Laboratory
Modern medicine relies on modern diagnostics - but it is often necessary to get results of blood tests quickly. It is much better to dispense treatment based on sound knowledge rather than to treat a case by educated guesswork whilst waiting for the results of tests.
How long did you have to wait for the results after you had a blood test yourself?
At Elands Veterinary Clinic we have our own laboratory facilities to allow us to carry out the majority of routine tests immediately, usually getting results within about 20 minutes!
Blood Tests
We may take
blood tests for a variety of reasons. We can look at the number and types of
cells in the blood (haematology) as this can indicate whether the patient has
bacterial infection, anaemia, viral disease, leukaemia, and a whole host of
other disorders. We also commonly look at a number of different enzymes and
chemical constituents of the blood (biochemistry).
This is invaluable in assessing liver and kidney
disease as well as monitoring most other diseases and ailments that affect our
pets.Blood samples are often taken to help us make a diagnosis. Our patients cannot tell us what is wrong with them, and many show only vague signs that are common to many different diseases. Remember, that even a normal result is extremely helpful in ruling our a number of common ailments and the initial results will often point the way to more specific tests that may be necessary for a particular case.
We will often advise a routine blood test in older animals (over 7 years) - especially prior to anaesthesia or surgery. Many diseases such as kidney disease can be well advanced before you can see any signs at all in the dog or cat. The kidneys have a tremendous reserve capacity - which is why people sometimes donate a kidney to a relative in need - in fact you can survive on about 1/5th of one kidney! However this means that you pet may have to lose 9/10ths of his kidney cells before you start to notice signs such as increased thirst! By this stage treatment is extremely difficult if indeed possible at all. Blood samples can pick up the early stages of kidney or liver disease, at a time when treatment is much more likely to be successful in prolonging you pet's quality of life.
Our computerised blood and biochemistry analysers can provide a full analysis in a matter of minutes.
Urinalysis
Analysis of
urine samples can detect much more than just diabetes. Analysis of urine
sediments under the microscope can reveal bacteria, protein casts, blood cells
and parasites as well as various forms of bladder stones. The measurement of
specific gravity gives an indication of kidney function and we can perform
other tests for the presence of various other biochemical metabolites in
urine.Skin and faecal analysis
We can also check skin and faecal samples for the presence of parasites or fungal infections to allow rapid treatment of itchy pets!Clinic Home Page | What's New | Clinic Information | Client Information | Online Vet-2-Pet shop | Useful Links | Clinic Location |
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