Blood Test Prior to Surgery

Question
I have scheduled my healthy, 3 year old Great Pyrenees for surgery to have him neutered. I was asked if I wanted to have his blood tested for tolerance to the anesthesia. He has had all of the shots necessary before he was allowed to show, including rabies. I recently had his blood tested prior to placing him on heartworm prevention meds. What blood testing would normally be required prior to surgery, and what would it be checking for? I would like to avoid an unnecessary cost if the testing is not really required. Thanks. Ken

Answer
Pre-anesthetic blood work is to check the dogs kidney, liver and blood before the surgery to catch any possible problems with the major filtering organs of the body.

Anesthetics today are much safer, but when undergoing one the first time this is a very good idea to have this done.

Even with blood work any dog can have a reaction to the drugs and they are not always good reactions. But these are rare and pre-op blood work can help narrow that down also.

I know it's another expense, but what's a few dollars compared to your dog's health?