Do vets take a cats temperature before taking a blood sample?
Taking a temp, pulse and respiration rate is a very critical, basic part of any physical exam. Taking a blood sample for chemistry and complete blood profiles is also a good idea (even in healthy animals as we need baselines). If the temp is increased outside the normal range it could be due to inflammation or infection or overheating. All are good reasons to do bloodwork. If the temp is too low this is often a sign of shock or other serious medical problems, so again bloodwork is a great way to figure out what’s going on at a cellular level. All of this is combined with a good hands on physical exam. I want to touch every part of the pet, feel the lymph nodes, feel for masses, look in the mouth and ears and eyes. It’s the whole clinical picture which helps aid in diagnosing problems.
