Laboratory diagnostics such as blood tests are an important part of your cat's routine and urgent veterinary care. Our Dallas vets are here to tell you why these are needed and how we interpret the results.
Blood Test For Cats
When your vet tells you that they are going to perform blood tests on your cat, you might not know what that means, or what your vet is looking for. Not knowing why your cat needs a medical procedure done and what the results mean can be very scary for even the most experienced pet owners.
Below are some of the common diagnostic blood tests done on cats and what they tell the veterinarian.
Complete Blood Count (CBC)
A CBC measures and examines a cat's blood cells. It gives the veterinarian a ton of information about your cats health. Some of these include:
- Red blood cell (RBC) counts, proportions, and health - RBCs carry oxygen, iron, and other nutrients around the body.
- White blood cell (WBC) counts, proportions, and health - WBCs help fight inflammation, infection, cancer cells, and parasitic intruders.
- Platelet counts and health - Platelets control blood clotting.
A CBC can tell a veterinarian if a cat is anemic, dehydrated, fighting off inflammation or an infection, and whether your cat has internal bleeding.
BUN & Creatinine
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine are blood chemistries that are routinely measured as part of larger blood panels. If your cat's BUN results are high, it can indicate dehydration, kidney dysfunction, or a liver problem.
Creatinine levels are more strictly related to kidney function. High levels indicate that the cat's kidneys are having difficulty clearing the creatinine from the body and kidney disease may be developing.
Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) & Bilirubin
ALT and bilirubin are blood chemistries that are also often present in routine blood panels. These determine the health of your cat's liver. If they are high, it could indicate that the liver is not functioning as it should.
Glucose
Glucose, or blood sugar, is mostly tested to determine whether a cat has diabetes mellitus, during which the glucose result will be quite high. Low blood sugar can also give a veterinarian valuable information about a cat's overall health.
Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV) & Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
FELV and FIV are routinely tested for in kittens and periodically throughout adulthood. These viruses are life-threatening, and can't be cured once your cat gets infected, so it's important to keep tabs on a cat's status with regard to them.
Thyroxine (T4)
T4 is usually monitored in cats as they get older. A high T4 might indicate the development of hyperthyroidism, a commonly diagnosed condition in cats. High thyroid levels can cause a myriad of different signs in cats, including increased appetite, weight loss, eating non-food items or wanting more human food, and increased vomiting.
Electrolytes
Electrolytes levels, including potassium, sodium, and chloride, can tell a veterinarian a lot about a cat's health status, including information about hydration levels and organ function, especially the kidneys. Electrolyte imbalances can result in many signs of illness in cats, including heart arrhythmias and muscle weakness.
Why Your Vet Might Suggest Blood Work
There a many reasons your vet might suggest bloodwork for your cat. Here are the most common reasons:
At your cat's first appointment - We recommend blood work at the time of your cat's first exam. This helps our vets establish baseline health, check for any congenital abnormalities or potential concerns, and help us form an individual wellness plan for your cat.
During semi-annual and annual wellness exams - Cat blood tests are usually recommended for all life stages from kittens to geriatric cats as part of their routine wellness checkups. These are especially important for our geriatric feline patients, as we often see cat's health and happiness return to normal when blood tests catch illness early. Cat bloodwork, along with other bodily fluids like urine, can help identify conditions the examination portion of a physical cannot.
If your cat seems like they are sick - Cat blood tests are suitable for cats that are not displaying any overt signs of illness, disease or injury, but are acting abnormally.
Before anesthesia and surgery - Cat blood work is used to determine the general health of the liver, kidneys, and other organs, which helps a veterinarian select the safest form of anesthesia. Bloodwork can also help determine the surgical risk level in all cats, especially elderly or injured patients.
What Can Be Learned From Your Cats Blood Test
The results of your cat's blood tests will allow your vet to work out a diagnosis and provide treatment for your cat's condition. They are useful for testing the blood itself as well as your cat's organs such as the kidney and liver. During a blood test for cats, various chemicals in the bloodstream are analyzed. Some examples are:
- Cat blood tests can indicate a deficiency in albumin levels, which indicates a possible liver issue because albumin is produced in the liver, or intestinal or kidney issue as albumin can be lost if these are diseased.
- Blood tests for cats can detect abnormal hormonal-chemical responses to environmental and internal stimuli, which indicates a potential issue with the patient's endocrine system.
Once we've been able to determine a correlation between your cat's symptoms nad their blood work, we will then move forward with any additional tests that are needed to treat their specific conditions. In this way, feline blood tests serve as very valuable tools in a veterinarian's toolkit for helping to detect, identify, diagnose, treat and ultimately prevent illness or disease.
Note: The advice provided in this post is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute medical advice regarding pets. For an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition, please make an appointment with your vet.