At Valley Ranch Animal Hospital, we utilize many different types of diagnostic testing in order to ensure that your pet is in optimal health.  Some of these services are descibed in length below.  We recommend performing a routine blood panel (complete blood count and chemical profile) once yearly in all animals over 5 years of age.  For most of our testing, we utilize a diagnostic lab called Antech Diagnostics.

So why should you do bloodwork and what can it tell us about your animal’s state of health and well-being?

The CBC (or complete blood count) gives us knowledge concerning your animal’s red blood cells and white blood cells.  The red blood cells deal with blood transport, while the white blood cells are our body’s first line of defense against infection.  The CBC can also give us information concerning your animal’s hydration status.

The serum chemistry gives us information about the status of your animal’s organ functions including the liver, the kidney, and the pancreas.  It also provides insight concerning the electrolytes and can be used to diagnose diabetes.

This covers the basic blood tests we provide here at Valley Ranch Animal Hospital.  More extensive blood tests are available if necessary including thyroid profiles, hormonal assays, and many more. 

Urinalysis:

Another part of the overall good health database is the urinalysis.  This test is used to determine the presence of a urinary tract infection, but it can also give information concerning uroliths (bladder stones), kidney function, and immune function.  It is a useful test for diabetics and liver patients.  Urine cultures are also utilized in more advanced cases.

Ear Swab and Cytology:  For identification and treatment of ear problems.

Fecal:

Fecals are useful for determing the presence of parasites in stool, including roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, coccidia, and Giardia.

Fine Needle Aspirate and Pathology (for masses):

These two diagnostic procedures allow us (via the diagnostic lab) to identify the nature of many types of tumors.  They can help to determine whether a mass is malignant or benign, as well as whether or not further surgery needs to be performed.

What other diagnostics are available?  Heartworm SNAP tests, PARVO SNAP tests, Pancreatitis SNAP tests, culture swabs, dermatophyte cultures (ringworm), and many more…..