Your veterinarian has recommended some diagnostic tests for your pet. Because you may have questions about these tests, the following is designed provide information about the important relationships between laboratory testing and your pet's health. Here you'll find a description of routine laboratory tests that can help establish health parameters and diagnose diseases, as well as protect and maintain your pet's well-being.
When a pet is sick, your veterinarian relies on the description of your pet's symptoms along with the physical examination to assist in the determination of a diagnosis. In some cases, this alone provides enough information to prescribe treatment for your pet. However, in many cases, laboratory testing is also needed. Laboratory tests are an important means of acquiring additional insight into total body function and the disease process. After a blood, urine, tissue, fluid or fecal sample is obtained from your pet, it is sent to a diagnostic laboratory for analysis. These tests are processed by state of the art equipment and results are returned to your veterinarian.
Interpretation of results by veterinary specialists is also available to assist your veterinarian in diagnosing an illness or uncovering an unsuspected disease process. There are times during an animal's life when laboratory tests should be run even though your pet is perfectly healthy.
For the young animal, laboratory tests are helpful in establishing a baseline for health care. For the middle-aged or older pet, laboratory tests, along with an annual physical examination, are important for the detection of potential health problems and for sustaining a good quality of life.
A Pet
Owner's Guide To Laboratory Testing
(An educational series provided by your veterinarian
and Antech Diagnostics)
Diagnostic Tests
CBC (Complete Blood Count) is used to determine the number and type of cells in the blood. Results help your veterinarian identify anemia (insufficient red blood cells), leukemia (abnormal or too many white blood cells), and possible infection.
Chemistry Profile is a select group of screening blood tests that evaluate several body functions, including liver, kidney, pancreas, and other internal organs. These tests are used to identify the location and severity of disease in the body.
Cultures (bacterial and fungal) reveal the presence of infectious agents that may cause disease. Isolated bacteria may be further assessed by antibiotic sensitivities to identify which treatment would most likely eradicate the infection.
Thyroid and Adrenal Function Tests are used to assist in diagnosing thyroid, Addison's, and Cushing's disease which are very common in adult dogs and cats. These diseases can be severely debilitating or possibly fatal if left untreated.
Biopsy involves removing a piece of tissue from a damaged area or a tumor for microscopic evaluation. Healthy adjacent tissue may also be collected for comparison. The tissue sample is processed, stained and examined by a board-certified veterinary pathologist. A routine examination takes from 2-4 days to complete. (Remember that not all tumors are cancerous).
Fecal Exam is a microscopic evaluation of a fresh stool sample from your pet. It aids in the identification of intestinal parasites such as round worms, tapeworms, whipworms, coccidia and giardia, which can cause weight loss, diarrhea or vomiting.
Urinalysis consists of chemical testing and microscopic examination of a urine sample, and helps your veterinarian evaluate kidney function, detect urinary tract infection, or identify other diseases such as diabetes mellitus and liver disease.
Lab Testing is good preventative medicine
Any questions that we can help you with, please feel free to contact us anytime.
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