Laboratory Tests

You don’t know what you don’t know…

lab-testThere is a wealth of information to be gained from getting a thorough history, and doing a complete physical exam. These may give a suspicion of one, or even several conditions that could be responsible for the clinical signs a patient is displaying.

To really narrow down which condition is responsible for a problem and just how bad it is, we need data from laboratory testing.

Our clinic is pleased to offer a full in-house capable of the following tests:

  • Urine Analysis – assessing the concentration of the urine, measuring chemical parameters, and centrifuging the urine to look at all the solids present – cells, crystals, bacteria.
  • Cytology – taking a sample of cells from a mass or lesion, and staining them to look at them on the microscope. This can help identify a type on infection (eg bacterial vs yeast/fungal), or determine if cancerous cells are present.
  • Skin scraping – to identify parasitic mites in the skin.
  • Blood cell counts, electrolytes & organ function
  • Heartworm & tick-borne diseases

We can also send samples off to the reference laboratory. These give us information on:

  • Hormone function – such as adrenal and thyroid glands
  • Heart function
  • Fecal parasites
  • Infections – a culture not only identifies the type of bacteria present, but tests to see which antibiotics are effective against them
  • Biopsies, of diseased tissues or of tumours
  • DNA testing to identify what types of pathogens (viruses, bacteria or fungi) are involved in a particular disease condition