We as a family are ecstatically preparing for our trip to Ireland and the London family (Leslie, our oldest daughter, three grandchildren and Stu, our son-in-law.) The other veterinarian in the family - Dr. Marg - will be meeting us in Atlanta on Saturday the 28^th. We’ll take a deep breath and jump across the big creek to London, for a 3 day stay, oohing and awing at all the sites and enjoying the history. Then we’re off for a quick trip over to Cork Ireland to spend 3 days with the grandchildren and the Irish stout and then head back home

Unfortunately son Bob has a conflict with college and daughter – in – law Michelle, who is in her second trimester of pregnancy has a conflict teaching school. Consequently they will not be traveling with us and we miss them

We should return to Indian River Animal Hospital August the 6^th.

We hope this is not a great inconvenience to our clients. Local veterinarians have agreed to meet our clients’ needs if it can’t be delayed until I return. Also, fortunately we have the emergency animal hospital and referral center in Fort Pierce if you need it.

A great deal of information can be derived from blood tests that we can run here in the office as to the overall health of the dog and certain organ systems. We may find it necessary to submit samples to an outside lab where sophisticated technology might be required. Our in-house capabilities include Complete Blood Counts (CBC), and Profiles including liver and kidney, pancreatic function tests.

Hematocrit (HCT) this is an indicator of fluid volume in the body as well as red blood cell count. If the hematocrit is low many times this is an indication of anemia. And the causes of anemia may need to be considered. If the Hematocrit is high, dehydration is a consideration and fluid administration may be necessary.

Platelets (PLT) Platelets are an integral part of the blood-clotting mechanism. A deficiency of platelets could make the dog predisposed to severe bruising or hemorrage. There are disease conditions that cause this that must be considered.

White Blood Cell (WBC) A multitide of information is derived from this one test. Elevated WBC counts generally indicate a bacterial septic conditon. Low WBC count can indicate viral conditions. This WBC can also suggest whether the body is actively fighting an infection or wheteher the infection is overwhelming the bnody. Also certain cancerous conditions can be reflected in the WBC.

Blood Urea Nitrogen ( BUN) This is a measure of waste products (urea) from proteom metabolism. These products are eliminated from the body through the kidneys. Good functioning kidneys will maintain a urea level in the blood within certain parameters. If the BUN is too high, kidney disease is highly suspected. A low BUN is generally not considered a pathological problem.

Creatinine (CREA) is a second kidney function test that coupled with the BUN can indicate the condition of the kidney and can imply the likelihood of kidney disease recovery.

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) this is a liver function test. Every time a liver cell dies a small amount of this enzyme is released into the bloodstream. The amount of enzyme level in the blood can infer the amount of liver damage being incurred at the time. Liver damage can be caused by numerous conditions, some of which would include primary infection of the liver and or toxic damage to the liver.

Alkaline Phosphotase (ALKP) Another enzyme that can infer numerous problems, some of which would include severe bruising or damage to muscle tissue, severe irritation to intestinal tract tissue, certain uterine infection disorders, as well as cancer of the liver.

Serum Amylase and Lipase These are two tests that measure digestive enzymes in the blood produced by the pancreas. These amylase and lipase are normally found in the intestine as they are digestive enzymes. When found as elevated levels in the blood, would imply degenerative processes ( cancer, infection to the pancreas)

Blood Glucose (BG) Sugar levels in the blood will confirm a diagnosis of hyperglycemia, (elevated blood glucose) found in diabetes, or certain adrenal gland conditions. Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar, is commonly found in cancer of the pancreas or malnutrition. This condition can precipitate seizures.

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