Canyon View Cares Veterinary Hospital, Orem
If you have ever wondered whether your pet really needs bloodwork every year, you are asking the right question.
The answer is not automatically yes.
It is also not automatically no.
At Canyon View Cares Veterinary Hospital in Orem, we recommend bloodwork based on what we are trying to learn about your pet. Their age matters, but so do their health history, medications, symptoms, lifestyle, and previous results.
A healthy young adult and a senior pet with a chronic condition should not be on the same schedule.
So what should pet owners know?
Bloodwork Helps Us See What an Exam Cannot
Your pet’s physical exam gives us a lot of useful information.
Bloodwork gives us a different kind of information.
A complete blood count looks at red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. A chemistry panel evaluates values related to the kidneys, liver, blood sugar, proteins, electrolytes, and other internal processes.
Depending on your pet, we may recommend additional testing such as a urinalysis or thyroid test.
The goal is not to order every available test. It is to choose testing that helps answer a specific health question.
Puppies and Kittens: Usually Not an Every-Visit Test
Young pets come to the veterinarian frequently, but bloodwork is not necessarily part of every appointment.
If a puppy or kitten is healthy, early visits may focus on preventive care, nutrition, growth, and development.
Bloodwork may be recommended if your young pet has ongoing vomiting or diarrhea, poor appetite, weakness, low energy, poor growth, or another concerning symptom.
It may also be recommended before anesthesia.
If your pet is scheduled for a spay, neuter, or another procedure, pre-anesthetic testing gives us additional information about their health before medications are administered.
Healthy Adults: Why a Normal Test Can Still Be Valuable
Normal bloodwork is good news, but it also creates a baseline.
That means when we test your pet again later, we can compare the new results with what was normal for them before.
This can help us identify trends over time.
Some healthy adult pets may have bloodwork annually. Others may need it on a different schedule. Age, breed, lifestyle, medical history, and previous results all influence that decision.
The important thing is that testing has a reason rather than simply happening because another year passed.
Senior Pets: This Is Where the Schedule Often Changes
As pets age, regular bloodwork can become more useful.
Senior dogs and cats are more likely to develop chronic health conditions, and many start with subtle symptoms.
Your cat may lose a little weight but continue eating. Your dog may drink more water or ask to go outside more often. Your pet may sleep longer or become less interested in normal activities.
Those changes are worth mentioning.
Bloodwork can help us evaluate kidney and liver values, blood sugar, blood cells, thyroid function, and other areas depending on the pet.
Some senior pets may benefit from testing every six to twelve months. A pet with an existing condition or medication may need more frequent monitoring.
Senior age varies too. Large dogs generally reach their senior years earlier than smaller dogs.
When Symptoms Change the Plan
A routine schedule only works while your pet feels well.
If your pet develops persistent vomiting or diarrhea, unexplained weight loss, increased thirst, increased urination, reduced appetite, weakness, pale gums, collapse, significant lethargy, or another concerning change, contact your veterinarian.
We may recommend bloodwork sooner.
Laboratory results can help us narrow down what is happening and decide whether urine testing, imaging, or another diagnostic step is needed.
Medication Monitoring Has Its Own Rules
Some medications require scheduled bloodwork.
We may be checking whether your pet is tolerating treatment, whether important organ values remain stable, or whether the medication is having the intended effect.
Testing may happen after treatment begins, after a dose changes, and periodically once your pet is stable.
The timing depends on the medication and condition, not simply your pet’s age.
What About Before Anesthesia?
Pre-anesthetic bloodwork is commonly recommended before procedures requiring anesthesia.
A physical exam is important, but it cannot measure every part of your pet’s internal health.
Bloodwork may identify a concern that changes the plan. We may adjust anesthesia, recommend additional testing, or postpone an elective procedure.
Normal results still give us useful information and can serve as another baseline for future comparison.
Ask What Makes Sense for Your Pet Right Now
Your pet’s bloodwork needs will change throughout their life.
At Canyon View Cares Veterinary Hospital in Orem, we look at the whole picture rather than using a one-size-fits-all schedule.
If it has been a while since your pet had bloodwork, ask at their next visit. We can review their age, health history, medications, symptoms, and previous results and let you know whether testing makes sense now or whether it can wait.