Westside Veterinary Clinic

 Pre-Anesthetic Blood Testing

• When you place your pet in our hands, you trust us to provide your pet with the best possible medical care.  You expect us to provide you with advice which will allow you to make the best decision for your pet.  In order to offer you the peace of mind you deserve, we recommend pre-anesthetic testing proir to placing your pet under anesthesia.
• As in human medicine, the anesthetics available for anesthetizing our companion pets are extremely safe.  As a result, the anesthetic risk is greatly minimized when a "healthy" pet is placed under anesthesia.  However, if your pet is not "healthy," complications can occur both during and after the anesthetic procedure.  A "healthy" pet is one that displays no symptoms and has a clean bill of health.  Keep in mind that your pet may appear to be completely healthy but has an underlying problem that only bloodwork will recognize, not your eyes.  For example, a pet can lose up to 75% of their kidney function prior to showing any signs of illness.
• Our pre-anesthetic blood panel will check the function of the liver and kidneys to make sure they are able to handle anesthesia.  It also checks the Packed Cell Volume (PCV), which determines the level of hydration, and the number of red blood cells compared to the level of protein in the body. 
• We require an animal that is 6 years of age or older to have this blood panel done before any anesthic procedure.  Depending on the health of your animal, the doctors may recommend a more extensive panel.
• Although performing these tests cannot guarantee the absence of complications, it can significantly minimize the risk to your pet and provide you and us with peace of mind.

IV Catheters

• We recommend that all animals undergoing surgical procedures receive intravenous fluid therapy to hasten their recovery. In addition, IV fluids will help to stabilize your pet's blood pressure and give the doctor venous access in case of an emergency.