In House Pathology

Blood tests can give us a wealth of information about your pet’s health.

For example, our vets can work out if your pet has an inflamed pancreas, has underlying kidney disease or liver changes, and we can get lots of information about your pet’s red and white blood cells. All of this helps diagnose any underlying health problems and ultimately will improve the level of care we can provide to your pet.

At Timbertown Vet, we have an in-house laboratory, which means we can test blood samples right here in Wauchope and get results quickly, allowing us to make informed decisions about your pet’s veterinary care. We recommend both testing of sick animals, and also regular testing of all pets, especially seniors, to watch for developing problems.

What happens when we take a blood sample?

Clipping of the fur is usually necessary for blood sampling, to allow visualisation of the blood vessel. Most blood samples are taken from the jugular vein in the neck, which is large enough to provide a good sample and allows us to collect the blood as quickly as possible. This is important because blood will start to clot once it is taken, and this can affect the results.

Most pets are also more relaxed when blood is taken from their jugular vein; however, if necessary, a smaller sample can be taken from a vein in the leg.

Once the blood has been collected we place pressure over the vein for a minute or so to prevent any bruising. This can sometimes be hard in wriggly patients!

The blood is placed into tubes appropriate for required tests, most of which can be run at our in-house laboratory. However a few tests require more specialised equipment so we send those samples to an external laboratory.

If you have any questions about blood tests and your pet, feel free to get in contact.