Hi

 

Today, I received a great question from Kelly (thanks, Kelly).  She recently received the results of her dog's blood work and learned that her triglycerides were high and wanted to know how she could adjust her dog's diet to lower this count.

 

 

Each of my dogs have an annual wellness appointment that includes a chat with the vet, a physical exam, and blood work.  I began this routine last year because Rodrigo and Sydney were approaching their eighth birthday.  Blood work is a great peek into how our dogs are doing and the results can give us a heads up on any potential health issues on the horizon.  But the cost can be intimidating so Rodrigo and Sydney get blood work in January and Scout and Zoey get blood work in June or July.

 

 

As I understand it, triglycerides are a type of fat and serve as the main way fat is transported through the body for energy.  Most of it comes from the food in our pets' diet, but some is produced by the liver.

 

 

Again, this is how I understand it, but if the triglycerides are high, I would first think about when my dog's last meal was prior to blood work.  For instance, Rodrigo had blood work yesterday.  I also slept late and still fed him him without thinking so there wasn't the required 6 hour break between a meal and the blood draw.  I expect that Rodrigo's triglycerides will come back high.

 

A consistently high triglyceride count could also signal a problem the following health problems and if this is the case, the veterinarian will look at the blood work as a whole to determine next steps:

My dogs' veterinarian sends me the results (mainly because I blog about the results) and schedules a call to go over them with me.  At that time, I can ask questions to clarify any Highs or Lows and to keep from freaking the hell out, which I tend to do (but only on the inside).

 

I have an upcoming blog post comparing the blood work of all of my dogs, but you don't have to wait for that because last year, I wrote a post comparing the blood work for my dogs with the dogs of two friends.

And there is a great website that explains the results and I often reference it when I have questions: 2ndChance.Info.

 

Do you schedule annual or bi-annual blood work for your dog?

~ Kimberly