By Dr. Marty Becker | February 3, 2012

• As a veterinarian, I’ve seen too many pet owners faced with the worst choice of all: choosing euthanasia over effective treatment for no reason other than not being able to pay for the treatment. I don’t want this to happen any pet lover, which is why I’m a firm advocate for pet health insurance and other plan-ahead strategies.
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Financial Realities

Truth to tell, I don’t think there’s a veterinarian alive who hasn’t given away care, reduced the cost or offered payment options to patients faced with a seriously sick animal, but there’s only so far we can go with that. After all, a veterinary hospital costs money to run, and like all businesses, those expenses go up all the time. Trust me when I say that If you’re in it for the money rather than the emotional rewards, veterinary medicine is a very poor choice of professions.

I’m not complaining: I’m just explaining why, as a pet owner, you need to think about what you’d do if you were facing a really big veterinary bill. Because you might need to, and your veterinarian can help only so much and no more. And even if you can come up with the money — on credit, for many people — is paying off that charge or loan a good financial plan for you down the road? If you’re paying three times the bill in interest over time, how will that help you with your next emergency? With credit cards you can’t pay off immediately, are you setting yourself up for bankruptcy? It happens too often.

Planning Ahead

Pet health insurance is really more like car insurance than most human health plans. Although some pet health insurance companies do offer “wellness” plans — which may be helpful, especially if you’re not good at saving or budgeting — the real benefit of the plans is in covering a large part of the cost if something really bad happens: If your cat gets loose and is hit by a car, or your dog eats your underwear and needs surgery to clear the obstruction. Or if your pet starts limping and it turns out to be cancer, which has never been more treatable than it is today. But while cancer is treatable, it can be very expensive. Are you prepared for that?

Pet health insurance isn’t supposed to pay off more than you put in every year. It’s not supposed to save you money on veterinary care, and it won’t pay out if your pet stays healthy. That’s what insurance is all about: It’s there when you need it, and it could save your pet’s life — and, in the case of an emergency, your financial life.

Check it out. You’ll want to look at all the companies, talk to your veterinarian, read the reviews and fiddle with the formulas online to see what company and choices best fit your pet. Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered, of course, but a great many other things are.

A pet health savings account is also a great idea. Pet health insurance, like some people health insurance, reimburses you for part of your expenses, not all, and you still have to pay your veterinarian up-front, even if you’re using a credit line as a temporary measure. Setting aside money every month in a pet savings plan can help with that.

It’s worth it to never have to say, “I can’t afford that, doc. You’ll have to put him down,” or, “We decided we didn’t want him to suffer anymore,” which many people say, and some veterinary professionals may translate as “I can’t afford to do what’s necessary.”

Dry dog food manufacturers are continuing to recall bags of food due to high levels of aflatoxin.

Yet another manufacturer has announced a recall of dry dog food due to higher than acceptable limits of aflatoxin, and an additional manufacturer has issued new affected lot numbers from an earlier recall this month.

The recalls began Dec. 7, 2011, when Cargill Animal Nutrition announced it was removing batches of its dry dog food (River Run and Marksman) from store shelves because of elevated levels of aflatoxin.

Since then, Proctor & Gamble (Iams puppy food), Advanced Animal Nutrition (Dog Power food) and now O’Neal’s Feeders Supply (Arrow Brand dog food) have all recalled batches of their dog food within the last three weeks.

O’Neal’s Feeders Supply of DeRidder, LA, announced Dec. 13, 2011 that it has recalled an entire year’s worth of dry Arrow Brand dog food due to corn with elevated levels of aflatoxin. The recall affects food manufactured between Dec. 1, 2010 and Dec. 1, 2011.

The recall applies only to dog food distributed throughout Louisiana and Texas with packaging date codes 4K0341 through 4K0365 and 04K1001 through 4K1325.

The affected products include:

-Arrow Brand 21 percent Dog Chunks 40 lb. bag

-Arrow Brand Super Proeaux Dog Food 40 lb. bag

-Arrow Brand Professional Formula Dog Food 50 lb. bag

Cargill also announced updated lot numbers for its original Dec. 7, 2011 recall, which now extends the recall to include bags of Petrus dog food.

In a Dec. 14, 2011 update to a previous news release, Petrus Feed and Seed Stores announced a recall of its 21 percent Protein Dog Food, manufactured at Cargill’s manufacturing facility. The recall affects 40 lb feed bags of Petrus dog food manufactured at the Cargill facility between Dec. 1, 2010 and Dec. 1, 2011.

