Risk Of Not Doing A Pre-Anesthesia Blood Panel?

[macoduck]

For a young dog undergoing a spay/neuter, what is the risk of not having an pre-anesthesia blood panel done?

What hidden hazards could be found?

What of those might contribute to the death of a dog?

 

(Note that I always get a full panel done on my dogs.)

[Burpdog]

I don't think age has anything to do with presurgery blood work and I would do it with any dog going under. Even then, it won't show everything that might be wrong.

[greysmom]

It will only show if anything is really largely wrong - Blood count, active infection, levels wildly off. There's still a lot that could be wrong that wouldn't show up, or that doesn't even have a category in a regular pre-anesthesia blood screening.

 

Still, I would probably do it, unless the dog had had a panel done in the the last 4-6 months. We've seen several dogs lately here on GT that have had surgery postponed because of anomalies in pre-anesthesia bloodwork. A couple have even uncovered underlying, serious issues. So, probably, I would always do it.

[Rickiesmom]

If nothing else, it gives you a baseline if something goes awry afterwards. FWIW I would do a urinalysis for the same reason, unless one had been done very recently.

[PatricksMom]

If nothing else, it gives you a baseline if something goes awry afterwards. FWIW I would do a urinalysis for the same reason, unless one had been done very recently.

I agree with this--the last thing you want with an older, sick dog is to be wondering if atypical results are new or have already been that way. In dogs with thyroid issues, I also run that panel at the same time.

[macoduck]

This is in regards to young dogs getting their spay/neuter though. Don't we generally presume younger = healthier?

Anyone know how GPA MA (I think that's the group) handles this at their facility?

[tbhounds]

I can tell you that I have run a gad zillion pre-op screens on young dogs preparing for surgery. I have only run across one (a 6 month old Westie) that had we neutered him it would have been very, very bad. Turned out he was born with a congenital kidney condition. His bloods were awful yet, he was acting well (how I do not know). Without running the blood screen you would never have known that there was anything wrong. Now, that said the odds were very low that there would be a problem in such a young dog but, if he was your dog that one test would make that pretty awful odds. Running pre op bloodwork now is considered standard of care.

[kikibean]

We do blood work on every dog we vet, no matter the age. It's not uncommon for something to show up that causes our vet to do a round of antibiotics or something before we go ahead.

[Sambuca]

The group I got my dogs from had a bunch of dogs come with TBDs which can cause clotting issues so their spay/nueters were postponed until they were treated.

[Batmom]

I would be horrified if surgery were done without at least a CBC, regardless of the dog's age. I prefer to do a full chem panel as well.

[kikibean]

I know a lot of groups don't do even a CBC because of the cost.

[Jiffer]

I always do it.

 

The prebloodwork can catch any underlying illnesses which could be exacerbated by anaesthetic or medications given during the procedure. Even a healthy looking dog can be hiding something sinister in the blood panel. Low platelets could affect blood clotting. Low WBC could affect healing. There could be heart, kidney, or even liver issues that you don't know about. Some drugs affect the organs, so if a known condition exists, they can give the drug that will not exacerbate it.

IMO, better to check and be sure instead of risking your dog's life.

I look at it this way. Any person I know who has had surgery has been required to have a full blood workup done within 3 months of the surgery before the Surgeon would consent to the procedure. If they require it for me, then I require it for my dog.

Idexx has a brief article on this

[gracegirl]

Unless I'm misunderstanding, the question was less of "should I do a blood panel" and more of "what are the risks if one is not done"?

 

Which I don't know, so I'll bow out now.

[Batmom]

Risks: Death from uncontrollable bleeding (even with Amicar), acute liver failure, acute kidney failure, heart attack, stroke .... Inability to heal or other serious illness due to pre-existing infection .....

 

I honestly don't know of any vets who don't do a CBC before starting surgery. You really don't want a dog dying on the table. Chem panel to keep them from dying afterwards.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Batmom

[cleptogrey]

all of my dogs should be dead. my vet doesn't, hasn't and when i had emily x-rayed there was no time nor $$ for blood work.my scottie was neutered at a very good hospital that was a participant in a spay/neuter clinic, nothing done then....felix was 9 months old- no blood work up either.... i guess i'm just lucky

[macoduck]

Unless I'm misunderstanding, the question was less of "should I do a blood panel" and more of "what are the risks if one is not done"?

 

Which I don't know, so I'll bow out now.

Yup, more along the line of what are the risks.

I always do the blood panels. Always. In this situation, I was concerned about someone else's young dogs (age 2-3).

[macoduck]

I have started a survey and welcome additional input here:

http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/309896-survey-pre-anesthesia-bloodwork-done-prior-to-spayneuter/

 

(Link fixed now)

Edited October 16, 2014 by macoduck

[silverfish]

I always do it.

 

The prebloodwork can catch any underlying illnesses which could be exacerbated by anaesthetic or medications given during the procedure. Even a healthy looking dog can be hiding something sinister in the blood panel. Low platelets could affect blood clotting. Low WBC could affect healing. There could be heart, kidney, or even liver issues that you don't know about. Some drugs affect the organs, so if a known condition exists, they can give the drug that will not exacerbate it.

IMO, better to check and be sure instead of risking your dog's life.

 

I look at it this way. Any person I know who has had surgery has been required to have a full blood workup done within 3 months of the surgery before the Surgeon would consent to the procedure. If they require it for me, then I require it for my dog.

 

Idexx has a brief article on this

 

This - it can also it can pick up problems with heart function and sodium/potassium levels which can be a trigger for sudden death under GA. Yes, even in young dogs.

[GreytHoundPoet]

People tend to presume that younger = healthier but that simply isn't always the case. I know several young dogs that have died being spayed/neutered. I also know a 2-year-old dog in acute renal failure right now. I always do the pre-anesthetic bloodwork on any age dog that I am putting under. Sometimes you don't know a problem is there until it is advanced or something happens. Also, it is always good to have a baseline bloodwork done in case things go awry in the future.

[GreytHoundPoet]

I have started a survey and welcome additional input here: http://http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/309896-survey-pre-anesthesia-bloodwork-done-prior-to-spayneuter/

 

It says the page is unavailable.

[GeorgeofNE]

You can go to a low cost spay/neuter "spay wagon" and have your animal spayed or neutered, and I expect they don't do blood work.

 

However, what you CAN do and what's best and safest as we know are not the same thing!

 

I think George was neutered with a box cutter and was konked on the head with a rubber mallet! I'm 100% sure he didn't have blood work done, but he was neutered by the track vet, and I expect since he was on his way out of there, cost was a huge consideration.

 

No idea when or where or by whom Buck was neutered.

 

My vet would never, ever perform surgery of any kind without doing bloodwork. They are in business to make money, and while I'm sure she cares about my animals, the policy of their clinic is no bloodwork, we don't operate.

 

My old cat, Miss Parker, was a "stay for spay" when I adopted her from a shelter. I was charged $35 and a vet student did it. No bloodwork.

 

So...

 

; ^ )

 

I'm no help, am I Ducky?

[macoduck]

 

It says the page is unavailable.

Try it now. http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/309896-survey-pre-anesthesia-bloodwork-done-prior-to-spayneuter/

[macoduck]

However, what you CAN do and what's best and safest as we know are not the same thing!

Yup, that's what I'm thinkin'.

[Sambuca]

The only time I've considered one of my dogs being put under without blood work was when the evet wanted to put Sailor under to stitch a wound. It was 6 weeks after his tail amputation which he'd had blood work done for. The evet refused to do it with out blood work. I refused to pay $600-$800 to close a 3" wound that wasn't deep.