What would you do and why….

[Anne123]

This morning there was an invitation for Finn for an appointment for the vet for his yearly checkup and vaccination. I already made the appointment for next week, as we also will discus the pain management for Finn (librela).
In the invitation was also mentioned about taking blood samples and urine samples. It’s a ’service for elder dogs above 7 or 8 years old. Just to check his organs. It made me think, as I-declined this a few months ago. I have the opinion why do you check as the dog (Finn) have no problems other then his movement. Why searching for problems he doesn’t have, at least not that I am aware off…And what if his blood turns out he is having a problem, what are we going to do with that as he is not showing any discomfort. So my question is would you let them take blood and urine samples and of course why….For the record…we do not have insurance for Finn, so the costs are for ourselves.

 

[Selina27]

Hmm, this is quite a poser.

Rereading your post, I think I would keep the appointment you have made for next week, if you feel he is experiencing pain I would imagine that getting him relieved of that is your priority? T think I would bring up the "invitation " appointment and talk about your concerns re blood tests with the vet/practitioner who does that, if they'll let you.

I would do it that way as his comfort and quality of life would always come first for me, but if there was any advantage to him having blood tests I would want to know about it.
It could be that the bloods would show potential issues that could be reduced or alleviated by dietary changes etc. I'm thinking that humans can feel perfectly well but have high blood sugar or blood pressure that they don't know about, but could change if they are made aware.

 

[Stacia]

If I could afford it I would definitely have it done. It could flag up a future problem which is more likely to be treated and cured.

 

[Stacia]

Hmm, this is quite a poser.

Rereading your post, I think I would keep the appointment you have made for next week, if you feel he is experiencing pain I would imagine that getting him relieved of that is your priority? T think I would bring up the "invitation " appointment and talk about your concerns re blood tests with the vet/practitioner who does that, if they'll let you.

I would do it that way as his comfort and quality of life would always come first for me, but if there was any advantage to him having blood tests I would want to know about it.
It could be that the bloods would show potential issues that could be reduced or alleviated by dietary changes etc. I'm thinking that humans can feel perfectly well but have high blood sugar or blood pressure that they don't know about, but could change if they are made aware.

@Selina you said it so much better than I did

 

[Selina27]

@Selina you said it so much better than I did

Not really, I just read your response and thought it so much more to the point

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Hi Annemarie, I don't think there is a black/white right/wrong answer, so any decision you make is the right one.

Having said that, I did these routine tests on Brogan when he got older - something I asked my vet for, not vice versa - because they made ME feel better. It was just peace of mind, which for me as a born worrier was well worth the cost of the tests (which in Germany was not all that much anyway).

 

[Anne123]

If I could afford it I would definitely have it done. It could flag up a future problem which is more likely to be treated and cured.

What kind of future problems do you think off? The only thing I can think of is diabetes, but then he will show symptoms, as for heart diseases. Liver problems…..If he would have them his quantity of life would be short, kidneys…?

I would do it that way as his comfort and quality of life would always come first

Yes, that’s how I think! But to me there is no point in taking blood for future problems….

We love Finn to bits and will act as he has problems, not beforehand….

When I compare it to humane medicine, the only thing that will be done beforehand is screening for several cancers. When Finn would have cancer we won’t put him through chemotherapy. As his quantity of life is very short. We will give him quality of life and act on that….

I asked this question as I had a rather unpleasant conversation with the vet and assistants as they were kind of forcing me to take the blood samples and made me feel I was withholding Finn treatment…..

 

[Selina27]

I asked this question as I had a rather unpleasant conversation with the vet and assistants as they were kind of forcing me to take the blood samples and made me feel I was withholding Finn treatment…..

That's too bad Anne.

 

[Stacia]

Kidney problems can be treated and give a longer period of life, that it just one. Google "what canine blood tests reveal" and you can then see the reasons and make your own decision. By refusing blood test you cannot possibly be refusing treatment! Unless they suspect that Finn might have a problem brewing.

 

[HAH]

I asked this question as I had a rather unpleasant conversation with the vet and assistants as they were kind of forcing me to take the blood samples and made me feel I was withholding Finn treatment…..

I entirely sympathize with you Anne. You’ll know that this sort of screening (without prior suspicions, just as a ‘let’s see what we find’ exercise) is not recommended for humans, as the chance of finding something that might never have been an issue if left well alone is fairly high and there are always costs involved.

Nonetheless, lots of companies push this sort of screening, and it’s maybe more common with vets than it is with people - because there aren’t the safeguards, and it plays on our worries as owners. If you feel pressured by the vet and assistants that’s not great for the therapeutic relationship. I’d ask them to explain their reasons, and if they can’t or you’re not satisfied I’d be looking for other vets if possible.

 

[Cath]

If it was either Fred and Annie I would say no Thank you, but Finn is your dog. You do what you think is right.

