Our In-House Medical and Diagnostic Laboratory
Performing preventive medicine and diagnosing emergent internal health issues requires the ability to perform a wide range of laboratory tests on blood, urine, feces, and biopsied tissue. Without timely access to precise laboratory test results – blood testing, biopsies, microscopic examinations, bacterial culture sensitivity and more – it’s often difficult to make an accurate assessment of your pet’s health.
Diagnostic testing can detect heartworm disease, infections, feline leukemia, intestinal parasites, urinary tract infections, and many additional conditions that can go unnoticed in their early stages. Early blood testing can show evidence of disease such as diabetes, changes in liver or kidney function, or provide a baseline for future reference. Blood testing is also included in pre-anesthetic screenings prior to dental or surgical procedures that require general anesthesia. Annual wellness blood and urine tests, along with other diagnostics, assist us in the early detection of diseases and health conditions.
Laboratory testing allows our veterinarians to obtain this important information for assessing your pet’s overall systemic health without the need for invasive and expensive procedures. Thus, we maintain an advanced in-house laboratory and regularly perform tests during your pet’s wellness exam or when we suspect your pet may have a health issue.
Radiographs at Sequoyah Animal Hospital
Radiographs, or X-rays, are one of the most common, useful diagnostic tools in medicine because of their ability to penetrate tissues and show your pet’s organs and bones. At Sequoyah Animal Hospital, our team utilizes X-rays to examine your pet’s bones, lungs, heart, abdomen, oral cavity, and other areas, and for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical conditions. If we suspect your pet has a fractured bone, has swallowed a foreign object, or is suffering from a heart problem, an X-ray can tell us what we need to know.
Dr. Sherle Thompson is also certified by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals to perform PennHip radiographs. This noninvasive, simple test can be used to screen dogs as young as four months of age for hip looseness, which may lead to hip dysplasia.
The diagnostic capabilities offered by X-rays are an extremely important part of veterinary medicine, especially because we can’t simply ask our patients what is wrong. Our investment in high-quality X-ray technology reflects our commitment to offer you and your pet the best, most comprehensive healthcare available.
Assuring Your Pet’s Health With Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a painless, safe, non-invasive procedure we use to evaluate your pet’s internal organs. It is one of the many ways we strive to give you peace of mind when it comes to your pet’s health. Using sound waves, ultrasound produces a real-time moving picture of your pet’s organs that allows us to visualize objects that cannot be detected by X-rays alone.
At Sequoyah Animal Hospital, we perform routine ultrasounds as well as use them to diagnose pregnancy and the health of unborn animals. The ultrasound procedure takes between 30 to 60 minutes to perform and does not typically require sedation. A diagnosis based on what we see is usually available immediately, which means we can also provide you with treatment options at the time of your appointment, minimizing your worry and stress.