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Opening Times
Monday - Friday
8:30 - 10:00 am
2:30 - 3:30 pm
5:00 - 6:50 pm
Saturday
10:00 - 11:00 am
2:30 - 3:30 pm
Consultations
by appointment
What to expect when your pet requires a blood sample
Blood samples are taken to investigate and diagnose many illnesses. Some tests are performed within the practice and others are sent away to external laboratories. We use different laboratories to perform different tests depending on their specialities.
Generally, our patients need to be starved before blood tests. This is because certain blood indicators will change after an animal has eaten and also because increased levels of fats in the blood may interfere with some of the tests.
Most patients need to have a small patch of hair shaved so that the vein can be easily seen and to allow us to clean the surface of the skin. The shaved patch will usually be on either the neck or a front leg. Please let us know if your pet has sensitive skin or if he or she is a show pet.
Most blood tests can be taken in a few minutes while you wait, however some tests, called ‘dynamic tests’ will take several hours. When tests take a long time we usually hospitalise the patient for this period of time. If this is necessary, your pet will be given a bed, water and be walked out as appropriate.
We aim to call you as soon as the results become available, and this time is dependent on the tests being performed. Some results may be back the same day, whilst others may take several weeks. In many cases further tests and investigations will be required, either using the same samples or by repeating the sampling process. Your vet will discuss this with you as required.