Bloodwork and Diagnostics

Urine testing can play an important role in evaluating the health of your pet.

Urine testing can help us determine whether there is a urinary tract infection and, if so, what specific antibiotics will best treat the infection. Signs of a urinary tract infection include frequent urination, a cat urinating outside of the litterbox, or a dog having urinary accidents in the house.

We also use urine testing to diagnose and monitor conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes, and cystitis (inflammation of the bladder).

We can obtain a sterile urine sample directly from your pet's bladder. In that case, you should ensure your pet has a full bladder at the appointment. You can do this by keeping your dog in the house or blocking your cat's access to the litterbox for 3-4 hours before the appointment. If your cat is sequestered in a bathroom, you should also take up any mats or rugs that might tempt your cat to urinate during this time.

Not all urine testing requires a sterile sample. For those tests, we can provide a kit for you to collect a sample and mail it back to us. The kit includes a vial for the sample and mailing supplies to return it to us. The kit for cats also includes a special non-absorbent litterbox sand so your cat can use the litterbox as usual and you can still obtain the sample.

Let's face it, it's not the most pleasant topic but your pet's poop is important to their health. Pets can pick up intestinal parasites from playing with other pets, from wildlife outside, from a mouse in the basement, even from ingesting a flea during grooming.

The best way to know if your pet has intestinal parasites is to run a fecal evaluation. Besides just letting us know about the problem, the fecal evaluation identifies the specific parasites so we know what medications will get rid of them. We recommend a comprehensive fecal evaluation for new pets (especially kittens and puppies), as well as for all pets who spend time outside, catch mice, or otherwise may have come across intestinal parasites or giardia. Once parasites have been identified and treated, we recommend re-testing after treatment to confirm the parasites have been eradicated.

Have you wondered how the lab tests for evidence of parasites? Watch here to find out:

Just like people, pets can suffer from high blood pressure. Fortunately, we can treat your pet's high blood pressure with medications, so it is important to test for and monitor blood pressure in pets who show signs of or have a history of high blood pressure.

We can check your pet's blood pressure at home using a sophisticated digital blood pressure monitor designed specifically for animals. Stressful situations -- like a trip to the animal hospital -- can raise your pet's blood pressure and make it hard to interpret the results, so it's especially helpful to be able to do this testing at home, where your pet is more likely to be relaxed and where we're more likely to get representative blood pressure readings.

If your pet needs further diagnostics, like x-rays, we will refer you to one of the referral hospitals in the area. We will provide the hospital with your pet's record and coordinate the referral. After these tests are completed, we will work with you to understand the results and make a plan for your pet's care.