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Sample report · Dog bloodwork

Sample report: Bella's chemistry panel and blood count

This is what a lab report looks like once Read Your Pet's Lab has read it: the same 25 values the clinic printed, each against its reference range, colour-coded by how much it matters, and explained in everyday words. Bella is a fictional dog; the values are typical of a senior wellness panel with two findings worth a conversation.

Sample — fictional pet, typical values

Pet

Bella

7-year-old spayed female Labrador Retriever, 29 kg

Why the vet ran the panel

“Routine senior wellness check before a dental cleaning.”

Bella's results

IDEXX Reference Laboratories · sampled 14 July 2026 · bella-bloodwork.pdf

Some values need prompt attention — please contact your veterinarian.

Plain-language summary

Most of Bella’s results look normal. Two values stand out: calcium is above the reference range and should be rechecked promptly, and AST is mildly raised. The red cell count is slightly low while haemoglobin and haematocrit are in range, which is mild on its own but worth a mention at the next visit. Kidney values, blood sugar, proteins and the liver enzymes ALT, ALP and GGT are all within the laboratory’s printed ranges.

Questions for your vet

Tick them off during the appointment.

Results by panel

25 values · 3 flagged

Chemistry panel 2 to review

Albumin 31.5 g/L ref 23–40 Normal
Albumin is the main protein in blood. It sits comfortably in range, which suggests the liver is producing protein normally and there is no major loss through the gut or kidneys.
Total protein 62 g/L ref 49–82 Normal
Globulin 30.1 g/L ref 19–45 Normal
Total bilirubin 1.8 µmol/L ref 0–15 Normal
Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) < 2 U/L ref 0–10 Normal
GGT is a liver and bile-duct enzyme. 'Less than 2' means the lab could not measure any, which is normal for a dog.
Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) 81 U/L ref 0–50 High
Worth monitoring — AST is an enzyme found in liver and muscle cells. A mildly raised value like this often follows exercise, a bruise or an injection, and it is worth rechecking rather than acting on straight away. Because ALT, ALP and GGT are all in range, the liver itself looks settled.
Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 49 U/L ref 5–125 Normal
Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) 79 U/L ref 17–212 Normal
Amylase 874 U/L ref 400–1500 Normal
Creatine kinase (CK) 189 U/L ref 10–200 Normal
Creatinine 79.1 µmol/L ref 28–159 Normal
Creatinine is a waste product the kidneys filter out. A value in the middle of the range is a good sign that the kidneys are keeping up.
Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 7.26 mmol/L ref 2.5–9.6 Normal
Glucose 4.71 mmol/L ref 4.11–7.94 Normal
Blood sugar is in range. A single in-range glucose reading argues against diabetes, although it cannot rule out an early problem on its own.
Cholesterol 7.34 mmol/L ref 2.84–8.27 Normal
Triglycerides 0.49 mmol/L ref 0–1.13 Normal
Calcium 3.31 mmol/L ref 1.98–3 High
Needs prompt attention — Calcium above the reference range can point to a hormone or kidney problem and, in older dogs, occasionally to something more serious. Your vet will want to confirm it on a fresh sample, usually with an ionised calcium test, before deciding what it means.

Complete blood count (CBC) 1 to review

White blood cells (WBC) 8.4 10⁹/L ref 6–17 Normal
Red blood cells (RBC) 5.1 10¹²/L ref 5.5–8.5 Low
Discuss with your vet — Slightly fewer red cells than expected. On its own this is mild — haemoglobin and haematocrit are both in range — but combined with the calcium result it is worth discussing at the next visit.
Hemoglobin (HGB) 132 g/L ref 120–180 Normal
Hematocrit (HCT) 41 % ref 37–55 Normal
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 68 fL ref 60–77 Normal
Platelets (PLT) 210 10⁹/L ref 200–500 Normal
Neutrophils 6.2 10⁹/L ref 3–11.5 Normal
Lymphocytes 1.9 10⁹/L ref 1–4.8 Normal
Eosinophils 0.4 10⁹/L ref 0.1–1.2 Normal

Ask a follow-up question

Explain my dog's blood test

In a real report you can ask anything — in plain language — and the answer is written against this pet's actual values.

What you're looking at

Red, orange, amber, green

Every value is placed on a short bar showing where it sits against the lab's own reference range. The colour is not about how far outside the range a value is, but about how much it usually matters: red needs a prompt call, orange is worth discussing at the next visit, amber is worth monitoring, green is reassuring. Here calcium is red, the red cell count is orange and AST is amber.

Flagged values open with their explanation

The lab printout gives you an 'H' or an 'L'. The report gives you two or three sentences on what that value does, what commonly pushes it out of range, and what a vet will usually do next. In-range values stay on one line and open on tap.

The questions are written for this dog

Not a generic checklist: the four questions reference the actual pattern on this panel — a high calcium with a normal kidney picture, a raised AST with normal liver enzymes — so the appointment starts in the right place.

What it is not

This is not a diagnosis. The report says what the numbers mean and how urgent they usually are; the veterinarian who examined the dog decides what to do about them.

Get your own dog's bloodwork explained

Upload the PDF your clinic emailed you or a photo of the printout. Reports from IDEXX, Antech, Laboklin and in-clinic analysers all work. Your first analyses are free, no credit card.

Explain my dog's blood test Read the guide to dog & cat blood test results first

Free to start · no credit card · educational, not a diagnosis

More sample reports

Different pets, different questions — the same plain-language approach.

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Read Your Pet's Lab is an educational tool. It explains what results mean and helps you prepare for your vet visit — it does not diagnose, and it never replaces the veterinarian who examined your pet.