In-House Diagnostics

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Advanced Veterinary Diagnostics in Virginia Beach, VA

Cats, dogs, and exotic animals can’t tell us when they start feeling unwell. In fact, many animals, particularly cats and exotics, actively hide signs of illness or injury in order to not appear vulnerable. While this strategy may have helped them in the wild, it makes early detection of illness difficult when just looking at physical symptoms. Luckily, veterinary diagnostics help us fill in the gaps. With X-rays, ultrasound, and lab work, we can assess your pet’s internal health and detect illness before physical symptoms occur, and then form treatment plans before things get worse.

Why Blood Work is So Important

Our in-house lab performs many different tests including blood tests, fecal exams, skin tests (cytology), urinalysis, biopsies, and so much more. Yet, it is blood work that takes center stage. We often perform blood work at every wellness exam, as it helps us to form a complete medical history of your pet and to establish their baseline health. With this deep understanding, we’re able to better recognize subtle changes in the future that could indicate disease.

Typical blood tests we’ll perform include:

  • Complete blood count (CBC) – This test measures the amount of red and white blood cells your pet has. An increase or decrease in either could indicate disease.
  • Blood chemistry panels – These measure certain components of the blood including glucose levels, electrolytes, certain proteins, and more. Each element of the blood corresponds to the health of certain organs, so any increase or decrease in a certain component could indicate a problem with a particular organ or organ system.
  • Disease screenings – Common diseases we screen for include heartworm disease and Lyme disease in dogs, and feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus in cats. For exotic animals, we can also run several disease screenings particular to certain species.

 

Advanced Imaging with Digital X-Rays and Ultrasound

Digital X-rays and ultrasound are essential for understanding your pet’s internal workings. Both are non-invasive and entirely safe for your pet. Digital X-rays are far superior to their film predecessor, boasting less radiation, a faster processing time, and clearer images. Meanwhile, our ultrasound machine also includes Doppler radar which helps us measure blood flow and velocity. Conditions X-rays and ultrasound help diagnose are varied and include: