Blood work during routine vet check

[Karen Gok]

Should blood work be requested during a well kitten or routine vet check?

 

[Carykd7kau]

Unless you have some suspicion of something amiss, I would not do blood work.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Should blood work be requested during a well kitten or routine vet check?

Yes, you need to establish a couple of baselines to compare against if the kitten/cat becomes ill and as it ages. The tests become more important as the cat ages and is a good way to keep on top of emerging issues such as kidney and liver disease, diabetes et al. It's important to catch treatable diseases early for best outcomes.

 

[WitchyWoman]

I should clarify that the tests should be run at the annual wellness exam.

 

[Carykd7kau]

Really??? I sit corrected.

 

[Karen Gok]

Yes, you need to establish a couple of baselines to compare against if the kitten/cat becomes ill and as it ages. The tests become more important as the cat ages and is a good way to keep on top of emerging issues such as kidney and liver disease, diabetes et al. It's important to catch treatable diseases early for best outcomes.

I'm asking because 5 months ago I lost my Nicky very suddenly - He had severe liver damage. The vet suspected that Nicky had been sick for a while, but we we never realized.


I'll be sure to get blood work done on my others. Thank you!

 

[WitchyWoman]

Condolences on your loss Karen. Cats are experts at masking illnesses and injuries. That's why I'm an advocate for the annual exam and blood test.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I agree with WitchyWoman that it is good to have a baseline. You might not do it yearly even with a young cat, but having that baseline is information. IF you feel paranoid, then doing yearly bloodwork on your pet does allow you to monitor things like liver and kidney values.

 

[NikkiA]

We started routine bloodwork when the boys were neutered, and we have done a panel annually since they came home. I know it is an extra expense, but as others have said cats tend to hide it when they are sick, so I'd rather have an idea of what their version of "normal" is, so that if a problem does come up, at least we some warning. . .

 

[Karen Gok]

I agree with WitchyWoman that it is good to have a baseline. You might not do it yearly even with a young cat, but having that baseline is information. IF you feel paranoid, then doing yearly bloodwork on your pet does allow you to monitor things like liver and kidney values.

We started routine bloodwork when the boys were neutered, and we have done a panel annually since they came home. I know it is an extra expense, but as others have said cats tend to hide it when they are sick, so I'd rather have an idea of what their version of "normal" is, so that if a problem does come up, at least we some warning. . .

Yep, I'm kinda paranoid about this so I'll have blood work done on the boys. Eros & Gizmo are sweet and will tolerate being carried around. I have a new boy coming and he is used to being handled as well. This will definitely help noticing any subtle changes in them. We didn't have that with Nicky.

Thank you all for your suggestions.