Waiting for results from a reference laboratory can be frustrating, but our Twin Maples Veterinary Hospital team offers a wide variety of in-house diagnostics that provide fast answers, so your pet’s treatment is not delayed. Keep reading to learn about our in-house diagnostic capabilities and how they benefit your pet.

Our in-house veterinary laboratory benefits your pet

Being able to run blood work and other laboratory tests benefits your pet when they are sick or injured. In addition, this capability helps our team ensure your pet receives an appropriate anesthetic protocol. Specific tests that we can run in-house include:

  • Complete blood count (CBC) — A CBC provides vital information about your pet’s white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Abnormalities can indicate conditions such as infection, anemia, blood clotting disorders, and some cancers.
  • Blood chemistry — A blood chemistry panel provides information about your pet’s overall health. Abnormalities can indicate issues such as electrolyte imbalances, hypoglycemia, kidney dysfunction, and liver disease.
  • Cytology — We can run in-house cytology to assess samples from your pet’s ears, skin, and masses that will help make a diagnosis and determine an appropriate treatment plan.
  • Viral testing — We can run tests for common viruses, such as feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, and parvovirus.

Our in-house X-rays benefit your pet

Our Twin Maples Veterinary Hospital team uses digital X-rays, which provide clearer images with higher resolution that facilitate our diagnostic process. We use X-rays for numerous reasons, including:

  • Fractures — If we suspect your pet has a fracture, X-rays are helpful to determine the exact location and severity of the break.
  • Arthritis — Diagnosing arthritis in pets can be difficult, because they tend to hide pain. If your pet is moving more slowly than usual, or having difficulty jumping or navigating stairs, X-rays can help us determine if joint pain is causing the behavior change.
  • Spinal abnormalities — We can use X-rays to diagnose spinal issues such as intervertebral disc disease and spondylosis.
  • Heart conditions — Changes in your pet’s heart silhouette and related vasculature can indicate a heart condition, such as dilated cardiomyopathy or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
  • Respiratory conditions — Assessing your pet’s lungs via X-ray can help us determine the reason for respiratory problems, such as coughing and difficulty breathing.
  • Gastrointestinal (GI) obstruction — If you know or suspect your pet has ingested a foreign body, we often recommend X-rays to determine the obstruction location.
  • Dental — Dental X-rays are necessary to assess your pet’s oral health and can detect dead and fractured teeth, tooth root abscesses, tooth resorption lesions, and bone degeneration associated with periodontal disease.
  • Metastasis — If we diagnose your pet with certain cancer types, we may recommend X-rays to determine if the cancer has metastasized to other body areas.

Our in-house ultrasound benefits your pet

Ultrasound is a noninvasive imaging technique that typically requires no anesthesia and is low-stress for most pets. Reasons we may recommend an ultrasound for your pet include:

  • Abnormal blood work — If your pet has elevated liver or kidney values, we may recommend an ultrasound to assess these organs more closely. Ultrasound can also help stage kidney disease to ensure we begin the appropriate treatment.
  • Trauma — Pets who experience trauma, such as being hit by a car, falling from an elevated height, or being attacked by another animal, are at risk for internal bleeding and organ damage. An ultrasound can quickly determine if your pet has free fluid in their chest or abdomen and indicate organ trauma.
  • Lump or pain in the abdomen — If we find a lump in your pet’s abdomen during a routine physical, we may recommend an ultrasound to identify its location, size, and shape. We can also use ultrasound to guide a biopsy of the mass to help determine if the lump is benign or cancerous. If your pet is experiencing abdominal pain, an ultrasound can help us identify the reason.
  • Ocular conditions — In cases where the pet’s cornea or lens doesn’t allow visualization into the back of the eye, an ultrasound can help evaluate their retina.
  • Pregnancy — Ultrasound can help us diagnose pregnancy and determine the number of fetuses.

Our in-house endoscopy benefits your pet

An endoscope is a small, flexible tube with a camera and light source on the end that we use to evaluate organs and body cavities. Common uses include:

  • GI tract — We can use endoscopy to evaluate your pet’s esophagus, stomach, and intestinal tract to diagnose issues such as megaesophagus, stomach ulcers, and GI obstruction.
  • Respiratory tract — We can use endoscopy to evaluate your pet’s pharynx, larynx, trachea, and lungs to diagnose issues such as laryngeal hemiplegia and respiratory infection.
  • Abdomen — We can use endoscopy to evaluate your pet’s abdominal cavity less  invasively than a large surgical incision. 

Our in-house diagnostics allow us to receive fast, accurate results about your pet’s condition, so we can quickly devise an appropriate treatment plan. If your pet needs a diagnostic work-up, contact our Twin Maples Veterinary Hospital team, so we can perform the appropriate tests in-house and ensure a quick diagnosis and immediate care