Baseline Bloodwork for "Senior" Dog?

I put "senior" in quotes because at 8 years Sally doesn't seem like a senior to me. I know that technically she is though....Her yearly is coming up and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to get baseline bloodwork in case she has issues later on?

I can't promote it enough! Catching liver/kidney/heart issues early can really help to extend life!

Yes!!

I had baseline blood work done on Lucy last year, and she was only 5. At this age I don't plan on doing it yearly, but it's nice to have something to refer back to. And it's nice to go "phew, my dog works" when the results come back normal.

I think I started doing it every year and a half or so when Buzz turned 8 or 9? Since then they've had surgeries with such frequency that I don't need to make a special appointment for it... we just do it before surgery.

Ok, good to know I'm not being too much of a worrier. She has had some health issues in the past--as a 2 year old she got a kidney infection that landed her at the vets for 3 days, and the vet said she had an enlarged kidney, but they didn't know if it was from the infection or if she was born with it. She also had a grade II mast cell tumor removed a couple of years ago, but it did not appear to have spread.

I get bloodwork yearly on my dogs, and they're only 3 and 5 years old.

Yeah, Jack already gets his done due to the fact that we occasionally give him NSAIDS for his ED.

Yeah, we start bloodwork at 7 and re-do it every year for safety sake.

As soon as I am employed I plan to get baseline blood work done on both Dekka and Kaiden. I think its a good idea. Dekka has had blood work done before, but I would like the 'works' done so we know what is normal for her in every respect.

Tucker didn't seem "old" to me, but got sick and passed away within 6 months at the age of 8. I say go for it.

Rosey doesn't get it done, mainly cause she doesn't go to the vet ever, I can't afford it and it stresses her out. Those are the top 3 reasons I guess. The ferrets get blood work every year starting at 5, but BG Tested every 3/4 months starting at 3.

I'm definitely supportive of routine bloodwork on healthy dogs, the same way I'm supportive of annual physicals even if no vaccines are due. It's always best to catch things early, before the dog is obviously symptomatic.

Like!

Agreed!! Annual bloodwork is what caught Rileys Addisons disease early before he had a crisis. VERY supportive of bloodwork and physcial exams at least yearly!

Zander turned 7 in February, and I want to run as many tests as I can on him. He's from a BYB, so I'm a bit paranoid about making sure he is healthy.

So what do you ask them to check, specifically? I haven't found a vet in this area I really like yet, and I kinda wonder if some of them would know what "baseline bloodwork for a senior" is. I want to make sure I'm asking all the right questions so we are both on the same page. :rofl1: Is thyroid considered part of it, or no?

I'd like to know this too!
Froman is going to be 7 in January and I'd like to start having routine bloodwork done as well.

There's no reason why they couldn't pull blood the same day as other routine stuff is going on, right? For example, I could have them do it when Froman goes in to get his rabies vaccine, right? Because the less I have to take him to the vet, the better!

I would assume most clinics would have a protocol for this, it's becoming pretty common for places to have "geriatric protocols" and recommend screening procedures like this during annual exams. With Lucy I just told them I wanted general baseline bloodwork done. If they don't know what you're talking about or they want to know what specifically you want, then I'd just ask for a CBC and chemistry panel. Lyzelle, if you want T4 (thyroid) checked I would specifically ask for that, just to make sure it gets tested because I don't think any of our blood panels test for it (we have to mark it off separately as an "add on" test).

You could absolutely have it all done in one go. I'd just make a mention of the bloodwork when you make the appointment, so they know to expect it.

The clinic I worked at had 3 levels of geriatric bloodwork for dogs and cats. I can probably remember them when I'm on a computer and not a phone...

Jackson will be getting bloodwork every year, and he's only 3. He got bloodwork for the first time last year and we'll check every year. Better safe than sorry. I like knowing everything's working right!

Kiba will get one this year when she turns 8 (only really since she's now starting to show some "age").