Diagnostic Services

Digital Radiographs

Radiographs, or X-rays, are one of the most common and useful diagnostic tools in medicine. After performing a thorough examination, diagnostic tests are sometimes necessary to identify the underlying cause of your companion's illness.

The veterinary team at South Creek Animal Hospital uses 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.

As part of our commitment to provide you with the best medical care for your pet, South Creek Animal Hospital has invested in a state-of-the-art digital X-ray machine.

There are important advantages to digital X-rays for you, your pet, our team and the environment:

• They can be immediately viewed on a computer monitor.
• The clear, detailed images can be manipulated to get a better view of your pet's bones and internal organs, leading to a faster, more accurate diagnosis.
• They take less time to process, which means less time for your pet on the X-ray table (and less stress), and less waiting time for you.
• No harsh chemicals are needed to develop the images, reducing potential harm to our team and the environment.
• If a second opinion is necessary, digital X-rays can be sent by email to a specialist.
• Advanced diagnostic capabilities are an extremely important part of veterinary medicine, in part because we can't simply ask our patients what's wrong. Our investment in digital X-ray technology reflects our commitment to offer you and your pet the best, most comprehensive healthcare available.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a painless, safe, non-invasive procedure we use to evaluate your pet's internal organs. It's one of 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.

The skilled veterinary team at South Creek Animal Hospital uses ultrasound to assess the shape, size, tissue density, internal structure, and position of your pet's abdominal organs, assess cardiac health (also called an echocardiogram), and diagnose pregnancy. It can also be used to identify masses or tumors and as a guide during surgical biopsies.

The ultrasound procedure takes between 30 to 60 minutes to perform and, unless it is being used during a surgical biopsy, 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.

Our In-House Medical And Diagnostic Laboratory

When performing routine wellness examinations or diagnosing an illness, what our veterinarians can't see is as important — if not more important — than what they can see. For that reason, we have a complete in-house diagnostic laboratory that allows us to perform a wide range of tests on blood, urine, feces and biopsied tissue. Without timely access to these precise test results, it would be difficult to make an accurate diagnosis or assessment of your pet's health. Test results can also help us in the early detection of diseases and other conditions affecting your pet's health and well-being.

For example, diagnostic testing can detect Heartworm disease, Lyme disease, infections, Feline Leukemia, intestinal parasites, urinary tract infections and many additional diseases and conditions that can go unnoticed in their early stages. Blood testing can show early evidence of diabetes, changes in liver or kidney function or simply provide a baseline for future reference. Diagnostic laboratory testing is also completed prior to dental or surgical procedures that require general anesthesia.

Laboratory testing provides information about your pet's overall systemic health without the need for invasive and expensive procedures. Thanks to our full in-house diagnostic laboratory, we are able to deliver your pet's test results quickly — often within a few minutes — minimizing the time you need to wait for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

Laboratory Testing

Unfortunately, your pet cannot speak to you about discomfort, sickness, or complex matters. This is why it’s important to get regular exams, do routine blood testing, and diagnostic testing. We are equipped with a sophisticated diagnostic testing laboratory.

Some of the more common tests that we perform CBC, Chemistry Profiles, Thyroid Analysis, Urinalysis, Heartworm/Tick Testing, Feline Viral Testing, and Fecal Analysis. If there are more advanced tests required, we do refer to outside laboratories.

Endoscopy

Endoscopy is an extremely useful procedure which aids in the diagnosis and treatment of problems occurring in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. With an endoscope, we can perform a more complete examination of the GI tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and some areas of the intestine.

With the use of an endoscope, the veterinarian can visualize areas that would normally not be accessible without invasive surgery. The scope is equipped with a lighted camera and pictures are transferred to a monitor. Using the scope, the veterinarian can diagnose gastrointestinal disorders, cancerous growths, polyps and much more.

In veterinary medicine, endoscopy is commonly used as a diagnostic procedure, for tissue and organ biopsies, to remove foreign objects (particularly in the stomach) or get an inside view of a particular part of your pet's body. Even though anesthesia is required to keep your pet still during the endoscopic procedure, the amount of anesthesia and recovery time is greatly reduced. Literally meaning "to look within," endoscopy is often indicated when routine blood and urine tests, radiographs and ultrasound do not give the complete diagnostic picture.