The ABCs of Dog Blood Work: What Those Results Really Mean

When it comes to the wellness of your dog, blood work is one of the best tools that can give you and your veterinary team a glimpse into their health. Routine blood work, typically part of your dog’s annual wellness exam, helps monitor their health and detect early signs of illness, even before symptoms appear.

Your veterinarian is the expert in your dog’s blood work results, but having a basic understanding of why blood work is important and what your dog’s baseline results look like can help you feel empowered in your dog’s healthcare.

Why is Blood Work Important for Your Dog’s Health?

It’s natural to think of blood tests as being necessary only when something seems wrong, but routine blood work for dogs is an important part of keeping them healthy. With several years of routine blood work results to compare, your veterinarian can more easily spot small changes early, before they turn into more obvious or serious issues.

Kate Knutson, DVM, veterinarian and owner at Pet Crossing in Bloomington, MN, says, “Our goal at our hospital is to diagnose diseases before our patients are showing obvious signs of problems. Routine healthy bloodwork is invaluable for doing this. It gives us an individual’s baseline and trends so we can identify problems earlier for a much more successful outcome.”

Blood work also plays a crucial role in surgeries, medication management, and diagnosing symptoms. If your dog ever needs blood work for any of those reasons, having routine results on file makes it easier to spot what’s changed. This will give you and your veterinarian a better glimpse into how any symptoms are affecting your dog’s overall health.

Understanding the CBC Test for Dogs

The most common routine blood work is the CBC test for dogs. CBC stands for Complete Blood Count, and as the name implies, it offers insights into the overall state of your dog’s health. Your veterinarian will go over any abnormal results from a CBC blood test for your dog, but it’s helpful when you have an understanding of the purpose of the test and what results it shows.

The three main components to be aware of in your dog’s CBC blood work are:

• Red blood cells. These cells are responsible for providing your dog’s body with the oxygen that fuels your dog’s energy.
• White blood cells. These cells are responsible for your dog’s immune response. White blood cells will help your dog fight off disturbances like bacteria and parasites.
• Platelets. Your dog’s blood clotting ability is determined by their platelet levels. Platelets help prevent blood loss by promoting blood clotting.

“Diagnosing diseases in early stages is much more successful for treatment and management,” explained Dr. Knutson. “Routine bloodwork is critical for this. When diseases or health issues can be identified sooner, the prognosis is better. At our hospital, much of the success we have in treating our patients is due to the routine bloodwork they get.”

When any of these routine dog blood test results are out of the normal ranges, further tests could be needed to determine the underlying cause. By having a routine CBC blood test done for your dog each year, you can ensure you are monitoring their health even if symptoms are not obvious.

What is Covered on the Blood Chemistry Panel for Dogs?

When it comes to how your dog’s organs are functioning, your veterinarian will run a Blood Chemistry Panel, which is frequently referred to simply as chem. There are several chem panels, including Chem 10, Chem 17, and Chem 25. Often, the CBC and Chem are run together as routine blood work at your annual wellness exam. This allows your veterinarian to review all the core functions of your dog’s blood work and organ function.

A Blood Chemistry Panel will identify several specific organ functions, including:

Liver. Liver enzymes like ALT, AST, ALP, and GGT provide information about how well your dog’s liver and bile ducts are functioning. Other values like TP and TBILI offer insights into how well your dog’s liver is processing and distributing proteins and processing red blood cells.

• ALT is Alanine Aminotransferase. ALT is a liver leakage enzyme, meaning that when it is elevated, there has been some degree of liver cell injury.
• AST is Aspartate Aminotransferase. AST is also a liver leakage enzyme, but it is produced by muscle cells. When it is elevated, your veterinarian will need to determine whether it is liver-related or not.
• ALP is Alkaline Phosphatase. ALP is found in your dog’s bile ducts. It can be an indicator of possible liver problems, gallbladder problems, or other bile duct issues, but it is also produced by other tissues. Your veterinarian will advise you if an elevation of ALP is cause for concern or simply something to monitor.
• GGT is Gamma-Glutamyltransferase. GGT is another liver enzyme related to your dog’s liver bile ducts that may indicate how well bile is moving through them.
• TP is Total Protein. TP is the amount of protein in your dog’s blood, much of which is made by the liver. Low protein levels can sometimes (but not always) be an indication of how well the liver is working.
• TBILI is Total Billirubin. TBILI is produced by the breakdown of red blood cells, which are processed by the liver. High TBILI can be a sign that the liver is not functioning normally.

