By Dr. Michael Skarie, DVM
When your dog or cat looks healthy, it is easy to assume everything inside the body is working exactly as it should.
They are eating. They are playing. They are going for walks. They are sleeping normally.
Nothing seems unusual.
That is exactly what we want to see.
But one of the challenges of veterinary medicine is that pets cannot tell us when something inside their body has started to change. Some diseases do not cause obvious symptoms until they have progressed significantly. By the time a dog or cat begins acting sick, the underlying problem may have been developing for quite some time.
This is where preventive care becomes especially valuable.
At Hess Ridge Animal Hospital, we look at wellness as more than simply making sure your pet is current on vaccines. We want to know what we can do to help your dog or cat live their best life, and sometimes that means looking beyond what we can see during a physical examination.
Bloodwork can give us another piece of that picture.
It can help establish what is normal for your individual pet, give us information about internal organ function, and allow us to compare results over time. That comparison can become particularly useful as pets move through different stages of life.
The goal isn’t to run every possible test on every pet.
The goal is to use the right information at the right time to help us make better decisions about your pet’s health.
Why a Healthy-Looking Pet May Still Benefit From Bloodwork
A physical examination tells us a tremendous amount about a pet.
We can listen to the heart and lungs. We can feel the abdomen. We can look at the eyes and ears. We can evaluate the mouth, skin, coat, lymph nodes, and mobility. We can observe how a dog moves around the room and whether a cat is behaving normally.
But there are limits to what our hands and eyes can detect.
Some changes happen internally before a pet develops noticeable symptoms.
That is one of the reasons bloodwork can be so useful as part of preventive veterinary care.
In the wellness interview, Dr. Skarie explains that bloodwork can identify changes that pets cannot communicate and that may not yet be apparent during a physical examination.
That distinction is important.
We don’t want to wait until your pet looks sick before we start asking what might be wrong.
If testing gives us an opportunity to notice a change earlier, we may have more time to investigate it, monitor it, or address it before it begins affecting your pet’s everyday life.
This is the basic idea behind preventive medicine: look for changes before they become problems that are impossible to ignore.
Your Pet Needs a Baseline, Not Just a Number
One of the most useful concepts in preventive bloodwork is the idea of a baseline.
Every pet is an individual.
A laboratory value that is normal for one animal may look different in another. That means having previous results to compare against can give us useful context.
If we have bloodwork from earlier in your pet’s life, we have something to compare with later.
Instead of asking only, “Is this result within the laboratory reference range?” we can also ask, “How does this compare with what is normal for this particular pet?”
That can be valuable.
Dr. Skarie recommends establishing a bloodwork baseline at some point earlier in a pet’s life, then using future testing to track trends. He also discusses establishing another baseline around the time a pet reaches the senior stage and then monitoring from there.
This is one reason I don’t think of wellness bloodwork as a one-time event.
The real value can come from the information we collect over time.
A single result gives us a snapshot.
A series of results can give us a story.
What a CBC Tells Us
For younger, healthy pets, a typical wellness panel may begin with a CBC and chemistry panel.
CBC stands for complete blood count.
It gives us information about different blood cell lines, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
Why does that matter?
Because blood cells perform essential jobs throughout the body.
Red blood cells are involved in carrying oxygen.
White blood cells are part of the body’s immune response.
Platelets are involved in normal blood clotting.
A CBC can therefore provide information that we simply cannot get by watching your pet eat dinner or play in the backyard.
It is another layer of information.
And that is really what good wellness care is about—putting together multiple pieces rather than relying on one observation.
A pet may look completely normal while changes are beginning to appear in laboratory results. That does not automatically mean there is a serious disease. It means we have information that may deserve context, monitoring, or additional investigation depending on the individual pet.
Chemistry Panels Help Us Look at Internal Organ Function
The chemistry portion of routine bloodwork gives us another important view.
At Hess Ridge Animal Hospital, the wellness transcript describes chemistry testing as looking at areas such as the liver, kidneys, and electrolytes.
Again, this is information that isn’t always available from a physical examination alone.
Your dog may feel normal.
Your cat may be acting normally.
But the body’s internal systems can begin changing before there are obvious outward symptoms.
That is one of the reasons preventive bloodwork can be useful even when there is nothing visibly wrong.
