Annual Blood Tests: What Vets Find Before Pets Look Sick

“She eats well, chases her ball, and seems completely fine—so why does she need bloodwork?”

I often don’t get asked this question directly, but I do think it’s something pet families must wonder. If your pet is their normally happy self, why does this vet want to test their blood? Is that entirely necessary?

Here is the clinical reality: our pets are absolute masters at masking early illness. By the time a cat or dog actually looks sick, organ compromise is often already quite advanced.

Annual blood tests allow us to look beneath the hood and catch silent changes long before they impact your best friend's quality of life.

Regular blood tests also help to build an individual database that is unique to your pet, and we can catch subtle changes early. For instance, if you have a Greyhound, some of their ‘normal’ baseline is going to be different from a Beagle than from a Cavalier King Charles!

Annual Blood Tests for Pets: What We’re Actually Looking For

When we run a routine blood sample, we are taking a snapshot of your pet’s internal chemistry.

Here is what we are evaluating:

• Kidney Health: These vital beans filter waste and handle medications. The symptoms of early kidney disease are… nothing! Catching it early helps us to categorise what type of kidney disease your pet has, and the best way to manage and slow it down.
  
  
• Liver Health: Elevated liver enzymes are a common finding in older patients. It can be a sign of aging or can be a result of hormonal diseases, which are often simply mistaken for ‘aging’. Treatment can make incredible differences in our pet’s quality of life that we didn’t even know was compromised.
  
  
• Red Cell Count: Subtle anemia can be an indicator to look deeper for something more sinister.

Depending on the findings of a screening test or your pet’s physical examination, further specialised testing may be recommended for your pet, such as thyroid hormone and cortisol assays.

Golden Oldies Promo: Pets 7+ Years

Because our senior pets are much more prone to subtle, insidious metabolic changes, we want to make preventative screening as effortless as possible.

Right now, we are including a basic blood panel screen with annual vaccinations for all pets over 7 years old!

Our pet parents simply pay a small collection fee, and we run the lab screen. Early detection really is pure magic.

Emergency vs. Routine Care

• Routine Screening: Running an annual blood panel alongside your pet's routine health check to track trends, update baseline values, and catch silent shifts early.
  
  
• Prompt Vet Check: If you notice sudden changes at home—such as excessive drinking, increased urination, unexplainable weight loss, lethargy, or a picky appetite—don't wait for their annual visit. Book in right away so we can investigate.

If your pet is due for their annual check-up or entering their golden years, come and see us! They may look perfectly healthy on the outside—and that’s exactly when a little look beneath the surface can matter most.