Will follow-up lab work need to be done on my cat?

It depends on what the numbers are. Generally, we like to check the lab work once a year, depending on the kitty’s age, to see where the numbers are going. And other than that, it depends on what the results are. If you notice kidney disease, we like to monitor those values periodically. If we start on any medication, we recheck the lab work afterward to monitor the response of the medication.

If the cat is sick or there's any change in how they're doing at home, we do la work. The last thing we consider is some additional tests to our screening lab work. Sometimes we add on other tests like urine culture or extended thyroid panels if it's not completely clear on the lab work what's wrong.

If we detect abnormalities, we want to follow up and make sure that they have improved with the treatment. We don't want just to assume because the pet is acting better that they are genuinely better. Again, we know that cats, like all of our animals, hide their sickness and disease much of the time.

Often, we uncover underlying problems in our pets, especially as they age. If we diagnose a condition, such as early kidney disease, we will recommend bringing the cat back after a certain timeframe to check the values again. This is also applicable if we see an elevated liver enzyme, which might be transient and can return to normal after a couple of weeks. If we uncover something, we will follow a diagnostic pathway with you and work with you as a partner to do what's best for your pet.

Whether follow-up lab work is needed depends on the initial findings. If annual lab work results are normal, retesting at the next annual visit is sufficient. If abnormalities are found, it might be necessary to recheck them to monitor any ongoing disease process. Lab work might be repeated in a few weeks or months to track disease progression and adjust treatment methods accordingly.