# How often should you test your dog’s blood?

> How often dogs need bloodwork by age and breed, what a baseline panel catches that an annual exam misses, and when to retest.

Source: https://omihealth.com/blog/how-often-should-you-test-your-dogs-blood/

_Published 2026-07-23 · by Omi Health Team · reviewed by Richard Joseph, DVM_

Most healthy adult dogs should have bloodwork at least once a year, and
senior dogs every six months. That is the cadence behind the twice-yearly
wellness exams veterinary bodies like AAHA recommend for older dogs — and
it exists because blood chemistry shifts long before symptoms show.

## Why test a dog that seems perfectly healthy?

Because dogs hide illness. Chronic conditions — kidney disease, liver
disease, diabetes, inflammatory disease — typically progress for months or
years before a visible symptom appears, and biomarkers move first. Around 1
in 5 apparently healthy dogs is carrying a condition that will affect its
lifespan. By the time you notice a limp, a lump, or a behavior change, the
window for the easiest interventions has often already narrowed.

## How often should a young adult dog get bloodwork?

Once a year is the baseline for healthy dogs between roughly one and seven
years old. The most valuable test is the first one: it establishes your
dog's individual reference values, so later results can be judged against
_your dog's_ normal rather than a population average. A value that is
technically "in range" but drifting year over year is exactly the kind of
signal an annual series catches and a single test cannot.

## When should that increase to every six months?

Three situations call for a six-month cadence:

- **Senior dogs** — from about age seven for most breeds, earlier for giant
  breeds that age faster.
- **Dogs with a flagged result** — any biomarker outside or trending toward
  the edge of its reference range deserves a follow-up rather than a
  twelve-month wait.
- **Dogs starting a new protocol** — a diet change, supplement, or
  medication should be checked against the bloodwork it was meant to move.

## What does a baseline panel actually measure?

A standard veterinary wellness panel covers roughly 5–10 markers. A
longevity-oriented baseline like Omi's reads 80+ biomarkers across renal,
hepatic, metabolic, inflammatory, and cardiac categories — breadth that
matters because early disease rarely announces itself in the handful of
values a minimum panel covers. An Omi membership includes one blood draw a
year, taken by a licensed medical team at a partner location; founding
members also get a cellular aging test, a cheek swab taken at that same
appointment that reads biological age. The recommendations generated from the results are built on
veterinary-reviewed guidance, with licensed veterinarians reviewing samples
of that output as ongoing quality assurance.

## Does at-home testing replace the vet?

No. Longitudinal biomarker data makes vet visits sharper, not optional.
Bring the trend history to your next appointment and your veterinarian is
interpreting months of data instead of a single 15-minute snapshot. Any
out-of-range result should always be discussed with your vet.

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_This article is general information, not veterinary advice for your
individual dog. Always consult your veterinarian about your dog's health._