In-House Laboratory Testing
Most laboratory procedures are performed in our well-equipped laboratory providing rapid results. This aids in making an early diagnosis and in monitoring response to treatment. Also, we utilize referral laboratories for more comprehensive testing and for specialized tests.
Wellness Blood Work is like an internal physical examination for your pet.
We recommend a mini-profile on healthy younger pets and a complete blood profile and urinalysis on healthy senior pets once yearly. Pets with chronic illness or on medications may require more frequent checks.
A chemistry profile allows our veterinarians to evaluate your pet's kidneys, liver, and thyroid function. When certain diseases, such as kidney disease, diabetes,thyroid or anemia whic can not be detected based upon symptoms or a physical exam alone. When these diseases are detected early they can be controlled with such things as diet, medication, and frequent check ups.
A complete blood count (CBC) allows our veterinarians to evaluate your pet's red blood cells and white blood cells. With this valuable information our veterinarians can determine if your pet has any source of infection that may not be obvious to us on a daily basis.
A urine analysis. Evaluating our pet's urine on a regular basis helps our veterinarians to detect kidney disease, urinary tract infections, and even diabetes. Anytime you feel your pet is urinating more frequently or drinking excessive amounts of water, our veterinarians want you to bring your pet in to MAH to have a urine analysis performed.
A fine needle aspirate is performed anytime we find a lump on your pet. This procedure allows our veterinarians to look at the cells of the lump under a microscope to determine if that particular lump is BENIGN (good) or MALIGNANT (bad). Our veterinarians at MAH recommend that you have any lumps you find examined immediately. Most small lumps can be removed without general anesthesia, but if you wait too long general anesthesia may be necessary to remove the lumps.