The products affected include lot numbers 4K1011 through 4K1307, distributed only in Petrus Feed and Seed stores in Alexandria, LA.

Consumers may return the recalled dog food (in opened or unopened packages) to the place of purchase for a full refund.

No adverse health effects have been reported in combination with consumption of the foods.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mold by-product that can cause potentially fatal liver damage in animals if consumed in high amounts. In 2006, spoiled dog food containing corn caused an outbreak of aflatoxin poisoning and resulted in the death of over 100 dogs, according to Cornell University.

Under FDA standards, the naturally occurring mold by-product aflatoxin cannot exceed 20 parts per billion.

Loss of appetite is a primary symptom of aflatoxin poisoning. Companies are encouraging owners of pets who have consumed the recalled products to watch for symptoms of illness including sluggishness or lethargy combined with lack of appetite, vomiting, yellowish tint to eyes or gums or diarrhea. Companies are recommending that consumers who notice these symptoms take their pets to a veterinarian.   Read more on aflatoxin recalls from Trends Today.

But what do you know about what is in your pet’s food? Learn more about pet food label requirements from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
  1. Does your  pet food boast the label “holistic“? Don’t believe it. There is no legal definition of the term under pet food laws, so anyone can claim that their food is “holistic”.

2. OK, we hear the word “natural” all the time, but does it actually mean the pet food is considered natural? According to AAFCO, the term “natural” requires a pet food to consist of only natural ingredients that have not been subjected to chemical synthesis. Natural does not mean that a food is also organic.   3. So what is organic? Foods that are labeled “organic” must be certified as organic in accordance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and AAFCO regulations. In order for a product to carry the USDA organic seal, at least 95 percent of its content must be organic by weight. To be organic, the components of a product must be grown with only animal or vegetable fertilizers, such as manure, bone meal compost. etc.

4. Are by-products bad? Not really! They may actually be the best thing to feed pets because of the nutrition they contain and because they use parts of animals that would otherwise be thrown away when producing human food. By-products include vegetable oils, chicken fat, and pork, chicken and beef liver – the internal organs of animals used for human consumption that would otherwise be trashed. Feeding by-products = green living.

5. Formulation method v. feeding trial method: If your pet’s food says something to the effect of “This food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association Feed Control Officials (AAFCO)….” rather than “Animal feeling test using AAFCO procedures substantiate that this food provides complete and balanced nutrition….”, it means that the food did not undergo actual feeding or digestibility trials. The formulation method is quicker and cheaper, but does not document the effect on animals.

6. Ingredients are listed in descending order by their predominance by weight. However, weight values are not included in the ingredient statement, meaning that the listed ingredients could vary by weight only .1 percent, or by 20 percent.

7. Pet foods that are labeled “dinner”, “platter”, “entrée”, “formula”, etc. are required to include only 25 percent of the main ingredient (chicken dinner, beef entrée, etc.). If you purchase a can of cat food labeled as “seafood entrée”, the manufacturer is required to include only 25 percent seafood in the product.

8. If a label includes the phrase “with ingredient X”, the pet food is required to contain only 3 percent of ingredient X (chicken, beef, seafood, etc.)

9. The only requirement for including the word “flavor” on a pet food package? It must be “recognized by the pet“.

　For more on nutrition, view the American Animal Hospital Association Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for dogs and cats.

 Produced by AAHA, publishers of Trends magazine, JAAHA, AAHA Press, NEWStat, PetsMatter and HealthyPet

One dog needed its spleen removed, another had a fungal infection, and a third had a hole in its diaphragm.

The health problems were flukes, not breed-specific or particularly common, but all led to significant veterinary bills.

Altogether, treatments cost in the neighborhood of $30,000, but with pet insurance, they paid about $1,000, Setzler said.

“These were major things,” she said. “Pet insurance made it happen.”

That example is a more extreme circumstance that made pet
insurance clearly worthwhile, but Setzler still encourages her clients to consider buying it.

“We do recommend it, and we recommend it at a young age,” Setzler said.

According to the American Pet Products Association, pet owners spent more than $13 billion on veterinary care in 2010, which is expected to top $14 billion this year.

Pet insurance is included in that figure and is identified by the organization as a huge area of potential growth.

“With improved policies that include more conditions, even at increased premiums, pet insurance will become more attractive for pet owners and more lucrative for insurance carriers and veterinary hospitals,” according to the APPA.