It gives us information about what is happening inside the body—not just what we can observe from the outside.
This does not mean every healthy pet needs an extensive list of laboratory tests at every appointment.
In fact, Dr. Skarie specifically describes a more individualized approach. Younger pets may not need the same level of testing as older pets, while older animals may benefit from additional screening based on age, breed, and individual risk factors.
That is an important part of how we approach wellness at Hess Ridge.
Wellness Testing Should Change as Your Pet Ages
A puppy does not have the same medical risks as a senior dog.
A kitten does not need exactly the same screening approach as an older cat.
As pets age, the things we are looking for can change.
That means wellness care should change with them.
For younger animals, basic bloodwork may provide a useful starting point and establish a baseline.
As pets become older, additional testing may become more relevant.
The wellness transcript describes thyroid testing as one example of age-related screening. It also discusses additional heart testing for certain small dogs and urinalysis as an important part of evaluating older cats.
The important point is not that every dog or cat needs all of these tests.
The point is that the right wellness plan depends on the individual animal.
We want to avoid overlooking problems that become more relevant with age, while also avoiding unnecessary testing in younger animals.
That is part of responsible preventive medicine.
Why Trend Monitoring Matters
Imagine that your pet has bloodwork performed when they are young and healthy.
Everything looks good.
A few years later, another panel shows a subtle change.
The result may still be technically within the laboratory’s normal reference range.
But because we have the earlier results, we can compare them.
Maybe the value has been gradually moving in one direction.
Maybe it has remained remarkably stable.
Maybe there is a change that deserves a closer look.
Without previous information, we may only have the current snapshot.
With previous information, we have context.
That is why regular wellness care can be so valuable.
We’re not only looking at whether your pet is sick today.
We’re building a medical history that helps us understand how their health changes over time.
Bloodwork Can Help Find Problems Pets Can’t Explain
One of the biggest challenges with dogs and cats is that they cannot tell us what they are feeling.
They cannot say:
“My stomach feels different.”
“I’m more tired than usual.”
“Something about my body doesn’t feel right.”
They may eventually show symptoms, but those symptoms can appear later in the progression of some diseases.
Dr. Skarie explains that some conditions may not produce early outward signs and that bloodwork can sometimes show changes before those symptoms become apparent.
That is exactly why early detection matters.
If we find a change when a pet is still feeling well, we may have an opportunity to investigate it before the pet becomes significantly ill.
Sometimes the appropriate next step is simply to repeat testing and monitor.
Sometimes we may recommend additional diagnostics.
Sometimes the results are reassuring and no further action is necessary.
There is no single response to an abnormal laboratory result.
The result has to be interpreted alongside the pet’s history, physical examination, age, breed, lifestyle, and previous results.
Fecal Testing Is Another Part of the Wellness Picture
Bloodwork isn’t the only type of screening that can uncover something your pet isn’t showing outwardly.
Fecal testing is another useful part of preventive care.
Many pet owners understandably think they would notice a parasite if their dog or cat had one.
But that isn’t always the case.
Not every parasite will be obvious simply by looking at a pet’s stool. The wellness transcript specifically discusses fecal testing for parasites such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and Giardia, which is common in Colorado.
A pet can also have an intestinal parasite without looking obviously sick.
That is why preventive screening can be useful.
Again, the goal isn’t to test for things simply because we can.
The goal is to identify risks that make sense for your pet and their lifestyle.
A dog that spends significant time outdoors may have different exposures than a strictly indoor cat.
A pet that travels may have different risks than one that rarely leaves home.
Wellness care should account for those differences.
Preventive Care Should Be Personalized
One of the things I want families to understand about veterinary wellness is that there isn’t a universal checklist that applies identically to every animal.
Your pet’s age matters.
Breed matters.
Lifestyle matters.
Travel history matters.
Previous medical history matters.
What we see during the physical examination matters.
What you notice at home matters.
And, of course, your family’s priorities and budget matter too.
Dr. Skarie describes working with families to determine what is appropriate rather than approaching testing as an all-or-nothing decision. If yearly bloodwork is possible, that can provide valuable trend information. If it isn’t, testing can still be performed as often as practical.
That is important because preventive medicine should be realistic.
We want to recommend care that provides meaningful value for your individual pet and family.
