In-House Laboratory Testing

Kings Highway Animal Clinic has a complete in-house laboratory, utilizing state of the art diagnostic equipment that is capable of obtaining vital information about your pet's health within minutes. Because animals generally cannot tell the veterinarian what may be wrong with them, bloodwork is often essential to understanding what might be going on beneath the surface. With the help of our outside reference laboratory, we are also able to offer advanced diagnostic testing not available in-clinic.

Laboratory testing is useful for early disease detection as well as diagnosing and treating infection and illness. Some of the testing we routinely perform in our clinic includes:
  • Complete Blood Count (CBC) - Provides detailed information about various blood cells and platelets, and can reveal issues with hydration, anemia, bone marrow or immune system disorders, as well as infection and inflammation
  • Chemistry Panels - Test for various proteins and enzymes in the bloodstream that can indicate healthy or unhealthy organ function such as liver function and kidney function
  • Electrolytes -  Checks the balance of sodium, potassium, and chloride in your pet's bloodstream, which is important for checking for dehydration and metabolic and adrenal disorders. Electrolyte imbalances can affect  your pet's heart, nerve and other organ functions
  • Urinalysis - A complete urinalysis consists of 3 parts:​
    • checking the color, turbidity, and the specific gravity (concentration) of the urine
    • chemical analysis checking urine pH and for the presence of blood, protein, glucose, ketones and bilirubin
    • sediment analysis checking for the present of white blood cells, bacteria, and crystals
  • Cytology - a study of cells under a microscope, used to identify bacteria and yeast in a particular sample, such as ears or skin
  • Parasite Screen - a study of the feces used to identify intestinal parasite eggs such as hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, coccidia and giardia. We also routinely send out fecals to our outside reference laboratory, where they perform a more thorough check than we can typically perform in-clinic
​
Picture
Fine Needle Aspirate