A laboratory report is written for a veterinary surgeon, not for you. Each article explains one line of your results and prepares you for your consultation.
Whether dogs need calcium supplements, why supplementing a pregnant bitch raises the risk of eclampsia, and how calcium is read on a blood test.
CatA cat over eight losing weight with a kept or bigger appetite: how T4, glucose, fructosamine, creatinine, SDMA and urea tell the three usual causes apart.
DogDark yellow, bright yellow, red or cloudy dog urine and a strong ammonia smell: what colour reflects, what your vet looks into, and how to collect a sample.
DogIndicative UK ranges for taking a sample, a basic panel and an extended panel, what is included, why out of hours costs more, and how to ask for a written estimate.
DogBiochemistry against haematology, why the printed reference range differs between laboratories, what a high or low flag means, and the order to read the lines in.
DogWhy a dog suddenly drinking and urinating more gets a blood and urine test, what the kidney, diabetes and Cushing's lines of enquiry show, and how to measure intake.
DogWhich signs alongside vomiting in a dog mean ring now, which wait for the next appointment, and what kidney, liver, pancreas and electrolyte lines contribute.
DogHaematocrit in dogs: what the value measures, why your laboratory's reference range is the one that counts, and what vets look into when it is low or high.
DogIn dogs, ALP goes up for plenty of ordinary reasons, bone and corticosteroids included. How to read the line without over-reading what it actually says.
DogALT tells you that liver cells have leaked their contents, not that the liver is working badly. That single difference changes how the whole panel reads.
CatIn cats, the stress of a consultation pushes blood sugar up on its own within minutes. Fructosamine is the only parameter that settles the question properly.
CatSDMA moves earlier than creatinine and does not depend on muscle mass at all. What has to be read alongside it before anyone draws a conclusion from it.
CatWhy a high T4 in an older cat is treated while the kidney is watched closely, and what tends to come to light once the thyroid has been settled back down.
DogUrea rises for dietary, digestive and kidney reasons alike. How to read it alongside the creatinine and the urine rather than as a single line on its own.
CatWhat a low potassium indicates in a cat, why the kidney is nearly always involved in it, and the clinical sign owners routinely mistake for plain old age.
DogA dog's platelet count: the normal range and why it depends on the laboratory, what vets explore when it is high or low, and why a blood smear is read.
CatCreatinine, SDMA, urea, urine specific gravity, phosphorus, UPC and potassium: what each renal value measures in a cat, why they move at different times.
DogUrea and creatinine levels in dogs and cats: converting mg/dL to µmol/L, why BUN is not urea, and how to read a laboratory range without a unit error.
DogUrine specific gravity in dogs and cats, why no value counts as a norm, what vets explore, and how it is read alongside urea and creatinine.