What preventive tests should a pet have?

Does your pet look healthy? That's good, but to be sure, it's best to check your pet's health by visiting a veterinarian. Some diseases may initially have no symptoms. When signs of the disease appear, treatment is often more time-consuming and expensive, and there is a higher likelihood of complications. This is the reason why preventive examinations of pets are necessary.

Blood test for cats, dogs and other pets

The basic laboratory test that every pet needs is a complete blood count. To perform this diagnosis, you will need the animal's venous blood. To get a reliable result, you should bring your pet to the veterinary clinic on an empty stomach: do not feed it for at least 6 hours before the visit. The CBC is aimed at determining such indicators as:

• The number of red and white blood cells.
• Eosinophils, monocytes, lymphocytes (to determine whether the patient has an allergy or a parasitic disease).
• Hemoglobin level.
• The percentage of different types of leukocytes (leukocyte formula).

This information allows specialists to draw conclusions about the presence or absence of infection, inflammation, anemia, and allergies. Also, a complete blood count shows the level of immune system tension and the degree of dehydration.

CBC makes it possible to detect diseases at an early stage. We also recommend doing a biochemical blood test, as it shows changes in liver and kidney function.

Complete urine analysis

Thanks to this diagnostic method, veterinarians detect malfunctions of the kidneys and liver, as well as inflammation in the bladder. A general urinalysis reveals whether the body is developing pathologies such as cystitis, urolithiasis, and diabetes mellitus.

The physicochemical properties of urine collected in an unsuitable container may be distorted. For the test, it is necessary to pass the pet's urine in a disposable plastic container with a hermetically sealed lid.

If you have a dog, the best option for collecting biomaterial is during a walk. For a dog, it is enough to have the container in which you plan to donate urine. Simply substitute it when the animal starts to urinate. If you have a female dog, it is better to have a flat, clean tray from which you will pour the liquid into a disposable container.

If you have a male or female cat, remove the litter and wash the litter box thoroughly to get clean bio-based material. If your pet does not go to the litter box without litter, you can use a urine collection kit that includes a non-absorbent litter box.

Coprogram - analysis of animal feces

The test is necessary to identify gastrointestinal pathologies. The coprogram allows you to find inflammatory diseases, helminthiasis, protozoa, as well as disorders of such things as:

• Pancreas functioning.
• Intestinal absorption.
• Bile flow to the duodenum.

2-3 days before the delivery of the biomaterial, we recommend not to give your pet medications that change the nature of the feces and lead to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, such as laxatives. Our network of Animal Clinic veterinary centers has its own veterinary laboratory, so by contacting us, you will quickly receive the test results.