Yorkie first bloodwork

[njimko]

Hello All,

My Turbo will be 16 weeks and has his vaccinations. My previous dog was on heartworm medication and before he could get it the vet would do bloodwork. My question is when do yorkie puppies get their first bloodwork done. I would like my new puppy on it as well, but wasn't sure when other owners would have their first bloodwork or started their pups on heartworm meds.

Thank you.

[Britster]

Puppies can start heartworm meds w/o a blood test, since they're puppies and haven't even been around long enough for heartworm to develop (at least, I think this is the reason) so you should start heartworm medicine soon.

But I think blood work is always good. I wish I had done it when Jackson was younger so I had a 'baseline' idea of what his 'normal' is, as he didn't have bloodwork until he was sick and I didn't really know if it was him being sick... or if it was just his 'normal' if that makes sense.

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by Britster

Puppies can start heartworm meds w/o a blood test, since they're puppies and haven't even been around long enough for heartworm to develop (at least, I think this is the reason) so you should start heartworm medicine soon.

But I think blood work is always good. I wish I had done it when Jackson was younger so I had a 'baseline' idea of what his 'normal' is, as he didn't have bloodwork until he was sick and I didn't really know if it was him being sick... or if it was just his 'normal' if that makes sense.

Bella didn't have a heartworm test either before she started her heartworm meds. Bella's first bloodwork came when we took her in for her spay at 7 months, and that was blood chemistry work to make sure her liver function was okay and she was good to go for anesthesia. Bella had her first heartworm test done in April at about 15 months of age, at the beginning of mosquito season (although she had been taking heartworm preventatives all during the winter as well).

[njimko]

Thanks guys makes sense.

[Wylie's Mom]

You could have some baseline bloodwork done anytime, really. I think it's always a great idea to have some puppy bloodwork done, just so you have that baseline. You may want to wait, though, to do it closer to when you're going to have her spay done - so that way, you can use the bloodwork as her pre-surgery bloodwork, instead of paying for it twice.

[njimko]

That is very smart...Thanks.