Blood Profile 

Blood Screening for disease is a routine procedure in human medicine to reveal problems that cannot be detected from physical examination. A Blood Profile may be recommended for a variety of reasons:

• Suspected illness
• Pre-surgical/anesthetic screening
• Geriatric testing (for older pets)
• Follow-up of previously abnormal test results

Some common tests included in the Blood Profile include:

• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
• White Blood Count (WBC): high values indicate bacterial infection, low values indicate viral infections.
• Red Blood Count (RBC): Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. Red Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow. Loss of red blood cells results in anemia and reduce oxygen carrying capacity of the the blood.
• Packed Cell Volume (PCV): Blood is placed in a tube, then centrifuged to separate the Red Blood Cells from the plasma (fluid that the red cells are suspended in). The PCV is the percent of the tube the red cells occupy relative to the total blood volume in the tube. Decrease in the packed cell volume indicates a loss of red blood cells. Increase in the packed cell volume (percentage) indicates a decrease in plasma (dehydration).
• Total Protein
• The sum of albumin (protein formed in the liver) and globulin (antibodies are globulin proteins) equals the Total Protein. Elevation in total protein indicates dehydration.  Decrease in total protein signifies a loss of protein (kidney disease or bowel disease) or lack of production (liver disease).
• Alkaline Phosphatase
• Elevations indicates either liver disease, bone disease (normally elevated in young growing animals) gall bladder disease, hormonal disease, or concurrent medication (cortisone, anticonvulsants) Further testing is required when when alkaline phosphatase is elevated.
• ALT (Alanine AminoTransferase)
• Elevations indicate liver disease.
• Glucose
• Increases may indicate stress, diabetes, or cortisone use.
• Decrease may indicate insulin producing tumor.
• Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
• Increases indicated dehydration or kidney disease.
• Decreases indicate liver disease.
• Creatnine
• Increases indicate dehydration or kidney disease
• Phosphate
• Increase indicates poor kidney function.
• Electrolytes
• changes give information regarding hydration status, hormone balance, effect of vomiting and diarrhea.

Blood Profiles result in the early detection of metabolic problems which can prolong your pets life and prevent unnecessary surgical risk.