In-House Laboratory & Pet Diagnostics in Austin, Texas
We offer in-house veterinary diagnostics to provide you with the most convenient option with the swiftest results. Whether it’s a blood test, urinalysis, cytology (looking at cells through a microscope), eye evaluations, neurologic testing, or behavioral awareness, we have the technology and know-how to uncover and resolve some of the most unusual cases.
We proudly use Antech imaging services and diagnostic labs, allowing us to test for various diseases. Antech specializes in diagnostics and invests heavily in innovative, cutting-edge innovative equipment that gives us more options, complete answers, and a second or third opinion when it comes to solving some mysterious diseases. We don’t keep you waiting, either – in-house test results take no longer than 30 minutes, and outbound test results typically arrive within 24 hours.
Why Your Pet May Need Lab Work
Diagnostic tests are a critical part of preventive care, often helping us to uncover illnesses before they become truly problematic. There are plenty of other reasons your veterinary team might order lab work for your pet for diagnostic purposes.
Some of the reasons we might order lab work for your pet are:
- We use the information as a baseline for future diagnostic tests to know if something has changed in your pet.
- Your pet is getting spayed or neutered (or another surgery), and we need to know whether they are healthy enough to receive anesthesia.
- If your pet seems to be feeling unwell, we’ll use lab work to determine the underlying cause of the illness.
- Before administering any pet medications, we’d use lab work to ensure your pet’s organs are healthy enough to take those meds safely.
Some Common Pet Lab Tests
The diagnostics we run will vary from pet to pet and will also depend on why we’re running the test in the first place. However, there are some tests that we run rather routinely on pets.
Some standard lab tests we run on pets are:
- Complete Blood Count (CBC) — One of the most common cat and dog blood tests we run, the CBC analyzes the number and appearance of blood cells to diagnose and monitor disease and infection.
- Urine tests or urinalysis — We use urine samples to detect various urinary tract diseases. It’s critical that we analyze the test immediately after collection—if not, we’ll refrigerate it and transfer it to the lab as quickly as possible.
- Fecal/Stool tests — The patient collects a small stool sample, which we then process with fluid on a glass slide for examination under a microscope. We examine stool samples to detect if there are any parasites such as Giardia, roundworms, hookworms, and tapeworms.
Why Lab Tests Are Such a Pivotal Part of Pet Care
As we all know (and much to our dismay!), pets can’t tell us what’s wrong with them when they begin to show behavior changes that may indicate they are sick. Lab tests will help us to get to the bottom of what’s causing the pain or discomfort and get a treatment plan for your precious pet in place. These tests allow us to identify specific markers that could indicate disease and ensure your pet is healthy enough to receive certain medications.
As mentioned, lab work serves as a baseline for follow-up visits, as any changes may indicate something is wrong. We will sometimes find markers on lab work that means your pet has an illness before they’ve even begun to show symptoms. This is highly beneficial, as catching diseases early nearly always leads to a better prognosis.
Book your pet's appointment at Paz North today!