From the doctors at the Long Beach Animal Hospital - WWW.LBAH.COM:
As veterinarians we encounter a situation that is truly unique in the medical community. We are presented with patients that are ill, but cannot tell us about their illness. We have to rely on an owner, zookeepers, etc., that care and feed these animals for important information. As a result, diagnostic tests are crucial to our diagnosis.
In this 2nd of 3 articles we will discuss routine blood panels and urine samples. Next month we will discuss special tests. Before we discuss blood panels we need to talk about their interpretation. All blood panels are interpreted in light of the symptoms your pet is exhibiting, along with the results of the physical exam. This link on our web site, called"The Diagnostic Process" goes into more detail: http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=GG0sC&m=9U9yvTpLdT9d5&b=HME0LBcMiQ8VkzdJjiPf2w
It must also be remembered that if a test result is abnormal that there is not necessarily a problem. For example, a high blood sugar result on a blood panel could indicate sugar diabetes (diabetes mellitus). Yet in a cat, a high blood glucose can be normal because of the stress response that is unique to cats. Also, to be truly accurate, it needs to be a fasting blood glucose. These are just two of the dozens upon dozens of factors that go into the interpretation of any blood panel.
Blood Panels: One of the more frequent and important tests we run is called a blood panel. Depending on the species, it checks several things. The first of these tests is the complete blood count, more commonly know as the CBC. A CBC thoroughly checks the red blood cells for anemia, toxicity, parasites, platelets, and even over-production of red blood cells.
There are three tests for anemia on the CBC:
1.The total red blood cell count. An average normal number is in the tens of millions permillimeter (ml), which gives you an indication ofjust how small red blood cells are.
2. Hemoglobin level. It is the hemoglobin inside the red blood cell that contains the oxygen you breathe in, and the carbon dioxide you breathe out.
3. Hematocrit (HCT). This is the percentage of red blood cells in the serum. It varies significantly by species, and usually ranges inthe 30% - 50% range.
The other aspect of the CBC checks the whiteblood cells. This will give us an indication of a viral infection, bacterial infection, inflammatory process, or even cancer is some cases. We can even determine if an internal parasite is present, if there is an allergy, or if the problem is chronic or acute in nature. When coupled with the tests for the red blood cells, the analysis of the white blood cells yields significant information.
The next part of the blood panel is called the biochemistry panel. It has many functions, the primary one being the analysis of the internal organs like the liver and kidney. It also checks electrolytes and various other parameters. It is a crucial test to perform on any sick pet, and is also used to assess a pet's risk factor for anesthesia. It must be kept in mind that a normal biochemistry result is not a guarantee of health. For example, a liver that is old and scarred maybe failing, yet the liver test on the biochemistry panel is normal. Again, thisemphasizes the importance of the diagnostic process mentioned above, and also explains why special tests are often needed to make a diagnosis.
We will discuss special tests in nextmonth's newsletter. You can learn much more about these tests from our disease section. Here is alink on our Liver Page:http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=GG0sC&m=9U9yvTpLdT9d5&b=n2VA8m1RV3t5rRCLlo5igQ
Urinalysis
The urine test gives us significant information on the health of the urinary tract, primarily the kidneys, but also the ureters and the bladder. We can diagnose renal failure, bladder stones, infections, and sometimes bladder cancer with this test. A blood panel, especially if you are assessing the kidneys, needs the information from the urinalysis to be properly interpreted. This is why our routine diagnostic workup includes a blood panel and urinalysis.
Here are links to ourKidney page and Bladder Stone pages: http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=GG0sC&m=9U9yvTpLdT9d5&b=phGPyqa2r_1MF8O4C2xa_Ahttp://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=GG0sC&m=9U9yvTpLdT9d5&b=_Xm9OjaUjXlKNAhJawK7QQ
Next month we will talk about special diagnostic tests.
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