Wellness Exams

Wyomissing Animal Hospital recommends annual wellness visits for all of our patients.  Included in the visit is a complete physical exam, fecal examination, vaccinations, and any necessary bloodwork or a urinalysis to evaluate your pets changing needs.

Puppy and kitten wellness exams are extremely important to insure your new pet gets a healthy start in life.  We will recommend a series of exams and vaccinations depending on the age of your puppy or kitten, and his or her individual needs.

Laboratory Testing

Many technologies that help humans live longer, healthier lives are available to your pet. By performing a few basic tests, your Veterinarian is able to gather a wealth of information concerning the well-being of your pet.

There are four basic wellness tests your veterinarian will use to diagnose the health of your pet:

  1. Complete Blood Count (CBC) - This tests for anemia, infection, inflammation and the healthiness of blood cells.

  2. Chemistry Tests - This panel surveys many of the organ systems of the body to make sure they are working normally. They include:

    Liver - (AST, ALT, Alk Phos, T. Bilirubin, GGT, Cholesterol, Proteins)
    This group of tests helps evaluate various functions and health of the liver. Decreased liver function, inflammation, infection, or neoplasia of the liver and gall bladder may be detected by one or all of these tests.

    Kidney - (BUN, Creatinine, Phosphorus, Amylase, Albumin)
    These tests monitor the function and health of the kidneys. They are most helpful and sensitive for detecting kidney disease when combined with a urinalysis.

    Pancreas - (Glucose, Amylase, Lipase, Triglyceride)
    These tests are abnormal when there is something wrong with the pancreas or carbohydrate metabolism (examples are Diabetes Mellitus and pancreatitis).

    Muscle and Bone -

    - Calcium and Phosphorus are helpful in determining the health of bone metabolism.

    - CPK and AST are abnormal with muscle damage, trauma, or inflammation (myositis).

    - Electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Calcium, Phosphorus) These tests are important in monitoring the electrical, water balance, and cellular health of the body. Deficiencies or excesses of these electrolytes are harmful to animal's physical and mental well being.
  3. Thyroid Tests - These evaluate the function of the thyroid gland. Too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) is common in dogs whereas, too much thyroid (hyperthyroidism) is common in older cats. Because there is no single thyroid test that can diagnose all thyroid diseases in animals, several different thyroid tests are used to assure proper results (T4, T3, Free T4, etc.).

  4. Urinalysis - This assesses the health and function of the urinary system. This especially important in older animals to help early detection of kidney disease. The urine sample is tested for several chemical components (glucose, protein, blood and more) as well as any cells (WBC, RBC, epithelial, etc.) or crystals.

Other Pet Health Links:

American Veterinary Medical Association Care for Pets