Pre-Surgical Blood Testing (Pre-anaesthetic)
Why does my vet want to do pre-surgery blood work on my pet?
Many vets, including the Central Coast Veterinary Centre offer pre-anesthetic screening to all anaesthetic
patients and may have you sign a waiver if you decline these blood tests.
Why is this so important?
It provides a way to assess kidney and liver function/damage prior to undergoing anesthesia. The liver and kidneys are the primary routes that the anesthetics are metabolised and removed from the body. If they are not working well, then anesthesia may be more of a risk. In addition, low or high glucose levels are screened for as well as pre-operative dehydration. There are many anesthetic agents available at our centre, and our vets would use the blood screening information to determine the best anesthetic protocol for your pet. Normal blood test results are also used as baseline levels for future further blood testing.
