Early Disease Detection & Screening

Early disease detection testing is typically performed as part of a broader wellness exam. Along with a general physical exam that looks at all aspects of your pet’s health, other tests like blood, faecal, urine, and cancer marker tests may be performed. This helps us to gain insight into your pet’s overall health and wellness in greater detail and detect early warning signs of abnormalities or health issues.

Blood tests commonly performed include:

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

The findings of the test can help to inform your vet about any further testing that may be required. It can help to detect parasites, anaemia, infection, and even leukaemia, among other things. 

Blood Chemistry Panel

The blood chemistry panel impart important information about organ function of your pet, providing clues to the cause of various diseases.

The blood chemistry panel comprises of tests including:

• Total protein: Measures the sum of the proteins in the blood albumin and globulins.
• AST (aspartate aminotransferase): When elevated, it can indicate damage to liver, heart, and muscle.
• ALT (alanine aminotransferase): Low ALT levels are uncommon and may indicate liver failure, but interpretation is dependent on other chemistry abnormalities.
• ALKP (alkaline phosphatase): Can be elevated with liver and/or metabolic disorders. It also is elevated during times of active bone growth; for this reason, it commonly is elevated in healthy young dogs.
• GGT (gamma glutamyl transferase): Elevated in conditions of liver damage.
• Bilirubin: Indicates liver or gallbladder malfunction, and anemia resulting from red blood cell destruction (hemolysis).
• BUN (blood urea nitrogen): High levels indicate improperly functioning kidneys, dehydration, heart disease, and urinary obstruction.
• Creatinine: Reliable indicator of decreased kidney function.
• Phosphorus: Elevation may indicate the kidneys are not functioning properly, whereas low levels indicate increased loss, usually through the intestine.
• Calcium: Elevation may be due to a number of reasons including kidney disease, certain types of cancer, and metabolic disturbances. 
• Glucose: High blood glucose can indicate diabetes or acute stress, while decreased serum glucose can be due to liver, kidney, or metabolic disorders.
• Sodium: Increased in the case of dehydration and decreased in the presence of vomiting or diarrhoea, kidney disease, and some metabolic diseases.
• Potassium: Increased in the presence of dehydration, kidney disease and some metabolic diseases; decreased in the presence of vomiting or diarrhea.
• Chloride (Cl): Increases may indicate dehydration; decreases may be the result of vomiting or diarrhoea.
• Cholesterol: Increases may be seen in the presence of metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Decreases may indicate liver or intestinal dysfunction.
• Triglycerides: Elevations are common in the presence of metabolic diseases. Insufficient fasting prior to blood draw is the most common cause for elevated triglycerides.
• Amylase and lipase can be elevated when the pancreas is damaged. Other conditions that can lead to elevated amylase include kidney disease, treatment with certain types of medications, and gastrointestinal disease.
• CK (creatinine kinase): Elevation indicates severe muscle damage.
• Total T4: Increases and decreases both indicate thyroid disease. A low functioning thyroid gland is most common in dogs.