Why do we recommend a pre-anaesthetic blood test before administering any anaesthetic drugs?
Most of our clients find their pets need an anaesthetic at some point during their lives – from routine neutering to dental treatment, to accidents causing fractures, to more serious illnesses requiring investigation and treatment.
We offer a pre-anaesthetic blood test to every patient – whether your pet is a young fit patient coming for a straightforward neuter, or a geriatric patient with an underlying health condition.
It means that organ function can be assessed prior to inducing anaesthetic, giving us more information about their risk level under a general anaesthetic.
For Younger Animals
For young patients, it’s an opportunity to check your pets body systems are functioning effectively and that there are no underlying health conditions that have not shown any outward symptoms yet – it means these can be caught early and monitored too.
It is also an opportunity to get a base line of what healthy looks like for them, so that we can monitor them more effectively as they get older.
For Older Animals
For older patients (dogs or cats over the age of 8 years old), or patients with other health conditions, the pre-anaesthetic blood test is highly recommended.
This is to check that there are no underlying conditions, for example liver disease, anaemia or kidney problems, which are more likely to be seen in these patients, all of which might complicate an anaesthetic.
This enables us to alter drug amounts and types if necessary and mitigate the anaesthetic risk with additional measures to keep them safe.
We will always explain what’s involved for you and your pet specifically, as part of any treatment involving an anaesthetic, but if you want to know more about this, please do call us on 01435 864422 .
