As humans, we can describe the symptoms we are experiencing to our doctor. Our pets are not able to tell us where it hurts. We rely on a thorough physical exam and diagnostic testing to help us find the diagnosis of an illness in pets.
Being able to get immediate results makes the difference in allowing us to save valuable time in starting the correct treatment for your pet.
We offer the following in house diagnostics:
- Digital Radiology(x-rays) – Radiographs taken digitally are available within seconds. No time is spent waiting for films to be taken for developing. This means your pet spends less time having “pictures” taken and it is much less stressful for your pet. Radiographs allow us to look inside your pet for bone or tissue abnormalities(fractures or growths), foreign bodies, cancer, oral disease and much more.
- Ultrasound – real time moving picture of the pet’s chest, abdomen, heart, etc. An ultrasound usually does not require any sedation and is painless and non-invasive. It allows us to check for abnormalities within the body such as fluid around an organ, cancer, heart abnormalities, etc
- Blood testing(serum chemistry, CBC, electrolytes) – These tests are completed using a very small blood sample and we have results within 10 minutes. These tests are particularly critical in sick pets and can give us many of the diagnostic answers needed to begin treatment. For routine screenings or more specific testing, we utilize an outside laboratory to save on costs for pet owners.
- Electrocardiogram – An ECG allows us to check for abnormalities in your pet’s heart. This is particularly important for pets prior to anesthesia or for pets being treated for heart disease. We use telemedicine to transmit the ECG to the cardiologist and they are able to quickly give us the best plan for treatment.
- Urinalysis – Testing a small sample of urine can allow us to diagnose increases or decreases in substances the body excretes into the urine allowing for diagnosis of diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease and more simple things such as crystals in the urine or urinary tract infections.
- Internal/External parasite testing – using small samples of skin cells, blood, feces, or debris we are able to use the microscope to check for many types of internal(heartworms, intestinal worms, etc) parasites and external(mange, mites, etc)parasites.
- Testing for heartworm disease and viral diseases – Using antigen testing, we can use a very tiny sample of your pet’s blood or feces to rule out diseases like Feline Leukemia, Parvovirus, or heartworm disease.
- Blood Pressure Testing – screening for blood pressure changes in our pets allows us to treat hypertension, often associated with kidney or heart disease in older pets. We also monitor for changes in blood pressure during anesthetic procedures that can indicate problems during anesthesia.
- Glaucoma screening(Tonometry) – we use tonometry to screen for changes in pressures in the eye. These changes can indicate issues such as vision issues or glaucoma.
