What is Early Detection?

The fact is that our pets age faster than us. (Check out our chart to see how old your pet is.) One year of their lives equals at least 7 years of our life. Therefore, their bodies undergo changes faster than ours. For this reason, we recommend early detection blood and urine testing on an annual basis to monitor our patients' health, just as your own physician asks of you. We like to have baseline lab work (wellness testing), especially for younger pets. As the years progress, we can monitor for subtle changes in lab values that may indicate early diseases. The earlier we can detect a disease, the better chance we have to treat it. For our older pets, these tests are essential to detect the many disease processes that we expect and are prepared to help prevent or control with early intervention.

For the young adult (3-8 years of age):

We suggest the following:

• Complete blood count - this checks for anemia or signs of infection.
• Minor chemistry profile - this evaluates the kidney and liver function.
• Urinalysis

For the senior pet (greater than 8 years of age):

We suggest the following:

• A Complete blood count - this checks for anemia or signs of infection.
• Major chemistry profile to evaluate kidney and liver function and electrolyte levels.
• Thyroid screening (many senior cats are hyperthyroid).
• Complete urinalysis.

If you have any questions regarding our wellness plans, please feel free to call our office and speak to one of our staff members.