October 2005

Blood Chemistry Tests: Know What You’re Paying For

If you know what blood test results mean, you can better communicate with your veterinarian.

Your veterinarian learns a lot about your horse’s health with the right chemistry panels.

Whether it’s because your horse is ill or just for routine monitoring, sooner or later your veterinarian is likely to suggest a blood-chemistry panel. While correct interpretation of blood tests requires considerable experience and should only be done with your veterinarian’s input, a working knowledge of what these tests mean will help you understand his or her explanations.

We’re focusing on some of the common tests of organ function you’ll find on a chemistry panel, what they test for and the possible significance of the results. We discuss individual tests in our chart on pages 16-17, while chemistry panels typically include calcium, phosphorus and other electrolytes depending on the type of…