Advantages Of Digital X-Rays at an Animal Diagnostic Clinic
Our clinic has a digital X-ray machine, which provides improved image quality and diagnostic capabilities. Digital X-rays allow our veterinarians to adjust contrast or zoom in on areas of concern. Advantages of digital include fewer retakes- meaning less radiation exposure for your pet, fast image results which allow our staff to rapidly begin care in emergencies, and easily share images with radiologists or pet owners.
X-rays may be recommended to help diagnose or rule out a variety of conditions including concerns with limping, GI distress, changes in breathing, bladder stones, etc.
Lab Work for Healthy & Sick pets
Lab work is recommended for both healthy and sick patients. Routine lab work is part of an annual exam.
In healthy patients, lab work is recommended to ensure there are no early changes that may indicate a bigger problem down the road. Especially as your pet ages, routine blood work will help us understand trends that may point to disease processes. It also helps us plan for anesthetic procedures by giving us a picture of how well the body is functioning.
In sick patients, lab work helps us understand the normal and abnormal functions of the body allowing us to better diagnose the concern and provide an ideal treatment plan.
Routine blood work consists of a complete blood count (CBC) and blood chemistry. The CBC looks at the number and type of cells while blood chemistry surveys the organ systems and how well they are functioning. Depending on the results, further diagnostic blood work may be recommended.
Other tests are also performed to check for internal and external parasites, urinalysis and to evaluate the microscopic composition of the skin and cells. As an animal diagnostic clinic, we can provide many tests in-clinic while others we send to appropriate labs out of state.
