Diagnostic Services

Our regular wellness exams can go a long way toward uncovering any symptoms or issues that you might never have noticed yourself. Careful inspection of your cat’s eyes, eyes, skin, fur, stance, gait, vital signs, and behavior can point us toward specific problems that may require further diagnostic evaluation. If your cat is showing any signs of injury or illness, we can perform these examinations on an as-needed basis.

Lab tests are a standard component of preventative wellness exams, but they’re also run whenever a cat appears to have a health problem. Blood testing can reveal infectious disease organisms as well as internal dysfunction, cancer, and other ailments. Urine testing allows us to check kidney function and reveals conditions such as feline diabetes. Fecal testing lets us check for parasites that can wreak havoc on your cat’s digestive system and nutrition.

X-rays pass through or bounce off of tissue according to the tissue density, giving us a picture of the internal organs, bones, teeth, and other structures. However, traditional photographic X-rays have always had disadvantages like the amount of radiation required, the clarity of the images, and the need to wait for the photos to develop. Our digital x-ray equipment takes much clear and more detailed images while exposing your cat to less radiation. The images are also available for instant viewing, a major plus in emergencies.

Ultrasound imaging uses sound waves instead of X-rays, but the principle of creating images from the reflected waves is not dissimilar. Ultrasound can actually show soft tissues (and the fluids within them) in motion, letting us monitor blood movement, fetal development, and other functions.

When other diagnostic techniques cannot confirm the nature of your cat’s health problem, we may recommend exploratory surgery. By looking directly at the affected physical structure, we can tell exactly what needs to be done.