Hello,
Can anyone tell me if it is normal to be offered a blood test by the vet before they give a general anesthetic? It is noted on the estimate as 'pre ga bloods' and she said that it would test things like the levels of red blood cells and how the organs are functioning.

Any info would be appreciated.
Thank You

Hi Guest, I think it would depend on a few things. For example, what kind of surgery your dog is having, the age of the dog, it`s medical history, what drugs the dogs on, has been on or may be put on after surgery etc. It sounds sensible to me but you could always ask your vet why she wants to do it.
Christine, Spain.

Our vet has started doing this too. I think it's to check the health of all the various organs/functions that can be affected by the anaesthetic, especially if the animal has never been anaesthetised before. Having lost a dog under anaesthetic before I would think it's probably worth doing for your own peace of mind.

Hope this helps. :)

HI
Checking the red blood count is a good thing as it shows how much oxygen the blood is carrying, if the red blood count is low then oxygen level is low and the vet may want to wait until it improves before going ahead.. :)
Tracey

My vets have been blood testing my schips pre anesthetic for a couple of years now - schips are a bit dodgy when under especially if they have a pre med they go too deep. I will always have it done as a precaution before surgery for any of my dogs now even tho our surgery use the isoflow that allows them to be kept very light. I had a dog with a high white count pre surgery who we decided to postpone until his count was back to normal - he never did show any signs of an infection outwardly but the test suggested he was fighting something.

Hi,

I have just been advised to have this for when my pup is castrated and must admit that I was unsure of exactly what it is for, so these answers have definately helped me :)

Thanks
Nicola