Just as it is better to diagnose and detect disease and other illness in people, it is also best to do so in our pets. This is where wellness testing for pets comes in. Your veterinarian will run a number of blood tests and do a thorough checkup to make sure that there are no issues that need to be addressed.
Why Is It Necessary To Do Animal Wellness Testing?
Our pets are often very good at masking problems that they are experiencing. Even if they wanted to, they don’t have a good way of letting us know that there is something wrong. Very often our pets will appear in every way to be completely healthy when they have an underlying illness. Some of these illnesses can be averted by having them discovered early on and treating them effectively.
There are some types of illness that will show no outward signs and even the pet may not be fully aware that they have a problem. Even so, running a series of pet wellness tests can detect the illness very early on and start to manage it before it becomes a problem. This is the very best solution and for that reason, these animal wellness tests are very important to the long-term health of our pets.
How Often Should Wellness Testing For Pets Be Done?
To make sure our pets remain in good health, animal wellness testing should be done regularly. Very often a vet will suggest having a wellness test done annually and it can be done together with their heartworm testing and vaccinations. If you have an older pet or one with specific health problems then the vet may recommend having the tests done more often. When pet wellness testing is done regularly the veterinarian will be able to notice even small changes that might indicate disease.
What Does Pet Wellness Testing Involve?
Wellness testing for pets will include a biochemistry profile along with a blood count, thyroid testing and a urinalysis. The veterinarian may make specific recommendations on exactly how extensive the tests should be for your particular pet. A simple wellness test might be adequate for a young pet with no apparent health problems. If your pet is middle-aged then the veterinarian may want to run a little bit more comprehensive tests.
Taking a blood count is very simple and the veterinarian can examine it to see the white blood cells to make sure they’re fighting infection appropriately and the red blood cells to indicate that they are effectively carrying oxygen to the animal’s tissues. There are other indicators that help the veterinarian understand whether or not the animal’s body is functioning correctly and that it can clot blood as it should. This test can also show abnormal cells if they are present. If a biochemistry profile is performed then it’ll be a group of tests that examines tissues and organs. This can indicate if the animal has diabetes or some other disorder. A urinalysis can help make sure the animal has good working kidneys and the thyroid keeps the animals metabolic rate running as it should.