The goal isn’t to make wellness complicated.
It is to make it useful.
A Wellness Exam Is More Than Vaccinations
Vaccinations are an important part of keeping dogs and cats healthy.
But they are only one part of preventive care.
A wellness visit should give us time to evaluate the whole animal.
At Hess Ridge Animal Hospital, the approach described by Dr. Skarie is deliberately thorough. Rather than treating the visit as an appointment where vaccines are administered as quickly as possible, the team is looking at whether there is anything else that could help the dog or cat live their best life.
That means listening to the family.
It means watching the pet.
It means paying attention to how they move.
It means considering their lifestyle.
And when appropriate, it means using diagnostic testing to look for information that cannot be obtained through observation alone.
Sometimes the most important thing we find during a wellness visit is something you already noticed at home.
Other times, testing gives us information you had no way of knowing was there.
Both are valuable.
We Start Observing Before the Physical Examination Begins
One of the details from the wellness transcript that I think says a lot about our approach is that observation starts before the hands-on examination.
Dr. Skarie describes giving some pets a few minutes to become comfortable while observing how they move around the room. The team may watch for lameness, whether a pet favors a leg, head shaking, or abnormal breathing.
That may sound simple.
But it is important.
A pet’s behavior in the room can give us information.
The conversation with the family gives us information.
The physical examination gives us information.
Bloodwork gives us information.
Fecal testing gives us information.
None of these pieces needs to stand alone.
Together, they give us a much clearer picture of the animal in front of us.
What You Can Do Before Your Pet’s Wellness Appointment
You don’t need to become an expert in veterinary medicine to help us provide better care.
You simply need to pay attention to your pet.
Before an appointment, think about:
● Has your pet’s appetite changed?
● Are they drinking more or less water?
● Are they exercising normally?
● Are they sleeping differently?
● Have you noticed changes in bathroom habits?
● Is their weight changing?
● Are they moving differently?
● Are they still interested in their favorite activities?
Have you noticed coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, or other recurring symptoms?
Has anything changed since the last visit?
These observations are valuable because you spend far more time with your pet than we do.
You see their normal.
We bring the medical perspective that helps interpret what you are seeing.
That partnership is a major part of good preventive veterinary care.
The Goal Is Not Just to Find Disease
It can be easy to think of diagnostic testing as something we do when we suspect a problem.
Preventive medicine looks at it differently.
Sometimes the most useful test result is the one that tells us your pet is doing well.
A normal result gives us reassurance.
A baseline gives us something to compare with later.
A trend can help us recognize a developing change.
An unexpected result can give us a reason to investigate something earlier.
All of that information can contribute to better decisions.
The purpose of wellness care is not to make healthy pets seem sick.
It is to help us understand their health well enough to recognize when something changes.
That is a very different approach.
Keeping Your Pet Healthy Means Looking Ahead
The best time to think about your pet’s future health is before there is a crisis.
That doesn’t mean we can prevent every disease.
We can’t.
But we can build a medical history, establish useful baselines, monitor changes, and make decisions based on the individual pet rather than waiting until a problem becomes impossible to ignore.
Bloodwork is one tool that can help us do that.
It gives us information about parts of your pet’s health that we cannot see from the outside and that your pet cannot explain to us.
For younger pets, it can establish a starting point.
For adult pets, it can help us monitor trends.
For senior pets, it can become increasingly useful as we look for age-related changes and conditions that become more relevant over time.
And throughout every stage of life, the goal remains the same: helping your dog or cat live as healthy and comfortable a life as possible.
At Hess Ridge Animal Hospital, we believe preventive care should be thoughtful, personalized, and focused on the pet in front of us. We are not interested in simply checking boxes. We want to understand your pet, work with your family, and use the information available to us to help catch problems earlier and protect the quality of life your companion deserves.
Give Your Pet’s Health a Head Start
Your dog or cat may look perfectly healthy today, and that’s wonderful. A thorough wellness plan helps us protect that health rather than waiting for something to go wrong.
If your pet is due for a wellness visit, talk with our team about what preventive care makes sense for their age, lifestyle, and individual health history. At Hess Ridge Animal Hospital, we can help determine whether baseline bloodwork, routine screening, or other preventive recommendations are appropriate for your companion.