X-rays allow us to see many things we would not otherwise know about our pets. They can be used to evaluate almost any organ in the body, including the heart, lungs, and abdominal organs, as well as the bones. Radiographs are one of the best tools we can use to help diagnose a pet’s medical issue. Being that our pets cannot directly tell us what a problem may be, having these tests performed is often helpful in offering up a clearer picture of the problem, so our veterinary team can come up with the appropriate diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan.
Radiographs can be used to evaluate bones as well as the size, shape, and position of many of your pet’s organs. The size of organs is important because some medical conditions, such as kidney, heart, or liver disease, can alter the size of these organs. The shape and position of your cat or dog’s organs can be altered or distorted by certain medical conditions, including intestinal blockage.
Radiography can also be used to diagnose bladder stones, broken bones, chronic arthritis, certain spinal cord diseases, and a variety of other conditions.
Blood testing is used to assess for evidence of many things including infection, organ dysfunction, and viruses. Blood testing is typically performed in one of two scenarios:
1. To diagnose disease in sick pets
2. As a form of preventative medicine. We routinely run pre-anesthetic blood (highly recommended) prior to every surgery, to ensure that each patient is a good surgical candidate and we recommend annual blood work in our senior pets, as a screen for early disease detection.
Blood tests are typically recommended at each annual check up with your veterinarian. However, depending on your pet’s age, health status or prescriptions, your veterinarian may recommend more frequent blood tests to monitor crucial blood values within your pet and will also help to detect diseases at earlier stages before they have progressed too far, making treatment of certain diseases more effective.
Evaluates kidney function, bladder pathology including tumors, urinary tract infections, urine concentration, presence of bladder stones and crystals.
