What is the take home message and


why should you say yes when your veteri- nary team advises routine wellness lab testing? Here’s how the American Animal Hospital Association responded: “We recommend yearly bloodwork


for all pets starting at age one, and before any procedure requiring anesthesia.” While our veterinary team performs


a thorough physical examination on the outside of your pet, we cannot see what’s going on inside. This lab work gives us important information about seemingly healthy pets, and lets us know how the internal organs are functioning. Thanks to extensive data collection


and more powerful computing, medical and scientific advancements happen faster than ever. That’s why we are updating wellness recommendations now and may update them again in the future. Wellness screening can help us make


decisions that extend the length and qual- ity of pets’ lives. When we get good news, we’ll take a moment to celebrate with you. We will also add the results to our monitoring efforts. In addition to com-


EVERYONE KNOWS THE BUZZWORD - BIG DATA. We have big data in veterinary medicine thanks to modern technology of electronic medical records and great reference laboratories. What does big data have to say about preventative lab testing? In a report of over 268,000 pets were divided into:


ADULTS SENIORS


paring results to limits in the lab sets, we also want to track trends in values specific to your pet. If we find something notable, we will work to figure out what’s going on so that we can intervene before some- thing dramatic happens. So, as the well-known ad says, just do


it. Your pet will thank you.U


Timothy Hodge, DVM is the owner/practi- tioner of Harbourside Animal Hospital and Cross Creek Animal Medical Center. Having com-


pleted his training at the Chi Institute, he provides acupuncture and herbal therapies in addition to traditional medical care.


Y


Harbourside Animal Hospital - Channelside 813.229.3322 HarboursideVet.com Cross Creek Animal Medical Centre North Tampa - 813.994.6929 CrossCreekVet.com


wellbeing. So, what’s the plan? If your pet’s


yearly test results are normal - Celebrate!! Great job by all. Schedule to retest in one year or sooner for the oldest of pets. Gathering these values over time represents the pet’s true well- ness. And, allows for comparison of the


GERIATRICS


Dogs - 3-6 years of age Dogs - 7-10 years of age Dogs - 11+ years of age Cats - 2-8 years of age Cats - 9-13 years of age Cats - 14+ years of age Those with Abnormalities Those with Abnormalities Those with Abnormalities 15%


21% This table shows that of the


268,817 pets that had preventive lab testing performed, 78% had an abnor- mal test result that prompted further fol- low-up, discussions, monitoring, other tests or diagnostics. This is so impor- tant as true preventive care has the goal of finding and managing subclinical cases, and as much as possible, avoid- ing a decline in the pet’s health and


www.TheNewBarker.com 42%


laboratory established normal, but also those of the individual pet. We feel each pet is an individual and must be treated as such. But, what if abnormal values are found? What then? Additional rec- ommendations may be made for further lab testing, radiographs, ultrasound, specialized profiles, etc. With each new piece of information, a new plan for test- ing, treatment and monitoring is made.


U THE NEW BARKER 79


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