The Beauty of Lab Work
Tom Adducci, DVM
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White blood cell count - Elevations in the white blood cell
count are associated with any kind of infection, generalized inflammation, internal and external parasites, stress
and rarely leukemia-type illnesses.
Decreased white blood cell counts are seen with
over-whelming infection or bone marrow diseases.
Urinalysis
As your family companion begins to advance in age, yearly
screening of blood and urine is recommended. These tests give
us valuable information about your pet. It can serve as an early
indicator of health issues that may be starting to develop, but
are not yet physically notable. We encourage lab work early in
your pet’s life to establish a baseline which can then give us a
better chance at discovering any health issues early on. This
will enable us to make recommendations for specific diets,
supplements or medications which will keep your pet as
healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Parameters that are typically examined in the blood tests
include: liver enzymes, kidney function values, electrolytes,
blood glucose, red blood cell and white blood cell counts.
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Liver Enzymes - ALT, ALP, AST - Abnormalities in these
tests can indicate toxin exposure, hepatitis secondary to
immune system disorders and infections (bacterial or viral),
cancer, cirrhosis, adverse response to medications
(intentionally given or accidental exposure) and even
diseases of other body systems.
Renal Function Tests - BUN, Creatinine - The kidney’s job
is to rid the body of these two waste compounds. When
there is a loss of kidney function either or both of them
become elevated. The source of impaired kidney function
include; congenital kidney malformation, degeneration
from aging, infection (pyelonephritis or leptospirosis),
immune system disorders, toxin exposure or adverse drug
reactions (intentional medications or accident exposure).
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Blood Glucose - An elevation in blood glucose may be
consistent with diabetes mellitus. A decrease can indicate
infection, liver disease or anorexia (especially in small
breed puppies that are not eating well).
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Electrolytes - Sodium, potassium and chloride - Abnormalities in these values are often associated with and secondary to vomiting, diarrhea, generalized metabolic illness and
endocrine diseases such as Addison's disease.
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Red blood cell count - Decreased red blood cells (anemia)
can be associated with chronic systemic illness, hormonal
imbalances (low thyroid), intestinal parasites, chronic or
acute hemorrhage, autoimmune disease or disease of the
bone marrow.
An increased red blood cell count can be seen with dehydration and, in rare cases, severe lung disease, kidney
cancer or bone marrow cancer.
Urinalysis is a very important screening test for evidence of
any kind of early kidney disease, urinary tract infection, diabetes and immune mediated diseases directed at the kidneys.
Typical parameters examined with a standard urinalysis include:
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Specific Gravity - A measure of the urine concentration. A
normal kidney removes water from the urine and makes it
very concentrated. With a loss of kidney function the
kidney cannot remove water properly and the urine
becomes dilute.
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Presence of red blood cells - If too many red blood cells
are noted it can indicate infection, inflammation, trauma
or the presence of bladder or kidney stones.
•
Presence of white blood cells - If there are too many white
blood cells it can indicate a bladder or kidney infection.
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Glucose - The presence of sugar in the urine is abnormal.
If found in the urine it most often indicates diabetes but
can also be seen with leptospirosis infection, severe stress
and some hereditary kidney problems.
•
Ketones - Ketones are breakdown products found in
abnormal metabolism and most often occurs in the urine
of patients with diabetes mellitus.
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Bacteria - Urine is supposed to be sterile. The presence of
bacteria may indicate infection.
In many cases the screening comes back normal and
we love nothing better than
to call owners with the
great news that everything
looks perfect in their pet’s
blood and urine tests! If
your pet should ever become ill, these early baseline values that were established for your pet become
invaluable. These values
are used as a comparison and can help us gauge the severity
and progression of any illness.
Lab work is
recommended for
all older pets,
however, we must
not forget it is
important for our
young pets too!
So remember to have annual blood and urine screening for
your family pet. It is a vital component of their preventative
care that can really benefit in giving them the best opportunity
to live a long, happy and healthy life! To schedule an appointment for your pet to have blood and urine testing, please call
us at 303-424-3325.
3 • Furry Free Press • Summer 2012
2014