Insurance plans can range in price, sometimes less than $15 a month, depending on the coverage level. Often, the cheapest plans cover only injuries and treatment related to an accident, while more expensive plans cover things such as annual exams, dental cleaning and standard vaccines.

Ongoing or pre-existing conditions often are covered only through add-ons to the insurance plan.

Pet insurance may not be a way to save money in the long run because it spreads the payments out over the life of the pet, but it does help with unexpected medical expenses.

“In the lifetime, you probably won’t save money, but you’ll be prepared when something happens,” Setzler said. “For the more routine cases, it allows you to budget ahead of time.”

The American Veterinary Medical Association also endorses pet insurance but not any specific providers.

“Anything that might assist pet owners in providing the best care that they possibly can for their pet is certainly a good thing,” spokesman David Kirkpatrick said.

There are some aspects that the organization believes are part of a good pet insurance program, Kirkpatrick said, such as protecting the veterinarian-client relationship.

“The veterinarian and the pet owner get to decide what type of treatment and what types of care are needed,” he said. “We also believe that pet insurance should allow for animal owners the freedom to select a veterinarian.”

While there are many similarities between pet insurance and people insurance, such as the same terminology for things such as premiums and deductibles, there are some differences.

“The vast majority, if not all pet insurance plans, call for pet owners to pay for services upfront and then the pet owner is reimbursed,” Kirkpatrick said.

Both Kirkpatrick and Setzler, the veterinarian, also warn of breed exclusions.

Ross Oliver, practice manager for Animal Emergency of McHenry County, said that roughly 25 percent of the emergency and critical care center’s clients have insurance for their pets.

“We definitely have been seeing much more of it,” he said. “The majority of clients that I’ve spoken with seem very happy with it. I do feel that pet insurance is very much becoming more used in the veterinary industry.”

Seasonal drought may have contributed to a recent set of dry dog food recalls.

In less than one week, three pet food companies have announced dry dog food recalls due to aflatoxin levels that were detected higher than the acceptable limit.

Aflatoxin is a naturally occurring mold by-product that is dangerous to pet health if consumed in significant quantities. Symptoms of aflatoxin poisoning include sluggishness and lethargy combined with a reluctance to eat, vomiting, a yellowish tint to the eyes or gums, and diarrhea.

Aflatoxins have been associated with the disease aflatoxicosis, and have received attention because of demonstrated carcinogenic effect in susceptible laboratory animals, according to the Cornell University Department of Animal Science.

On Dec. 8, Advanced Animal Nutrition recalled 50 pound bags of its dry Dog Power Dog Food.

The recall came on the heels of dog food recalls on Dec. 6 by both Cargill Animal Nutrition and Procter & Gamble, who both cited high aflatoxin levels as well.

Larry Hirsch, president of Advanced Animal Nutrition, says that this year’s drought may have contributed to higher than usual levels of the aflatoxin mold.

“The fungus is naturally there in corn,” Hirsch said. “During drought years, it is a lot higher.”

Hirsch said the aflatoxin occurs in corn, an ingredient in Advanced Animal Nutrition dog food and many other pet foods. Corn is one of the commodities with the highest risk of aflatoxin contamination.

Pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination is often caused by prolonged drought conditions. During drought years, water stress and high-temperature stress contribute to mold infestation and toxin production, according to Cornell University.

According to Cornell, aflatoxins are considered unavoidable contaminants of food and feed, even when good manufacturing practices have been followed. By Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, animal feed may have no more than 20 ppb of alflatoxin.

Advanced Animal Nutrition manufactures its food in a facility offsite, where the company also tests ingredients for aflatoxin levels. The affected products were manufactured between Jan. 4, 2011 and Nov. 18, 2011, according to a company news release.

Affected Advanced Animal Nutrition products include:

· Dog Power Adult Maintenance Formula 21-12 Dog Food, 50 pound bags

· Dog Power Hunters Formula 27-14 Dog Food, 50 pound bags

· Dog Power Hi-Pro Performance Formula 26-18 Dog Food, 50 pound bags

The recall applies to products with Packaging Date Codes K0004 through K1322. Affected products were distributed in Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana, where retailers have been instructed to remove the affected products from shelves.

Consumers can return any of the affected Advanced Animal Nutrition, Cargill, or Procter & Gamble products in either opened or unopened packages to their place of purchase for a full refund.

