Diagnostic refers to any procedure
needed to determine the cause of illness in a patient. Diagnostic
procedures may be as simple as performing a physical examination or
may require more technical methods of examination.
The most commonly performed diagnostic procedures are:
Similar to human medicine, it is often necessary to perform a
series of tests or even to repeat tests in order to come to a
definitive diagnosis. Since our patients cannot speak for
themselves, it is important to explain, as accurately as possible,
what abnormalities your pet may be showing in order to help us
determine which tests will help us make a proper diagnosis.
We have the capability of performing many diagnostic and laboratory
procedures "in house." This is important when rapid results
are needed. For specialized procedures we use reference
laboratories or call upon board certified veterinary
specialists.
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One of the first steps in examining a urine
sample is collecting urine to place on a chemistry test
strip.
Examination of the urine is helpful in evaluating many disease
processes involving the urinary system, endocrine system, liver,
and general metabolic balance of the patient. A chemical
analysis and a microscopic examination are performed on each
specimen. The chemical findings may indicate that the patient is
diabetic or is not processing metabolic waste products
properly. Microscopic examination of the urine can aid in
diagnosing a urinary tract infection, urinary tumors or urinary
stones. A fresh specimen, collected as cleanly as possible, ensures
a maximum of information can be gathered from the
examination. Urinalysis are run as screening tests during
annual wellness examinations and are very important any time there
seems to be an abnormality in the frequency, amount, or appearance
of the urine. Urine should also be examined if there are
changes in a pet's drinking habits, or if the pet seems to be
having difficulty passing urine.
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Feces being
processed for intestinal parasite examination.
Fecal examinations are recommended yearly to help ensure your
health and the health of your pet. We perform fecal examinations
with a pet's annual physical examination, any time there is a
digestive upset, and during treatment for intestinal
parasites. Feces, the waste product from a patient's
digestive system, can be examined for the presence of blood or an
abnormal bacterial population, but are most regularly examined for
the presence of intestinal parasites. The majority of
parasites are not excreted as creatures large enough to be seen
with the naked eye. Microscopic examination enables us to see
very small parasite eggs or intact parasites. Since a
significant number of parasites harbored by our pets pose a human
health risk, it is extremely important to keep a watchful eye on
the pet's parasite status. When collecting a specimen,
freshness is important. The specimen should be less than 24
hours old and placed in a sealed sandwich bag or container.
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Most bloodwork can be processed in-house to
get faster results
The term "blood work" incorporates a wide range of test
procedures. It includes heartworm tests, blood chemistries,
blood count, hormone levels, and other more specialized
tests. Blood chemistries indicate how the patient's body is
producing, using, and excreting various substances. These are
important in diagnosing, treating, and monitoring conditions such
as diabetes, kidney failure, liver problems and long-term drug
therapy. Blood counts tell us the actual number of blood
cells in a measured amount of the patient's blood. An
increase of the white blood cell portion may indicate an infection
or another inflammatory process. A decrease in the red blood
cell portion indicates anemia. Care-Pets Animal Hospital has
the capability of performing heartworm tests, blood counts, and
basic chemistry profiles in-house allowing us to evaluate
critically ill patients quickly. For more specialized tests,
we use reference laboratories that require the specimens to be sent
away. Turn around time for reference laboratories differs
depending on the particular test requested.
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When bacterial infection is suspected, often it is necessary to
identify the specific organism at fault. This requires
sending a specimen of the infected tissue or fluid to the
laboratory and having them grow and identify the bacterium.
Once the bacterium is identified, the laboratory performs a
bacterial sensitivity. This checks to see which antibiotic is
most appropriate to treat the infection thus affording us the
ability to administer the most effective medication. It
usually takes 5-7 days to receive a finalized report. While
awaiting the results of the culture and sensitivity tests, a
medication may be prescribed based on the clinical impression of
the problem.
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Java is positioned
for radiographs of her abdomen.
Radiology (x-rays) allows us to see bone and organ structures
inside your pets. With radiographs, we can diagnose broken
bones, foreign objects your pet may have swallowed, arthritis,
infection or inflammation of organs and bones, and look at the
shape and size of various structures. Radiographs aid us in
developing a treatment plan or a more extensive diagnostic plan for
our patients. We perform most radiographs while the patient
is awake and with minimal restraint. However, if the
patient's condition requires more precise or difficult positioning
mild sedation may be necessary.
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Maggie is having her urinary bladder
examined with the ultrasound.
Ultrasound technology evaluates the integrity of organs, vessels
and other tissues in your pet's body. Ultrasound gives us an
in-depth look at how the organs are functioning and if there are
abnormalities on the surface or within the structure. We can
perform many studies with our ultrasound unit. For
specialized ultrasound procedures, we employ the services of a
board certified radiologist. The radiologist we use has a
mobile ultrasound unit allowing us to perform these procedures in
our hospital. We perform most ultrasounds while the patient is
awake and with minimal restraint. However, if the patient's
condition requires more precise or difficult positioning mild
sedation may be necessary.
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Sometimes "Lumps and Bumps" are easily diagnosed with a simple
physical examination, but many masses require laboratory
diagnosis. A fine needle aspirate may be appropriate to try
to diagnose some of these. In this case, an attempt is made
to pull a few cells from the mass, put them on a microscope slide,
and have a pathologist at the laboratory identify the cells.
This laboratory test is called cytology. At other times, it
may be necessary to perform a biopsy. In this situation, a
piece of the mass or the entire mass is sent to a pathologist and
the tissue is sliced thinly and examined. This laboratory
procedure is called histology or histopathology. We usually
perform a fine needle aspirate while the patient is awake, but a
biopsy often requires anesthesia. Knowing exactly what kind
of "bump" your pet has enables us to determine the best treatment
plan.