A New Look at Old Labs: Understanding Familiar Lab Values in a New Way as Indicators of Unhealthy Aging

Many clinical lab values change with aging in dogs. When these changes aren’t clearly linked to a specific disease, we often dismiss them as “normal aging.” However, new research is suggesting that small changes in some of these values, even when still within the reference range, may be indicators of insidious processes that ultimately lead to clinical dysfunction and disease. Understanding these changes can help guide a preventive approach to aging that reduces the negative impact on health.

In this session, we will look at some recent evidence that blood lipids, insulin, and even our old friends ALP and ALT may be markers of metabolic dysfunction and predictors of frailty and declining quality of life. We will also look at a couple of less familiar lab values that might also help us track aging and health in our canine patients.