Our laboratory facilities allow us to provide your pet with first class care – both preventative and diagnostic
Electrocardiology (ECG)
ECG is used to measure electrical activity through the heart. Small electrodes, called leads, are gently placed on the skin. This process is noninvasive and painless.
The ECG allows us to detect arrhythmias and other subtle abnormalities related to the rate and rhythm of your pet’s heartbeat. This minimally invasive test can be performed to well pets for early evidence of heart disease or as part of a diagnostic workup in pet who do have evidence of heart disease. We also include ECG as part of our pre-anesthetic testing to further decrease the risk of anesthetic related complications.
In many cases, the ECG can pick up on subtle abnormalities to allow us to detect heart disease earlier and thus give us the opportunity to treat your pet prior to the onset of visible signs.
Digital Radiographs (X-rays)
Radiographs are utilized in a variety of situations to help us visualize your pet’s skeleton and internal organs (bones, lungs, heart, intestines, etc). Radiographs may be helpful in numerous situations such as coughing, gastrointestinal upset, limping, and many other ailments.
In most situations radiographs are used as part of a diagnostic workup, but may also be utilized for preventative screens to look for evidence of tumors or other changes in the chest or abdomen.
Ultrasounds
Abdominal ultrasound is a very powerful tool that allows us to get more specific images of each of the internal organs. This test is also relatively non-invasive – your pet lies in a comfy bed while their abdomen is shaved and then a probe is slid across the skin to view various portions of the abdomen. Once the images are obtained, they are sent to a board-certified radiologist to interpret. These scans can give us a lot of information about the structure of the liver, kidneys, bladder, adrenal glands, spleen, intestinal tract, etc.
In most cases ultrasound is used as part of a diagnostic workup, but it may also be used for preventative screening and/or monitoring of known existing disease.
Echocardiogram
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound that is focused on the heart. Similar to abdominal ultrasound, your pet will lay on a comfy bed while portions of the chest are shaved and a probe is slid across the skin to visualize the heart. This test is the cornerstone of a full cardiac workup. It provides information about the structure of each chamber of the heart, the structure of the valves, and how effectively blood is being pumped through the heart.
An echocardiogram may be recommended for your pet if one of our veterinarians detects a heart murmur, and elevated cardiac enzyme, or an abnormality on screening ECG. Once a pet has known heart disease, echocardiogram can also be used to monitor the progression of disease and effectiveness of treatment.