Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello - Im afraid that interpreting blood results is very definitely the job of the vet who ordered them, who knows the pet in question and thereby has full context. For the vast majority of vets and blood tests, the price of the test should include the analysis and related communication so if you have questions, then the vet ought to be prepared to answer them directly - and furthermore, they should explain in normal English (never hesitate to ask them questions until they are doing this; vets can sometimes speak assuming that everyone is either a) uninterested or b) has a degree in biochemistry, but it is their job to explain the result in layman's terms and if you insist that you are interested, they generally will). An 'abnormality' would be anything that is outside a 'normal' range. However, sometimes abnormalities are not a concern. For example, if my BUN (the urea level in my blood) was slightly higher than normal but the Dr already knew that I was slightly dehydrated at the time of the sample, then that could account for it and they might not do anything different. It should also be noted that many vets' blood machines are actually human blood machines, so some of the levels on the charts don't apply to canine patients. Amalase levels are very unstable and can change extremely quickly, so a single high amylase reading is rarely helpful - an hour or two latwr it may be back within normal limits.
Good questions for your vet may be: 'I noticed some bright red readings on the test and wondered whether you could give me a more detailed explanation of why you weren't worried about each of them in my dogs' case?' - as they know both the patient and the machine, so should be best placed to advise you. I hope that something there is useful.
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