Kidney markers. The two most common kidney markers are Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) and Creatinine.

• BUN is a byproduct formed when the liver breaks down ammonia from the protein your dog digests. Normal kidney function will filter BUN out of your dog’s system.
• Creatinine is the result of your dog’s body breaking down muscle cells, which is a normal process of muscle health. With normal kidney function, Creatinine will be filtered out through the kidneys, but high levels indicate a reduced kidney function.

Pancreas. The two main markers for the pancreas are AMYL and LIPA. They are both enzymes that the pancreas produces and play a key role in digestion.

• AMYL is Amylase. It is an enzyme produced by the pancreas to help with your dog’s digestion of carbohydrates. An elevated AMYL may indicate pancreatic disease, however it is not always specific to that diagnosis. Your veterinarian will guide you on your dog’s specific results. .
• LIPA is Lipase. It is produced in the pancreas (and other organs) and helps with the digestion of fats. Because it is not specific to the pancreas, your vet may need to run additional tests to determine if your pet’s high LIPA is truly an indication of a problem with the pancreas.

Electrolytes and Minerals. Your dog’s daily body functions are supported by electrolytes and minerals. They are required for everything from the beats of their heart to the conduction of their nerves, and for proper hydration to maintaining a healthy blood pH. The main results your veterinarian will evaluate in a Blood Chemistry Panel are:

• Na (Sodium), K (Potassium), and Cl (Chloride) are electrolytes. Abnormalities in electrolytes can be indicators of many different underlying conditions, and they can also help your vet determine if your pet needs to electrolyte supplementation as part of their treatment.
• Ca (Calcium) and PHOS (Phosphorus) are minerals. Abnormalities in these values can indicate underlying disease or a need to adjust your dog’s diet.

Metabolism. These enzymes indicate the health of your dog’s metabolism – how well they are converting nutrients into energy.

• GLU is Glucose. Glucose is the sugar that provides energy to every cell in your dog’s body. Blood glucose that is either too high or too low can require additional testing and treatment.
• LDH is Lactate Dehydrogenase. LDH is an enzyme found in every cell in the body. Abnormal readings can indicate that cells in the body are not getting enough oxygen to function properly, but it’s not specific to any one disease.
• CPK is Creatine Phosphokinase. Also known as creatine kinase (CK). It is an enzyme that helps with your dog’s metabolism. Abnormal levels are often associated with muscle damage, but they are not specific to any one condition.

Thyroid

• T4 is Thyroxine. T4 is the inactive form of thyroid hormone, and it circulates in your dog’s blood. This is usually the thyroid hormone that your vet will test for to make sure your dog’s thyroid function is normal.
• Thyroid panel. If your dog’s T4 comes back low, or if your vet has a strong suspicion your dog may have hypothyroidism, they may order a full thyroid panel that checks for multiple different forms of thyroid hormone and other related tests. This can give a more complete picture of how your dog’s thyroid gland is functioning.

Remember, each dog is different. One dog may have a baseline on the lower end of the spectrum, while another may lean into the higher end. It’s helpful to run the necessary dog blood tests to know where your dog’s baseline is, so if there are changes that are still within the range, you and your veterinarian can monitor them more closely.

Understanding the basics of your dog’s blood work empowers you to be an informed advocate for their care. Your veterinarian will always interpret the results and guide you through any next steps, but knowing what these routine tests measure and why they matter can help you feel confident about your dog’s healthcare journey.

“When creating a healthcare plan for our patients, we depend on routine bloodwork to guide us towards a successful outcome. It allows us to catch problems early, when they are much easier to treat, which is better for the patient and their humans,” Dr. Knutson says.

By including routine blood work as part of your dog’s annual wellness exam, you’re taking a proactive step to catch changes early and support a longer, healthier life for your dog. Reach out to your AAHA-accredited veterinarian and schedule your dog’s wellness appointment today.