Why Your Pet Needs Diagnostic Testing

When you bring your pet to our office one of our veterinarians will likely suggest certain diagnostic testing or health screenings. We often hear pet owners ask the question, does my pet really need all of this testing? Our answer is always yes, and that answer is in the best interest of your furry friends.

First and foremost: opting for diagnostic testing helps you catch health issues quickly, before they become emergencies. This, in turn, leads to your pet’s living a longer, healthier, & happier life. Research has shown that health issues in your pet can be detected earlier if you regularly monitor your pet’s health through diagnostic testing. Secondly, diagnostic health screenings help to establish a baseline for your pet. What this means is, we will have initial testing results which can be compared to future results to screen for concerning changes. Diagnostic health screenings are sometimes the only way to identify health issues before they become something more serious.

Common Diagnostic Testing for Your Pets

The tests we typically recommend for your pet depend on their breed, age, and lifestyle. Some of the most common preventive, diagnostic, or monitoring tests that can be run and analyzed in-clinic include:

Blood Chemistry

Think of these tests just like the blood draws your doctor may order for you at the hospital. The purpose of this This type of testing can provide important information about your pet’s pancreas, liver, kidneys, intestines, thyroid, & other organs.

One of the most common tests is a biochemistry profile, which will check many different factors including blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, liver dysfunction, or even certain cancers, and specific liver enzymes.

Hematology Testing

We may also suggest hematology testing. One of the most common hematology test is the Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC), which looks at red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Our team uses this type of testing to detect conditions like anemia and leukemia, and can detect inflammation, blood clotting concerns, and possible infections.

Urinalysis (Urine Testing)

Another common test that our veterinarians may suggest for your pet is a Urine tests to look for the presence of blood, protein, glucose, bacteria or other abnormalities in the urine. This testing is usually performed with a blood chemistry test. This tells the vet team not just how well your pet's kidneys are working, but also provides insight into other areas such as the potential for a urinary tract infection, inflammation or even stones.

Fecal Testing

Fecal testing looks for evidence of common intestinal parasites that can make your pet sick. Some of these parasites, such as Hookworms and Roundworms, can also affect humans.

Benefits of Diagnostic Health Screening

  • With our diagnostic testing, your pet's test results are available to you the same day.

  • You get peace of mind when normal results are confirmed.

  • Diagnostic testing allows our team to document what is normal for your pet and more easily recognize early signs of disease.

  • Detecting disease early often managing it faster, thereby lessening the discomfort for your pet.

  • Diagnostic health screening allows your veterinary team to treat your pet proactively rather than reacting once problems have already gotten out of hand.

  • Finally, when disease is detected early, it decreases the cost to get the condition under control and maintain it over time.

Cheyene Gonzalez