 

[Atemas]

I too would say no thank you

 

[edzbird]

It's a tough one for sure. We lost Belle to kidney disease and I have been over and over the "what if's" in my head. If we'd known earlier, would we have had any longer? Could we have spared her any suffering? I think the answer to these questions is "probably". However...now Coco is approaching "old age" (he's 8.5) and I'm not seeking out any investigations.

 

[kateincornwall]

A very personal choice , but I`m sure if it were me and my dog was not displaying any worrying symptoms , I would say No Thank You x

 

[M.F.]

I often think if you go looking for problems, you’ll find them. I recently had a colonoscopy. The surgeon asked me why I wanted one. I said I was over 50 and my gynae has been telling me to get one for years as an age-related screening. The surgeon—who specialises in gastro-related issues—said that he found it problematic that he’s often sent patients just to be screened with no symptoms so he has no direction for what to look for. He was very anti tests just for the sake of them when there aren’t any symptoms. I nevertheless went ahead with the colonoscopy because I was full of fear. All was clear (thankfully!). Anyway, that was my long way of saying that I’d refuse the tests unless Finn is showing symptoms.

 

[Jacqui-S]

the chance of finding something that might never have been an issue if left well alone is fairly high and there are always costs involved

Yes, this.
Certainly in human medicine, so why not in vet med?

I've been kind of surprised Lilly at 12.5 has never been offered bloods, particularly when she was on long term NSAIDS.
Although she did have bloods done when being investigated for lupus. Everything was fine.

 

[Granca]

Mine both had bloods done when they had their boosters and check-ups a few weeks ago. Fortunately both were normal. The vet had suggested Wispa had blood tests when she was about seven, I think as a ‘control’ for future tests. Tuppence hadn’t had any tests before, so hers was taken from her leg, whereas Wispa’s was taken from under her neck, as the nurse had pretended to do that, without actually using a needle, to get her used to being handled in that way during her desensitisation sessions.

It‘s offered as routine for dogs of 7+ by my vet, partly so that the dogs get used to it while not stressed by feeling unwell. Then if/when such tests are necessary it’s less traumatic. The vet discussed it throughly first though and, as I trust his judgement, I decided to have the tests done - and I didn’t have to pay because it’s included in the monthly vet plan.

I had a rather unpleasant conversation with the vet and assistants as they were kind of forcing me to take the blood samples and made me feel I was withholding Finn treatment…..

That sounds very unnecessary and I don’t think I would have agreed under those circumstances. Luckily, in recent years I‘ve had a much more positive experience at my local practice. However, years ago I objected to the way our little cairn terrier was treated there (under different management) and subsequently took our pets to another practice in a different town until that vet retired.

 

[Stacia]

My vets have never offered this service but do before an op if I want it. I have said no because of extra cost, but would certainly have it if I could afford it.

 

[Shamas mom]

Here's my two cents...and I don't judge anyone their opinion here. I came to this point from experiences with my own pets.

I like to do yearly blood tests because it gives us baseline numbers to refer to. If I have a concern, I'll add in one to compare to the last.

For example.. we try to run the 12-year-old cat twice a year. We know that his baseline white cell count fluctuates in the low level....so if he develops an infection, we know what is normal for him, and what is not. And when he gets sick, his lungs fill up and he goes down fast. So I like to stay on top of his numbers. I started doing regular bloodwork for Matt at 9 years old.

I know that Shamas urine runs a little dilute, but his blood tests rule out Cushings, thyroid issues and diabetes so it's not a concern. He just likes his water-a lot.
And because he's recently had a minipanel done, if his colitis doesn't clear up in a few days, I can do another panel and compare it to the last panel to see what's off. I started regular panels with him at about 7-8, because I don't have pet insurance, and so I'd rather keep him healthy in the first place than treat things as they come up.

I always opt for a panel before operations, because in the one case I didn't, the cat had a heart condition I didn't find out about until she had a stroke on the table...and I had to give the order to put her down because she was not recoverable. In Matt's case, the pre-op panel found a discrepancy in his liver enzymes that allowed us to change the planned medications and he sailed through surgery. Had I opted out, I might have lost him too. His liver wasn't fit enough to handle the standard surgery cockltail.

I think of preventative medicine like keeping up with oil changes--you don't HAVE to...you can probably get by without them. But if you do, you can catch things as they start, as opposed to getting hit with a whopping bill later on when something developed quietly in the background. they usually show nothing. That's good. And if they DO show something, your last few panels can show just HOW much things are off by

 

[Anne123]

Had the dreaded vet visit this afternoon. Finn got his yearly vaccinations and check up. I told her that I was willing to try Libera for painmanagement and she agreed. So Finn got his first dose of Librela. She didn't mention to do bloodworks, so I guess that I was perfect clear the last time that I wasn't interested....So now wait and see how Finn will do on the Librela....