Pre-anesthetic and diagnostic testing:
Why they’re important for your pet’s health.

Testing can identify hidden health problems.  Testing can reduce risks.  When we recommend some or all of the following tests, we are trying to determine the complete status of your pet’s health, which will then help us make the best medical decisions, especially before administering anesthesia.  While performing these tests cannot guarantee complications won’t occur, it can greatly reduce the risk, and often times will help us find hidden problems that would have otherwise gone undetected.

Testing can provide you with peace of mind.  When you place your pet in our hands, you trust us to provide the best possible medical, dental or surgical care.  That is why we may recommend certain tests when your pet is having a medical problem or is scheduled for surgery.

Regardless of age, physical examination and medical history of your pet, we recommend diagnostic testing to identify health problems and begin treatment as early as possible.  These tests are especially helpful when your pet just isn’t feeling right and the symptoms are hard to define.

If your pet is going to be placed under anesthesia, we strongly recommend pre-anesthetic testing.  Anesthesia is extremely safe for healthy pets.  But, if your pet is not healthy (and sometimes it’s hard to tell without testing), complications can occur both during and after the anesthetic procedure.  We can minimize potential risk when we know the health status of your pet before administering the anesthesia.

Pets can’t tell us when they don’t feel well.  A healthy-appearing dog or cat may be hiding symptoms of a disease or condition.  For example, a cat can lose up to 75% of kidney function before showing any outward signs of illness!  Testing helps us evaluate the health of your pet’s liver and kidneys, so we can avoid problems related to anesthesia, or to catch illness in the earliest possible stage, when it is usually the most treatable.

Testing can help protect your pet’s future health.  Even when testing finds no abnormalities, they provide baseline levels for your pet and become part of his or her medical chart for future reference.