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Monday, October 31, 2011

2011's Heartworm Test + Comprehensive Bloodwork

Mom and Dad brought us three for our annual heartworm test + comprehensive bloodwork today. Chewy didn't tag along cuz she's still really young and doesn't need any tests at all. Not that we're old or anythin'! But dogs as a species tend to have more problems than kitty cats. So we've been going annually since 2008.

We didn't post up 2008's results cuz it was done via a human laboratory and it took a week just to get the results when it's usually done within 15 mins at the vet's clinic itself! The results were of cuz all way OFF the scale because dogs and humans' values are simply different. This is our 2009's results. I think we forgot to post our 2010's results. In anyways, I'll put it up again here!



















Here's some pix and vid of us taken with Mom's crappy iphone while waitin' for our results. 15 mins for each which tallies to 45 mins for all 3 of us.

























Okays so here's the results. Heartworm test - cleared. Some of the values in the bloodwork like ALP are a lil' off but nothin' to worry about accordin' to Dr. Hsu because sometimes when we're very nervous/scared durin' the drawin' of blood (which we all really were!! I was clingin' unto Mommy for dear life), the value of ALP wil be a lil' off. The other values were off by only a slight bit and are on the lower side and Dr. Hsu says being slightly on the low side is much better than being on the high side (as that would spell trouble) and so there's nothin' to worry about at all. Other than that, our sodium level is a lil' on the low side too.

http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/PbandLiver.htm
ALP OR ALKP - ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE - this enzyme is found in many different tissues within the body, primarily liver, bone, intestines, and kidneys. Increased ALP levels can be seen with liver disease and gallbladder disorders. In addition, drugs such as corticosteroids and Phenobarbital can cause increased ALP levels. Very high ALP levels can be seen in dogs with adrenal gland disease as well.

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/understanding-blood-work-the-biochemical-profile-for-dogs-2/page1.aspx
Glucose is the end product of carbohydrate metabolism and is the primary source of energy for the body. High levels indicate stress, Cushing's disease, diabetes, pancreatitis or can be due to certain medications. Low levels can indicate liver disease, insulin overdose, severe bacterial infection, hypothyroidism and Addison's disease. Toy breed puppies are prone to low blood glucose for unknown reasons.

This is mine (Velvet)













Lauryn's













Cotton's





















































And so that's it! Our once-a-year ordeal with the vet is finally over! And Mom's glad we're all good and well (at the cost of S$473.55 for the three of us). The bill at this vet's also much cheaper than last year's. It's usually S$150 per dog for comprehensive bloodwork but it's only S$93.65 each here.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yaaay..good blood test results are always a good thing!

I had very very high ALT once and it made Mummy very stressed and sad.

*birdee* the alpha miniature schnauzer bitch said...

oh yesss we read abt ur hepatitis issue! glad ur (very smartie) mommy's very opened to a natural raw diet instead of a commercial cat prescription diet!

sadly, not many humans are willin to look and think outside the box (towards a natural and holistic healin) when it comes to such health issues and would rather listen to typical vets sponsored by pet food companies! when really... all they've to do is to think natural, have some common sense and see us as ANIMALS. bahhh

Anonymous said...

Mummy's friend's mini schnauzer had some very serious liver problems until she had super bloated stomach n everything. And they follow vet's advice to eat prescription diet then when that wasn't working only give her egg white and papaya. And in the end she passed away which made everyone including Mummy so sad because she was such a clever and sweet girl.

Mummy asked them to try raw diet for her but they didn't dare try and I think were very skeptical. And no vet in Singapore will recommend or support. Don't know if it really would have helped save her but Mummy never stops wondering...

*birdee* the alpha miniature schnauzer bitch said...

Sigh. yea happened to my mini schnauzer friend too... he was 10when he passed from pancreatitis and all his organs have practically failed except for a beating heart. even the vet was surprised at his willpower to live for his mommy from such prolonged pains.

In most cases (if not all), Mommy sees them as... well just like a smoker wit lung disease and all they believe in doing is takin more n more meds which will stress the other organs more... or take rich chinese herbs n expect to get better.

so the ''foundation'' for a healthy body is so important to prevent all these. there is no one food that can cure any illness/diseases, but a combination of the right FORM (raw of cuz n preferably organic) of food over the years. just like the silly typical view of garlic prevents ticks. garlic alone doesn't prevent ticks... its the combination of an overall gd raw diet (that includes garlic and other herbs) that helps.

most times, its too late to switch and expect to get well... unless the dog is still young like below 8years n dependin on how far the disease has progressed.

its also quite sad to see vets labelling 7yr old dogs as ''seniors'' when the average lifespan of a canin lupus is 24 years. of cuz 7yo is old for crapple-fed dogs... but for natural raw-fed dogs they're still like pups! like us heh!

yea very sad there's no holistic vet in SG. mommy doesn't know why ppl call dr. ly holistic when he so obviously isn't because he still prescribes meds and prescription diets.