Companion Animal Diagnostic Services
Veterinary Radiographs
Though radiographs may seem like an outdated technology, they are in fact an important and cost-effective veterinary diagnostic tool. Radiographs—also known as X-rays—are extremely helpful at identifying and diagnosing a number of medical conditions affecting your pet’s lungs, heart, abdomen, oral cavity, bladder, and kidneys. For example, a radiograph can detect cancerous tumors, diagnose heartworm disease, bladder and kidney stones, and foreign objects that may have lodged in your pet’s body.
X-rays are also very important for helping diagnose and treat injuries such as broken bones, joint injuries and illnesses and many other orthopedic conditions.
Because Ocean Avenue Veterinary Hospital believes that all animals deserve the best care possible we offer our clients digital radiographs. Because these images are digital they are of a higher quality than standard X-rays and can be manipulated in order to provide your veterinarian with the view necessary for an accurate diagnosis. These images can also be sent to a board certified specialist for timely consultations.
Ultrasound: Important Veterinary Diagnostic Tool
Because an ultrasound machine can provide your veterinarian with a very precise look at your pet’s internal organs, chest and abdomen without surgery or sedation, it is an incredibly important diagnostic tool.
In particular, ultrasound is invaluable for making treatment decisions for various types of heart disease, assess the function and health of internal organs, and identify lesions, determine their origin, and if they have spread to other areas of the body. Ultrasound is also a very powerful surgical aid such as by helping guide your veterinarian while obtaining a biopsy or removing a foreign object from your pet.
In most cases, the procedure is relatively brief, less than an hour, and your pet is able to go home the very same day. Most importantly, though, your veterinarian will be able to make a highly accurate diagnosis of your pet’s condition and provide effective treatment recommendations.
At Ocean Avenue Veterinary Hospital we work with board certified radiologist Dr. Bill Rivers in order to provide a full range of high quality ultrasound services in our facility.
The Lab
Performing preventative medicine as well as diagnosing emerging 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 it is difficult to make an accurate diagnosis or assessment of your pet’s health.
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. Early blood testing can show evidence of disease such as diabetes, changes in liver or kidney function, or simply provide a baseline for future reference. Diagnostic testing is also included in pre-anesthetic screenings prior to dental or surgical procedures that require general anesthesia.
Ocean Avenue Veterinary Hospital has a complete in-house laboratory. In many cases, our sophisticated instruments and diagnostic capabilities allow us to receive results within minutes.