None of the companies have received complaints of animal illness due to aflatoxin levels.
Read more about the Cargill and P&G food recalls.

With Santa’s reindeer gearing up for a sleighful of deliveries to pets and their people, pet owners are hitting the stores to do their own shopping for their furry friends. From stainless steel water fountains to Angry Birds toys, pet gifts this season will have pets (and humans) drooling and howling for more.

Here are some staff favorites from the team at AAHA that are sure to get tails wagging and paws pouncing this holiday season.

For the safety-conscious pet

10. Car seat harness:
There is no better gift than taking your pet with you when you travel – provided that your pet can travel securely! Buying a car seat harness will ensure that your pet receives the same level of safety that you do when you travel.   9. Travel carrier:   Take your pet to grandmother’s house in comfort and security this holiday season. Travel carriers help to contain your pet while riding in the car, making it a safer and more comfortable drive for both you and your pet.
 For the sophisticated pet

8. Stainless steel water fountains:
Upgrading to a stainless steel water fountain this year may be a popular choice for pet lovers who want to add some class to their pets’ drinking style.   “I think crowds will love it this season since stainless steel is so fashionable in many kitchens and it is easy to clean,” one staff member says.

Drinkwell 360 Stainless Steel Pet Fountain
  7. Baked doggie goods from local doggie bakeries:   Fancy doggie goodies from specialized bakeries can whet your pet’s palate in a way that everyday treats can’t quite do.

“Christmas and his birthday are the only times my dog gets to indulge with these!” says one AAHA staff member.

6. Homemade dog treats:   If purchasing special goodies from bakeries isn’t your thing, make your own doggie treats.

“You can always make dog biscuits with cookie cut-outs,” one staff member says. “I recently made a disgusting liver bar recipe. I liquefied chicken livers in a food processor, added corn meal and flour, and then baked them. After, I cut them up into bars. It was gross to make and smell while they were baking but my dogs LOVED them.”

Other recipes include mixing baby food, corn meal and dry milk. Peanut butter is always a good add-in, staff says.

For the fun-loving pet

5. Hartz Angry Birds dog toys:
Angry Birds = happy dogs. Based on the popular mobile game app that pits birds against greedy green pigs, the double-sided Angry Birds flyer will have your dog chasing it down just so that he can get his teeth on this toy’s ballistic nylon.

Angry Bird Dog Toy

4. Hartz Angry Birds cat toys:

Don’t forget that cats love Angry Birds, too! The Angry Birds Running Bird toy stimulates your cat’s predatory instinct by shaking and vibrating its catnip innards, driving cats crazy and tempting their paws to pounce.

by News Desk | Nov 20, 2011

Pet owners should be aware that chicken jerky products from China may be associated with reports of Fanconi-like syndrome in dogs, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned.
The FDA issued the following alert:
Chicken jerky products should not be substituted for a balanced diet and are intended to be fed occasionally in small quantities.
FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products: decreased appetite; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.
FDA, in addition to several animal health diagnostic laboratories in the U.S., is working to determine why these products are associated with illness in dogs. FDA’s Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (VLRN) is now available to support these animal health diagnostic laboratories. To date, scientists have not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses. FDA continues extensive chemical and microbial testing but has not identified a contaminant.
The FDA continues to actively investigate the problem and its origin. Many of the illnesses reported may be the result of causes other than eating chicken jerky. Veterinarians and consumers alike should report cases of animal illness associated with pet foods to the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator in their state or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.

Cats Are Medically Underserved

In my last post I wrote about how little attention has recently been paid to the cat in the articles published in the New York Times. Although I believe in fair and balanced reporting, the lack of newsprint devoted to the cat only hurts their feelings, not their health. As a cat owner, you might not be able to influence the editorial staff at the New York Times, but you can protect your cat’s health. 

Over the past decade, veterinarians have noticed an alarming trend. Cats see a veterinarian half as often as dogs do. Just like dogs, cats can get sick and do need annual examinations by their veterinarians. Without regular medical care, your cat misses the opportunity to undergo screening tests to find disease before it becomes untreatable. Cats also need preventive healthcare, such as vaccinations and parasite prevention. I find three particular trends in feline health care particularly disturbing.

1. Rabies in cats is increasing.
In a recently published survey in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association of rabies cases in the United States, the occurrence of rabies declined in all wildlife and domestic dogs, but in cats, rabies increased. Rabies presents a double whammy: it is fatal in cats and poses a huge health risk for the cat’s family members.  The good news is rabies is safely and easily prevented by a vaccination which can be given when your cat visits her veterinarian.

