Laboratory Tests
You don’t know what you don’t know…
There 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