Unfortunately, our pets can’t tell us when they are unwell. Vets look at their behaviour, and we do examinations and tests to find injuries, diseases and disorders.

Blood tests often reveal illnesses before they are outwardly apparent. That means we can act early to delay or prevent the onset of disease, improving quality of life and helping your pet live longer.

We have our own blood machines, microscope, ultrasound and digital X-ray machine. For any further diagnostic testing and pathology services, we send our samples to Gribbles Veterinary laboratory here in Christchurch.

Left: Pre-op radiograph of bladder stones in a dog. Right: Post-op radiograph of MMP procedure (cruciate repair).

Imaging & ultrasound

X-ray machine (radiograph)

Radiographs let us see the outline of organs, gas and bone. This helps us diagnose a wide range of injuries or diseases – everything from cancer to foreign bodies, fractured bones, bladder stones, and heart and lung abnormalities.

Dental radiographs

In dogs and cats, more than 50% of the tooth is below the gum-line. Dental X-rays can show us which teeth need to be extracted, if any. They also show us if the job is complete, or if there is more work to be done, for example if a painful piece of tooth root is left behind.

Ultrasound

This procedure is a non-invasive way to obtain images on internal organs such as the liver, heart and kidneys. We commonly perform pregnancy ultrasounds in bitches and queens.

the-lab

In-house Laboratory

We have state-of-the-art blood machines and urine analysis in our clinic. We can assess the function of blood cells and internal organs, check red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. We can run a complete blood work-up on your pet using a small amount of blood.

A complete blood work-up includes:

  • Catalyst One biochemistry panel
  • ProCyte CBC (complete blood count)

Additional in-house blood tests:

  • T4 panels (for diagnosing and monitoring T4 levels in hyperthyroid cats)
  • SDMA panel (earlier diagnostic of kidney function/disease)
  • Fructosamine (management of diabetics)

We have a SediVue Dx Urine Sediment Analyzer to check urine for crystals, bacteria and blood cells.

Microscope

We use a microscope to look at cells from lumps to identify whether they might be a cancer, infection, cyst, or something else. We can also check urine sediment for crystals and signs of infection. We use skin scraping to look for mites, yeast and bacteria.

In-house testing helps us quickly plan a course of treatment for your pet.