In an effort to help all pets live longer, healthier and happier lives we recommend:

• Once-a-year wellness exams to help detect, treat and prevent health problems before they become serious
• Disease prevention based on your pet’s lifestyle, the threats in your area and other risk factors
• Pet owner education, especially awareness of the pet aging process
  
  

  Comparative Age in Human Years						Cat years	Human years
  Dogs Age	0-20 lbs.	21-50 lbs.	51-90 lbs.	>90 lbs.		1	15
  5 years	36	37	40	42		2	24
  6 years	40	42	45	49		5	36
  7 years	44	47	50	56		7	45
  10 years	56	60	66	78		12	64
  12 years	64	69	77	93		15	76
  15 years	76	83	93	115		18	88
  20 years	96	105	120	-		21	100

The key to a healthy pet is the early detection and prevention of disease.

The gradual onset of health problems in an apparently healthy pet often go unnoticed. Once symptoms appear, the condition may be too difficult or costly to diagnose and treat. Age is not a disease; however, there are many conditions, that if diagnosed early, can be completely reversed or controlled for extended periods of time

Regular dental care, vaccinations, parasite control and a balanced diet are essential for the health of your pet. Laboratory testing plays an integral role in the early detection of changes in your pet's health. Diagnostic tests provide essential information by which your veterinarian can identify blood disorders, kidney and liver disease, diabetes, infection, cancer, thyroid disease and other hormonal problems.

A Pet Owner's Guide to Laboratory Testing .

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

Some basic wellness tests used to diagnose the health of your pet are:

• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
  This tests for anemia, infection, inflammation and the healthiness of blood cells.  A Complete Blood Count is a series of tests that evaluate the number of cells in circulation. WBC, or white blood cells, help fight infection or inflammation. RBC, or red blood cells, carry oxygen to the tissues.
• Chemistry Tests
  These panels survey many of the organ systems of the body to make sure they are working properly.  
  • Liver (AST, ALT, Alk Phos, Total 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 (mytosis).
  • Electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Calcium, Phosphorous)
    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 an animal's physical and mental well-being.
• Thyroid Function Tests
  These tests are useful in diagnosing increased (hyper) or decreased (hypo) functions of the thyroid gland.  As the name implies, thyroid tests evaluate the function of the thyroid gland. Too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism) is common in dogs whereas too much thyroid hormone (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.).
• Urinalysis
  This test assesses the health and function of the urinary system. This is especially important in older animals to help with the early detection of kidney disease.  While some serum chemistries help evaluate kidney function (BUN, Creatinine, etc.), they are more informative when a urinalysis is done at the same time. 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.