Your Pet’s Lab Work - How It Helps All of Us
Animal Medical Center of Watkins Park
Our careful and thorough physical examinations help us evaluate your pet’s health. We are
fortunate to have excellent lab facilities to help us diagnose your pet’s problems, monitor
changes in chronic disease conditions, and even help reveal early changes associated with
medical conditions. For your understanding, let us explain some of the tests we run most
frequently, and a little bit about the information they give us.
Complete Blood Count
This test counts the number of red and white blood cells. It evaluates the size, shape and age of
the red blood cells, the type and age of the white blood cells, and the number of platelets. This
tells us if your pet has anemia or an inflammatory process, can help us determine how long a
problem has been present, and can give us clues as to the cause of the abnormality.
Superchem or Blood Chemistry
These tests are best discussed in groups, as they are intended to help reveal different things
about the body’s internal workings.
Plasma Proteins – total protein, albumin, globulin
Dehydration, intestinal diseases, kidney disease, adrenal disease, liver disease, inflammation,
protein-losing disorders, immune-mediated diseases and cancer may affect these values.
Tests related to liver abnormalities – AST, ALT, alkaline phosphatase, GGTP, total bilirubin
Diseases that originate in the liver can affect these values. Conditions that affect the liver
(bleeding disorders, liver toxins, pancreatitis, hyperthyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism, diabetes
and some infectious diseases) cause elevation of these values even more frequently than
primary liver disease. Special organ function tests may be needed for a definitive diagnosis.
Tests related to kidney abnormalities – urea nitrogen, creatinine, phosphorus
These kidney waste products are elevated when the kidney filtering units are not functioning
adequately. This can be caused by kidney disease, or by dehydration or obstruction of the
urinary tract. It is very important to also run a urinalysis for any pet suspected of having
kidney problems.
Blood sugar – glucose
Blood sugar is increased in diabetic animals; it can also be increased because of adrenal
problems, stress, some cancers and the effect of some drugs.
Blood minerals – phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride
A normal balance of minerals is essential to keep the body working properly; everything from a
regular heartbeat to normal fluid balance depends upon a consistent level of available minerals.
Some causes of mineral imbalance are kidney disease, cancer, adrenal disease, parathyroid
disease, diabetes, and the effects of some drugs.
Fat metabolism – cholesterol, triglycerides
These can be high if a patient has recently eaten. In patients fasted before blood tests, elevated
values may indicate diabetes, hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism, or pancreatitis.
Thyroid Hormones
Older cats often develop hyperthyroidism, a disease which speeds up the metabolism due to
increased levels of thyroid hormone. Older dogs frequently become hypothyroid, due to a
decreased production of thyroid hormone. In the early stages, the signs may be very subtle, so
early diagnosis is best accomplished with blood tests.
Your Pet’s Lab Work - How It Helps All of Us
Animal Medical Center of Watkins Park
Urinalysis
Pets eliminate many body wastes through their urine, and the urine can give us a lot of
information about how well their body is working and if there are specific problems in the
urinary tract.
The specific gravity gives us an idea of how well the kidneys can concentrate the urine.
Protein in the urine may indicate a urinary tract infection, or it could indicate damage to the
kidneys.
Glucose in the urine usually indicates diabetes, but in some rare cases may indicate kidney
disease.
Bilirubin in the urine can indicate liver disorders or a bleeding problem.
Blood can be detected in the urine both because of actual blood cells in the urine, or broken
down blood cells from bleeding disorders or muscle damage.
White blood cells indicate the presence of inflammation. White blood cells most often are seen
because of infection, but stones or tumors in the bladder can also cause inflammation.
Bacteria usually indicate the presence of infection, unless the sample was contaminated.
Casts occur when there is damage to the kidney tubules, and are seen in some cases of kidney
disease.
Crystals indicate that there are substances in the urine that are causing crystals to form. In
some cases this is related to the presence of stones in the bladder or metabolic problems.
However, crystals can come out of solution when urine is held for a while, so crystals are not
always significant.