When a pet comes into our emergency room gasping for air or collapsing, we need answers instantly. We don’t have time to wait 24 hours for a lab result. In these critical moments, one of the most powerful tools at Fur Life Vet Albury is our Blood Gas Analyzer.
What is a Blood Gas Test?
Your pet’s body is a complex engine that constantly takes in fuel (Oxygen) and pushes out exhaust fumes (Carbon Dioxide).
A Blood Gas test takes a tiny sample of blood and measures three critical things:
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Oxygen (PaO2): Is oxygen actually moving from the lungs into the bloodstream? (A pet can be panting hard but still not getting oxygen into their blood).
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Carbon Dioxide (PaCO2): Is the pet breathing out enough waste gas? If they are too weak to breathe deeply (e.g., tick paralysis or snake bite), CO2 builds up to toxic levels.
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pH (Acidity): Blood needs to be at a perfect neutral pH (around 7.4). If it becomes too acidic (Acidosis) or too alkaline (Alkalosis), the organs start to shut down.
When Do We Use It in our Albury Vet Clinic?
We reach for the Blood Gas machine in high-stakes situations:
1. Respiratory Distress
If a dog comes in with pneumonia, heart failure, or severe asthma, we need to know: Is this pet drowning in its own fluids? The test tells us if they need simple oxygen via a mask, or if they need to be put on a ventilator to breathe for them.
2. Snake Bites & Tick Paralysis
In Australia, this is a major use case. Neurotoxins from snakes or ticks can paralyze the chest muscles. The dog might look like it is breathing, but the Blood Gas test will reveal that CO2 is building up dangerously because the breaths are too shallow.
3. Diabetic Emergencies (DKA)
When a diabetic dog or cat gets sick, they can go into Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA). Their blood turns acidic. The Blood Gas machine tracks this acidity so we can correct it with insulin and fluids.
4. Anesthesia Monitoring
During long or complex surgeries, we run blood gases to ensure the patient is breathing well while asleep.
Arterial vs. Venous
Most blood tests use Venous blood (from the jugular or leg vein), which is carrying waste back to the heart.
However, to measure Oxygen levels accurately, we often need Arterial blood—blood fresh from the heart that has just been oxygenated by the lungs.
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We carefully draw a small amount of blood from an artery (usually in the wrist or inside the thigh).
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Arteries have more nerve endings than veins, so this poke can be a little more sensitive (like a sharp pinch). However, in critical patients who are often in shock, they rarely notice.
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We put the sample into a cartridge, and our in-house machine gives us a full readout in 2 minutes.