Tests for your aging pet | Pet Peeves
So, you just saw your veterinarian for your pet’s annual exam. Getting a heartworm test and a fecal are always a recommended part of this exam. This year, because your pet is older than 7 years old, you opted for the wellness package. This package includes a blood panel along with the heartworm test and fecal.
It’s a great idea. The blood work included in this package gives values for the liver, kidneys and blood sugar as well as red blood cell and white blood cell counts. It costs just a little more, but when packaged with the heartworm test and fecal, it is a good value. It also can catch illnesses before they become an obvious problem, allowing you to get ahead with a treatment plan.
What will the values tell us? Beginning with the kidney values, there are several that are included. The SDMA is a newer value that is considered a very early indicator for future kidney disease. If it is elevated, there is a high risk of the pet coming down with kidney disease in the next year. The BUN is usually the first value to elevate with kidney disease. The creatinine is a protein excreted only in the kidneys, and its elevation is definitely consistent with early renal failure. These values should be coupled with looking at a urine sample for getting the final diagnosis of early renal disease.
Based on elevations of these values, since you are catching renal disease very early, your veterinarian will likely recommend a change of diet. There are three foods recommended to slow the progression of kidney disease if started early. They are Hill’s K/d, Purina NF and Royal Canine Renal Support. A diet change this early in the disease can have a big impact.
A group of liver values also are included in this blood panel. The ALT is very liver-specific. If it is elevated, your veterinarian will be looking to see if there are other signs of liver disease such as not eating or weight loss. If the elevation is mild and your pet is otherwise healthy, he may suggest getting it rechecked in a few weeks to see if it is going up. If it is very high or if your pet has other signs of illness, the next step is often an ultrasound of the liver or bile acid testing.
The most common medicine used for early liver disease is Denamarin. This is an all-natural medication that has as one of its ingredients a derivative of milk thistle. Denamarin is used for liver support with antioxidants that aid the liver in processing toxins.
An elevated blood glucose is indicative of diabetes. Just as with humans, the earlier diabetes is caught and treated, the better for the pet. Insulin is typically started and a diet change is implemented.
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is another value that is commonly abnormal in older pets. It can be elevated due to old-age changes of the gallbladder or due to abnormalities of the adrenal glands. If the value is not very high and the pet is otherwise normal, rechecking the value in two to three months is not unusual. If the value is higher or it is known to be going up, additional blood work or an ultrasound is recommended.
There is so much that can be learned from wellness blood work. This is just a small sampling. And there are actual preventive measures that can be taken if a problem is discovered. You made the right choice when you decided to get that wellness package this year!
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Tests for your aging pet | Pet Peeves
