Animal Health Statistics
Fecal Test for Parasites
Approximately 5% of pets tested during their annual exam at our veterinary hospital had intestinal parasites. The most concerning of these parasites is Giardia, a parasite that can be passed on to people and cause serious gastrointestinal disease.
For this reason we very strongly recommend having a fecal test done every year with your annual checkup.
Presurgical Blood Tests
Here at Bucksburn Veterinary Hospital we also very strongly recommend pre-surgical bloodwork before spays and neuters because we believe that it is necessary for the health and well-being of your pet. Even seemingly healthy young animals can have undiagnosed issues that could potentially be problematic if they were to undergo surgery.
From January 2009 to date, approximately 6% of puppies and kittens scheduled for spays and neuters have had abnormalities present in their pre-surgical bloodwork. In some cases, the doctor determined that the pets were healthy enough for surgery, but retested the blood at a later date to make sure the issue had resolved. In other, more severe cases, the surgery was postponed until the pets' illnesses could be properly treated.
Had these 6% of puppies and kittens not had pre-surgical bloodwork, their safety could have been compromised and in some cases their conditions may have proved fatal if surgery had been done at that time. It reminds one of the old adage:
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
