Life Stage
What to Ask For at a Senior Pet's Wellness Visit
Updated July 30, 2026
By Morgan Reyes
The Short Answer
AAHA's own senior care guidelines name specific tests and frequencies, not a vague "senior bloodwork panel." Ask for these by name.
| Test | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive CBC | Every 6-12 months | Every 6-12 months |
| Chemistry panel (incl. SDMA) | Every 6-12 months | Every 6-12 months |
| Urinalysis | Every 6-12 months | Every 6-12 months |
| Thyroxine (T4) | Annually | Strongly annually |
| Blood pressure | Annually | Strongly annually; every 6-12mo if geriatric |
| NT-proBNP (cardiac) | Annually; before anesthesia | Annually; before anesthesia |
The tests worth asking for by name
The chemistry panel includes SDMA, and that's worth knowing about specifically. SDMA (symmetric dimethylarginine) is a kidney-function marker that can flag declining function earlier than traditional creatinine testing. A peer-reviewed 2014 study in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, comparing SDMA and creatinine directly in 21 cats with chronic kidney disease, found SDMA rose an average of 17 months before creatinine did, with individual cats ranging from 1.5 to 48 months of lead time. This is included in AAHA's own recommended panel, an independent professional body, not a claim that only comes from a company selling the test.
Thyroid and blood pressure testing carry a real, checkable species asymmetry most owners don't expect. Both are merely "recommended annually" for dogs, but "strongly recommended annually" for cats, per AAHA's own wording, stepping up further to every 6-12 months for geriatric cats specifically. If you have an aging cat, these two tests deserve more insistence than the same conversation for a dog.
Before any anesthesia: the one thing to ask about
NT-proBNP is a cardiac biomarker, and AAHA's guidelines call for it annually, with a specific additional note: it should be "strongly considered before an anesthetic event." That's a concrete, actionable detail most owners never hear unprompted, and it applies directly if your senior pet needs any procedure requiring anesthesia, including a routine dental cleaning.
If your senior pet has an anesthesia-requiring procedure scheduled, ask specifically whether NT-proBNP should be checked first, rather than assuming the standard annual bloodwork already covers it.
Most owners walk into a senior wellness visit and let the clinic decide what to run. AAHA's own guidelines name the exact tests and frequencies, including two (T4 and blood pressure) that matter specifically more for cats, and one (NT-proBNP) most owners never think to ask about before an anesthesia-requiring procedure. Ask by name, rather than accepting whatever the standard visit happens to include.
Bottom line: AAHA's own senior care guidelines name a specific test and frequency schedule: comprehensive CBC, chemistry panel (including SDMA), and urinalysis every 6-12 months for both species; thyroid and blood pressure testing annually, more strongly for cats; and NT-proBNP annually, with a specific recommendation to check it before any anesthesia-requiring procedure. Ask for these by name rather than accepting a generic "senior bloodwork" panel.
FAQ
What bloodwork does my senior dog or cat actually need?
A comprehensive CBC, a chemistry panel including SDMA, and a urinalysis every 6-12 months, per AAHA's own guidelines. See the full table above.
What is SDMA, and why does it matter?
A kidney-function marker that a 2014 peer-reviewed study found detects decline an average of 17 months before traditional creatinine testing, in cats specifically.
Is there anything specific I should ask about before my senior pet has anesthesia?
Yes, NT-proBNP, a cardiac marker AAHA specifically recommends checking before any anesthetic event.
Keep reading
A guide on the cost of veterinary care, useful if the recommended testing cadence is a cost concern, is planned and not yet built.
A Note on Scope
This guide summarizes published veterinary-association testing guidelines. It is not veterinary advice and does not diagnose any individual animal. Your pet's actual testing plan is a conversation with your vet.
Sources
Image credits
- “Close-up of a German Shepherd being examined by a vet in grayscale.,” Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels, Pexels License
- AAHA, "Diagnostic Tests and Recommended Frequencies for Senior Dogs and Cats," 2023 AAHA Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, Table 1. Fetched via web.archive.org 30 July 2026 (aaha.org blocks direct fetch in this research environment). Source for every test and frequency in the table above.
- Hall, Yerramilli, Obare, Yerramilli & Jewell, "Comparison of serum concentrations of symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine as kidney function biomarkers in cats with chronic kidney disease," Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 28(6):1676-1683, 2014. Consulted 30 July 2026. A peer-reviewed, independently published study; some authors are affiliated with IDEXX, which sells SDMA testing, a relationship worth knowing even though the finding itself was independently peer-reviewed.