In House Diagnostic Laboratory ​

Bringing your pet in for their annual check-up is the first step towards helping them live a longer, happier, healthier life.
However, there are areas of your pet's overall health that cannot be gathered from looking on the outside during the physical examination.
When we look internally, with blood work, urinalysis, or fecal testing, a tremendous amount of valuable information can be obtained.  This information can provide a wealth of knowledge about how your pet's internal organ systems are functioning.  If needed we can then make any necessary changes to your pets diet or medications long before signs of disease would be noted on the outside.

---Diagnostics can detect early signs of hidden illnesses in pets who otherwise may appear healthy ---



Chemistry tests show us important information about internal organs, such as the liver and kidneys. They also help to identify various hormonal imbalances or endocrine diseases.  The values obtained from these tests can let us know  whether vital organs are functioning properly and give us clues to other disease processes that may be going on in the body. 

Other conditions like feline leukemia, feline immunodeficiency virus, heart worm, various tick borne diseases and blood clotting disorders can also be detected. ​

Complete Blood Count (CBC) and Serum Chemistry Panel


Many diseases, especially in the early stages, do not show clinical signs until it has advanced and our pets have become very ill. Animals are extremely stoic creatures and hide illness from us very well.  The body is able to compensate for so long until it reaches a tipping point and by then it may be too late. 
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A CBC can tell us whether or not your pet is anemic (low number of red blood cells), if their body is trying to fight an infection, or has had exposure to a toxin or poison.

Urinalysis


​Performing a urinalysis will provide information on kidney function, as well as look for the presence of blood, renal cells, crystals, bilirubin, sugar (glucose), ketones, protein and infection with bacteria or parasites in your pet's urine.

We refer to urine as "liquid gold" as it provides valuable information on your pet's health.

Culture and Sensitivity


​Our ability to culture yeast and bacteria, taken from a pet's sample, allows us to choose the most effective antibiotic or anti-fungal for your pet.  This helps to prevent the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria and means less medications for your pet.

Ringworm is a type of fungal infection that can cause skin irritations and fur loss.  We are able to diagnosis this using specialized culture medium.

Microscopic examination


​Using a microscope we can examine samples on a cellular level.
For example: skin mites, individual blood cells, yeast and bacteria can be identified.

Fecal Testing

External Laboratory Services

Just a small, fresh stool sample can be tested for parasites such as giardia, round worms, and other intestinal parasites. Treatment of these parasites is very important as many are zoonotic (passed from pet to people). A small fecal sample can also detect a deadly and highly contagious virus, parvovirus. If your dog contracts parvovirus they will need intensive care in isolation. Fortunately, this virus is preventable with proper vaccination. 

There are specific diagnostic testing that must be performed at an external laboratory. We refer our samples to several laboratories off island when necessary.  The samples are specially packaged and couriered to the appropriate facility and test results are then returned to our veterinary hospital for review and consultation with our clients. ​