change in anesthetic protocol.
	Provide a baseline of information to compare against in the future.
	Detect diseases earlier, before the pet is showing more obvious clinical signs of disease.

Obviously there is no way to guarantee a safe anesthetic procedure, but preanesthetic blood work (combined with a thorough history, physical examination, and other diagnostic tests as indicated) provides a great deal of information regarding your pet's ability to tolerate anesthesia, to breakdown and excrete the anesthetic drug(s), and to form normal blood clots. Depending on the individual case, additional tests (blood, urine), radiographs (x-rays), electrocardiograms (ECGs), or other diagnostic procedures may be recommended prior to your pet's anesthetic procedure. Exactly what type of blood work we recommend prior to anesthesia depends on the age of your pet. For Juvenile and Adult pets we recommend a Select Preanesthetic Profile. For Senior and Geriatric pets we recommend a Complete Preanesthetic Profile. See the answer to FAQ Number 7 to see how old your pet is in human years. The individual tests and their significance are summarized below.

Select Preanesthetic Profile
Juvenile and Adult Pets

Test	Definition	Significance
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)	an enzyme specific to liver cells	increased ALT may indicate liver disease or injury or the presence of certain drugs
Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)	an enzyme produced by the cells lining the gall bladder and the bile ducts and by bone	increased ALP may indicate liver, bile duct, bone, or hormonal disease or may be associated with normal growth in young animals or the presence of certain drugs
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)	a by-product of red blood cell metabolism produced by the liver and excreted by the kidneys	increased BUN may indicate dehydration, kidney disease, urinary tract obstruction, a recent meal, or gastrointestinal hemorrhage decreased BUN may indicate liver disease, excessive drinking and urination, anorexia, or a low-protein diet
Creatinine (Crea)	a by-product of muscle metabolism produced by the liver and excreted by the kidneys	increased Crea may indicate kidney disease or urinary tract obstruction or feeding cooked meat decreased Crea may indicate severe loss of muscle mass
Glucose (Glu)	a simple sugar (monosaccharide) used as a major source of energy, stored in the liver as glycogen	increased Glu may indicate hormonal disease, stress (especially in cats), a recent meal, or the presence of certain drugs decreased Glu may indicate insulin overdose, overexertion, liver disease, infection, cancer, severe infection, or starvation
Total Protein (TP)	a combined measurement of a number of different proteins, including Albumin (see below)	increased TP may indicate dehydration, infection, immune-mediated disease, or cancer decreased TP may indicate liver, kidney, gastrointestinal, or parasitic disease, hemorrhage, inadequate protein intake
Hematocrit (Hct)	the percentage of the blood that is made up of red blood cells	increased HCT may indicate dehydration decreased HCT indicates anemia
Activated Clotting Time (ACT)	the time in seconds required for the blood to form a hard clot at a specified temperature	increased ACT my indicate a problem with the body's ability to form normal blood clots

Complete Preanesthetic Profile
Senior and Geriatric Pets
Includes all of the tests in the Select Preanesthetic Profile in addition to:

Test	Definition	Significance
Albumin (Alb)	an important protein molecule produced by the liver	increased Alb may indicate dehydration decreased Alb may indicate liver, kidney, gastrointestinal, or parasitic disease, hemorrhage, inadequate protein intake
Amylase (Amy)	a digestive enzyme produced by the pancreas and excreted by the kidneys	increased Amy may indicate kidney, pancreatic, or intestinal disease
Calcium (Ca)	a mineral important in proper formation and function of the heart, muscles, bones, teeth, nerves, and blood clots	increased Ca may indicate kidney or parathyroid disease, cancer, or toxicity decreased Ca may indicate low Albumin, kidney or parathyroid disease, post-partum complication, or toxicity
Cholesterol (Chol)	a steroid alcohol found in animal fats and oils, bile, blood, brain tissue, milk, nerves, liver, kidneys, and adrenal glands	increased Chol may be spontaneous or diet related or may indicate liver, kidney or hormonal disease decreased Chol may indicate intestinal or liver disease, cancer, or severe malnutrition
Phosphorous (Phos)	an essential dietary mineral important to bone and cell metabolism	increased Phos may indicate a young growing animal, kidney, hormonal, bone, or muscle disease, or toxicity decreased Phos may indicate intestinal or kidney disease
Total Bilirubin (TBili)	a metabolic by-product of hemoglobin and a component of bile that is secreted by the liver into the gastrointestinal tract	increased TBili may indicate liver, bile duct, or pancreatic disease or red blood cell destruction