2. Feline diabetes is on the rise.

The Banfield State of Pet Health 2010 report documented a 16% increase of diabetes in cats and a much higher occurrence of diabetes in cats than in dogs. The epidemic of diabetes in cats is likely linked to the increase in pet obesity. Annual wellness examinations will include measuring your cat’s body weight, and if your pussy cat is getting a little porky a weight reduction diet can be developed to help keep her from developing diabetes.

3. Dental disease has increased 10% in cats over the past 5 years.
A study from France reports in the Journal of Veterinary Dentistry that cats have a high rate of fractured teeth with retained roots, periodontal disease and bone loss around teeth.  Every cat studied had periodontal inflammation. Cat owners can help prevent dental and periodontal disease in their cats with regular tooth brushing. Annual wellness examinations by your cat’s veterinarian can identify dental problems early, and teeth cleaning using special equipment is done with your cat under general anesthesia.
 
Don’t delay, call your veterinarian today. Your cat will thank you.

Photo: Dr. Philip Fox

Posted by: Ann Hohenhaus, DVM at 11:42 am

FDA investigators began in October taking samples of dry pet food, pet treats and diet supplements from distributors, wholesalers and retailers like PetSmart, PetCo, WalMart, Costco, Sam’s Club and Target.

People turning to dog food for nourishment is “an urban legend,” said Duane Ekedahl, president of the Pet Food Institute, but the FDA said in a memorandum released this week that it is “particularly concerned about salmonella being transmitted to humans through pet foods, pet treats and supplements for pets that are intended to be fed to animals in homes, where they are likely to be directly handled or ingested by humans.”

Usually people get salmonella poisoning by eating contaminated food, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s also possible to get sick just “by putting objects or fingers contaminated with these germs into the mouth.”

So wash your hands after feeding your pets and keep infants away from the dog’s dish, the CDC warned.

And there is plenty of evidence to back up concern over human infection, the FDA said. The agency pointed to CDC data that show 70 people got sick from January 2006 through December 2007 in connection with salmonella-tainted dry dog food produced in Pennsylvania.

The 2006-2007 dog food outbreak featured a salmonella Schwarzengrund, according to the CDC, a bacteria known to be resistant to some antibiotics.

Antibiotic-resistant forms of salmonella have become a serious health problem because they cannot be treated with some common antibiotics.

Antibiotic resistance, according to the CDC, “can increase the risk of hospitalization or possible treatment failure in infected individuals.”

About $8 billion worth of dry dog food, $2 billion worth of dog treats, $3.7 billion worth of dry cat food and $427 million worth of cat treats were sold in the U.S. last year, according to Euromonitor International, a market research company. 
Chicago Tribune/Dow Jones Newswires

Question: If my dog is healthy, why does he need annual blood work?

Answer: Blood and urine tests are extremely useful tools for looking at the overall health of your pet. From them, a vet can learn if your pet is a diabetic, has kidney or liver disease, or an infection. Many of these problems may not be obvious on a simple physical exam, but if caught early can be successfully treated or controlled, giving your pet a longer and better quality of life.

It’s also important to have lab tests performed when a pet is healthy, so the veterinarian has a baseline to compare results when/if your pet does become ill. It’s important to note that lab tests must be coupled with a complete physical examination and patient history from the owner to be of the most use.

Sometimes we can come to a definitive diagnosis with routine blood work, but oftentimes we find changes in blood work that lead us to do more diagnostic testing to come to a definitive diagnosis. When we don’t get an absolute answer from blood work, it helps guide us as to what the next diagnostic steps should be (radiographs, ultrasound or more specific blood testing).

Question: What kinds of things can a complete blood count (CBC) tell a vet about the health of my dog or cat? What should a vet be looking for?

Answer: Usually a CBC and either a full or partial chemistry panel is done, sometimes with pancreatic enzymes and a T4 (thyroid level).

A CBC evaluates the number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, along with the concentration of red blood cells (hematocrit or PCV) and hemoglobin levels.
Abnormal changes on a CBC could include anemia (low red blood-cell count), leukocytosis (high white blood-cell count) or thrombocytopenia (low platelets). Anemia has a wide range of causes, and finding a low red blood-cell count, depending on the severity, usually warrants searching for a cause.

There are five different types of white blood cells, and elevated or low counts in each can mean different things.

