Blood tests and diagnostics

Blood tests provide information about the function of organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas and thyroid. They can be useful for symptoms such as lethargy, weight loss, increased thirst or increased urination. We also often recommend blood tests before anaesthesia.

For a dog, you can collect urine by holding a clean container or ladle underneath while your dog urinates. For cats, we provide special non-absorbent litter granules. Once your cat has urinated, use the pipette provided to collect the urine.

We prefer a fresh urine sample collected first thing in the morning. Please bring the sample to the clinic within four hours, if possible. If you cannot bring it in straight away, store the sample in a clean container in the fridge.

We can test for a range of parasites and infections including worm eggs, Giardia, lungworm and parvovirus. If your pet has diarrhoea, blood or mucus in their stool, we may ask you to collect samples over several days and bring them to the clinic. This helps us obtain a more reliable result.

During a microscopic examination, we may analyse skin scrapings, tape samples, ear swabs, blood smears or cells collected with a needle. This can help us assess problems affecting the skin, ears or other tissues.

A blood pressure measurement may be recommended for older pets or those with kidney or thyroid problems. A veterinary nurse usually carries out the measurement in a calm environment. The veterinarian then discusses the result with you, either during the appointment or in a follow-up phone call.

We can carry out many tests in our in-house laboratory, and the results are often available the same day. For some tests, we send samples to an external laboratory. These results are usually available within a few days.

This depends on the type of test. Your pet may need to fast before some tests, while other tests do not require this. When you book the appointment, we will give you clear instructions. Please call us if you are unsure.