Pet Blood Tests - Diagnostic Bloodwork for Cats & Dogs

Veterinaire Pet Care of Jersey City offers on-site diagnostic bloodwork for cats & dogs. Our testing consists of blood chemistry panel, thyroid level, CBC, UA, fecal testing & infectious disease screening. During your pet’s exam, we may wish to run laboratory tests using a sample of your pet’s blood, urine, skin, hair or feces. These tests are important to help your veterinarian understand your pet’s health status. Some common reasons to run diagnostic bloodwork and labwork include:

• Determining internal organ health when your pet is sick
• Routine yearly testing for heartworm or fecal parasites
• Obtaining baseline labwork when your pet is a senior
• Checking for infectious diseases such as Lyme Disease and Leptospirosis
• Management of chronic conditions such as diabetes, thyroid problems, or kidney problems
• Before surgery to ensure that the organs are healthy enough for anesthesia

Most of these tests are available on our in-house IDEXX lab equipment.

Complete Blood Count (CBC): A CBC measures the number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in a sample of blood. The numbers of each type of cell give information to help Dr. Waxman diagnose anemia, infections and leukemia. If your pet is undergoing treatment for a condition, a complete blood count can help your veterinarian monitor how your pet is responding to the treatment.

Urinalysis (UA): Laboratory testing of your pet’s urine will help your veterinarian detect the presence of specific substances that normally do not appear in urine, including protein, sugar, white blood cells or blood. Measuring the dilution or concentration of urine can also help your veterinarian diagnose illness. A Urinalysis can be helpful in diagnosing urinary tract infections, diabetes, dehydration, kidney problems and other conditions.

Blood Chemistry Panel: A blood chemistry panel measures your pet’s electrolytes, enzymes and chemical elements of his blood such as calcium and phosphorous levels. These measurements help your veterinarian determine how your pet’s organs are functioning. Blood chemistry panels also help your veterinarian accurately diagnose and treat illness, as well as monitor your pet’s response to treatment. Dr. Waxman may also recommend a chemistry panel to obtain your pet’s baseline values, which can be compared to later tests. Any differences between the baseline values and values measured at a later time will help to diagnose new problems.

Thyroid Level: Thyroid hormones affect the metabolism of both cats and dogs. It is common for a cat to have an overactive thyroid ("hyperthyroidism") which can cause problems such as increased drinking and urination, weight loss, and hyperactivity. Dogs tend to have an underactive thyroid ("hypothyroidism") which can cause problems such as lethargy, hair loss, and weight gain. Both of these conditions can be diagnosed by a blood test and managed with medications.

Infectious Disease Screening: Heartworm and tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease are common problems for dogs and can be tested on a 10 minute blood screen. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and Feline Leukemia Virus and common problems for cats, and can also be tested on a 10 minute blood screen.

Fecal test: Intestinal parasites such as worms are common among social dogs, and can be tested by sending a fecal sample to the lab. These parasites are very common in Jersey City because they can be easily transmitted through another dog's feces on the sidewalk on in the park. We routinely test for all intestinal parasites, including Giardia.