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A Senior@Seven Wellness Exam provides real answers to your pet’s overall health. Your pet seems to be happy and robust. The truth is, the gradual onset of disease in seemingly healthy pets will often go unnoticed. Once symptoms do appear, the condition may be difficult and costly to treat and diagnose. This is why a Wellness Exam is so important to your pet’s quality of life. Diagnostic testing is the most sensitive and accurate method of early detection of subclinical health problems.

A Wellness Exam includes laboratory tests we can use to diagnose blood disorders, kidney and liver disease, diabetes, infection, cancer, thyroid disease and other hormonal problems. Many of these conditions can be prevented, controlled, or completely reversed if diagnosed early.

A Wellness Exam also gives us a benchmark from which to measure future test results should your pet become ill.

A Wellness Exam is just one element of a complete wellness program that promotes pet health. Regular dental care, vaccinations or vaccine titers control of parasites, proper nutrition, regular exercise and an appropriate environment also add vitality and years to your pet’s life.

There are five types of basic tests to evaluate wellness. Each one provides a wealth of information concerning the true health of your pet.

1. Complete Blood Count (CBC)
The CBC tests for anemia, infection, inflammation and overall healthiness of the blood cells. It also evaluates the number and type of cells in circulation. White Blood Cells (WBC’s), help fight infection or inflammation. Red Blood Cells (RBC’s), carry oxygen to the tissues.

2. Chemistry Tests
The chemistry panel surveys many of the organ systems of the body to make sure they are working normally:

Liver - (AST, ALT, Alk. Phos., T.Bilirubin, GGT, Cholesterol, Proteins)

This group of tests helps evaluate various functions and health of the liver. Decreased liver function, inflammation, infection and neoplasia (abnormal growth of cells) of the liver and gall bladder may be detected by one or all of these tests.

Kidney - (BUN, Creatinine, Phosphorus, Amylase, Albumin, Globulin)

These tests monitor the function and health of the kidneys. They are most helpful and sensitive for detecting kidney disease when combined with a urinalysis.
Pancreas (Glucose, Amylase, Lipase, Triglyceride)
These tests are abnormal when there is something wrong with the pancreas or carbohydrate metabolism (examples are diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis).

Muscle and Bone

Calcium and Phosphorus are helpful in determining the health of bone metabolism.

CPK and AST are abnormal with muscle damage, trauma or inflammation.

Electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorus). These are important in monitoring the electrical, water balance and cellular health of the body. Deficiencies or excesses of these electrolytes are harmful to the animal’s physical and mental well-being.

3. Thyroid Function Tests
As the name implies, these tests are useful in diagnosing malfunctions of the thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) is common in dogs; whereas hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) is common in older cats. Because there is no single thyroid test that can diagnose all thyroid diseases in animals, a panel of several different thyroid tests are used to ensure proper diagnosis.

4. Urinalysis
This assesses the health and function of the urinary system. It is especially important in older animals to help in early detection of kidney disease. While some serum chemistries help evaluate kidney function (BUN, Creatinine, etc.), much more information is obtained when a urinalysis is done at the same time. The urine sample is tested for several chemical components (glucose, protein, blood and more), as well as any cells (WBC, RBC, epithelial, etc.) and crystals.

5. Parasite Exams
Fecal – A sample of stool is examined to look for hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, coccidian, Girardia and other intestinal parasites.

Blood – Serum is tested for the presence of heartworm on an annual basis. Whole blood can also be examined in anemic animals for other parasites, such as Babesia, Hemobartonella, or Cytauxzoon.

We can provide additional information about the benefits of a Wellness Exam for your pet. It's one of the simplest ways available to help our companion animals lead longer, healthier lives.