As vets, we use a whole range of techniques and diagnotic testing tools to assess the health of your cat or dog.
A visit to Moorabbin Veterinary Hospital will typically start with a discussion of any concerns about your pet, followed by a thorough physical examination. While this head-to-toe physical exam often gives us sufficient information to assess your petโs health, sometimes we need to undertake diagnostic testing to gain a more complete understanding of their health. This is often the case if your pet is unwell, on certain medications, advancing in age, or about to undergo surgery.
Pet diagnostic testing encompasses a whole range of tests, from blood, urine or faecal testing through to X-ray or ultrasound. In this blog, we take you through each of these different types of tests in detail.
Urine analysis
Urine analysis is one of the most common diagnostic tools we use to assess the health of your pet. This is typically performed when your cat or dog is unwell, as it allows your vet to screen for a range of diseases, infection, damage to cells and see if there is blood in the urine. We can undertake urine analysis in-house here at Moorabbin Veterinary Hospital and provide you with results quite quickly.
Further analysis can be forwarded onto specialist laboratories, including the detection of bacteria in your petโs urine and to measure kidney function more accurately. These tests take longer to perform, so results can take a few days.
Blood testing
Blood tests are another important diagnostic and monitoring tool for dogs and cats and can provide our vets with immediate insights into the health of your pet. This can include the diagnosis of illness such as infection or disease, assessing how their organs are functioning, monitoring the progress of any treatment, and providing important information relating to blood sugar and hydration levels.
Blood tests are performed in a number of circumstances:
- Prior to surgery or a procedure. Before your cat or dog undergoes anaesthesia, itโs important to check the health of their organs to ensure they are healthy enough to be sedated. This also allows us to customise your petโs anaesthesia to ensure their surgery or procedure is as safe as possible.
- When your pet is unwell or injured. Blood tests can help vets to work out what is making your pet ill, as well as to screen for any underlying or developing disease. If your pet has been injured, blood tests can check to see how their major organs are functioning.
- Medication monitoring. If your cat or dog is on medication, your vet may require your pet to undergo regular blood testing. This may be to ensure the medication dosing is correct, or if it is causing any potentially dangerous side effects.
- Preventative screening in older pets. As pets get older, they tend to develop more health problems. Routine blood testing during their annual health check can help detect the beginnings of any common age-related illness (such as thyroid disease, diabetes or kidney disease).
Faecal testing
Many cats and dogs will be infected with parasites at some stage during their life. If your pet is suffering from diarrhoea, your vet may test their stools for the presence of intestinal parasites such as giardia, roundworms, tapeworms or hookworms. This will then enable your animal to be effectively treated.
X-ray
Another common diagnostic testing procedure we undertake is an X-ray. X-rays are used for much more than just assessing fractures or orthopaedic issues. We also use them to diagnose a wide range of health issues, including conditions relating to the heart, lungs or abdominal region. As dogs and cats arenโt known for their ability to stay perfectly still when asked, we typically need to gently sedate them for X-rays.
Ultrasound
Our vets also use ultrasound to diagnose and monitor a range of conditions. ย We give your pet a light sedation to relax your them through the scan and keep the experience as painless and stress-free as possible.
Ultrasound is used for a number of reasons, including:
- To get an in-depth look at your petโs internal organs
- Locate any foreign objects in the stomach
- Diagnose or check on a cat or dogโs pregnancy
- Look for signs of disease
The most common organs we ultrasound are the liver, kidney, bladder and heart.
We can also use ultrasound to obtain samples of various tissues, which means we can avoid any unnecessary and costly surgery.
Our hospitalโs diagnostic testing facilities
At Moorabbin Veterinary Hospital, we pride ourselves on providing the very best methods and expertise in animal care and are fully equipped with the latest diagnostic technologies. This allows us to take digital X-rays and ultrasounds and perform a wide range of common diagnostic tests including blood tests, urine analysis, faecal tests, and cultures.
Our on-site laboratory allows our staff to analyse test results onsite to provide prompt diagnosis and recommend a treatment plan without delay. For non-routine diagnostic testing, we have a network of external specialist laboratories that we utilise.
To make an appointment at our veterinary hospital, you can book online or call us on 03 9555 4808.
