Understanding Canine Blood Tests
The Complete Blood Count, or CBC, shows a veterinarian your dog's hydration status, anemia, infection, blood clotting ability and immune system response. A CBC is essential for dogs that have symptoms like fever, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, pale gums or loss of appetite. If your dog needs surgery, a CBC can also detect bleeding disorders or other unseen abnormalities.
Blood Chemistries, or blood serum tests, evaluate a dog's organ function, electrolyte status, hormone levels and more. These tests are important to evaluating the health of older dogs, dogs with signs of vomiting, diarrhea or toxin exposure, as well as dogs receiving long-term medications and general health before anesthesia.