For example, neutrophils are the most common elevated white blood cells because they are one of the first responders to any type of inflammation, including infection. Eosinophils, another type of white blood cells, are typically elevated with parasitic or allergic diseases.

Platelets are very important in normal clotting. A significant decrease in platelets can lead to life-threatening, spontaneous bleeding. There are many causes of decreased platelets, including infectious diseases and immune-mediated diseases, such as ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne bacterial infection, and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia.

Much more information can be gained from a CBC. The ones I just mentioned are only a few examples of some of the more common changes that we find.

A chemistry panel usually includes testing of liver enzymes, kidney values, glucose, electrolytes and protein levels.

Elevations in liver enzymes can be caused by a number of different issues and may warrant either monitoring or further testing, depending on which enzymes are elevated and how much. Inflammatory disease of the liver, endocrine diseases such as Cushing’s, toxin ingestion and cancer are just a few things that could cause elevations in liver values.

The two most common reasons for elevations in both kidney values (BUN and creatinine) are dehydration and damage to the kidneys. The most common cause of damage to the kidneys in older pets – cats in particular – is chronic renal failure. This is where a urine sample becomes very important.

The concentration of the urine, or urine specific gravity, helps us to differentiate between dehydration and kidney failure. A dehydrated animal will have very concentrated urine, while an animal in kidney failure will have dilute urine.

Probably the most common change we see in glucose is elevation from diabetes, though there are a few other diseases where we find a low blood glucose (which can be life-threatening).

Changes in electrolytes can occur with many diseases, including kidney disease, some endocrine diseases and most notably in gastrointestinal (GI) disease, in which the patient is vomiting. In sick patients, checking electrolytes helps us to know what kind of fluids to use and if we need to supplement electrolytes (e.g., potassium).

Protein values can be elevated or decreased and provide supplemental information about several body systems. The two that we look at are albumin and globulin. Elevated albumin can be found with dehydration; elevated globulins are found with inflammation or infection. Low albumin levels may indicate a liver issue (as albumin is produced by the liver) or that the albumin is being lost through the kidneys or GI tract, indicating a problem with one of these organ systems.

Question: Do you have any examples to share of symptomless dogs or cats whose blood work revealed health problems?

Answer: Yes, there are definitely times that we have done routine blood work (in non-sick patients) and have caught problems earlier than we otherwise would have. Specific examples include:

1.) A 5-year-old dog that came in for a spay. Preoperative blood work showed a significant elevation in lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) and leukemia was diagnosed.

2.) A 6-month-old small-breed dog that came in for a spay. Preoperative blood work showed elevation in liver values. Further diagnostic tests were done, and the dog was diagnosed with a congenital disease call hepatic microvascular dysplasia.

Also, we frequently diagnose early renal failure and hyperthyroidism in older kitties on routine senior blood work.

Question: What blood work should be done routinely on what appears to be a healthy dog or cat? How often?

Answer: It is a great idea to get a “minimum database” (CBC, chemistry panel, urinalysis) done when your pet is healthy. This way, your veterinarian has normal values for your pet to compare with when your pet does get sick.

Any time your pet is sick, before any anesthetic procedures or if your pet is in his senior years, your veterinarian may recommend lab work. Any time your pet starts a new, long-term medication, particularly nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (Rimadyl, Deramaxx), blood work should be checked before and after starting the medication, as most medications are processed through the liver and kidneys.

Question: What about geriatric dogs? How often should they be tested?

Answer: For senior animals, lab work should ideally be done at least yearly, possibly more frequently based on lab results. What is considered “senior” depends on the species (dog/cat) and breed (large dog/small dog). If your pet is older than 6, it would be a good idea to check with your veterinarian about doing senior lab work.

Question: What can a urine sample tell a vet?

Answer: Urinalysis in addition to the CBC and chemistry panel completes what we term a “minimum database.” Urine specific gravity paired with our chemistry panel tells us a lot about kidney function.

Things we check for on a urinalysis include protein (can indicate glomerular kidney dysfunction), glucose (present with diabetes), ketones (present with uncontrolled diabetes known as diabetic ketoacidosis), blood (can indicate infection or inflammation), white blood cells (infection, inflammation) and bacteria (infection).

Dilute urine can be an indication of other diseases as well, including liver disease and endocrine disease. In a dog, dilute urine can also be normal depending on time of day and water consumption. Dilute urine in a cat is almost always significant.

Dr. Tessa King