In addition to a regular physical examination, laboratory testing can play an important role in assessing your pet’s health and identifying problems not detectable on physical exam. Regular testing allows us to establish a baseline for your pet for future testing. Tests can also help monitor a pet’s progress during treatment by tracking the path of the disease to see how your pet responds to treatment.

Our in-house laboratory consists of several advanced pieces of equipment and various testing modalities that provide essential information that gives our doctors the diagnostic edge they need to give your pet the best possible care.

Digital Radiography

Mount Laurel Animal Hospital uses digital radiography that has many advantages over traditional film x-rays.

•    Superior image quality increasing diagnostic accuracy
•    Error correction and adjustment features enhance images
     and reduce retakes
•    Decreased radiation requirements reducing exposure to
     pets and personnel
•    Immediate viewing, enhancement and printing functionality
•    Electronic storage and transmission eliminating lost films and enhancing portability  

i-STAT System

This advanced, handheld blood analyzer provides real-time, lab-quality results within minutes to accelerate the patient care decision-making process. Using as little as two drops of blood, it can perform a comprehensive panel of critical tests such as blood gases, electrolytes, chemistries, coagulation, hematology, glucose and cardiac markers.

Common Laboratory Tests

Our Facility also performs many diagnostic tests where advanced machines are not used. Your veterinarian will take into account your pet’s symptoms, breed, age and sex when recommending laboratory tests. Following are a description of some of the more common test.

Urinalysis

Laboratory testing of your pet’s urine will help your veterinarian detect the presence of specific substances that normally do not appear in urine, including protein, sugar, white blood cells or blood. Measuring the dilution or concentration of urine can also help your veterinarian diagnose illness. Urinalysis can be helpful in diagnosing urinary-tract infections, diabetes, dehydration, kidney problems and other conditions.

Heartworm Test

Your veterinarian may recommend a blood test to confirm the presence of heartworms in your pet. Several different heartworm tests will show the presence of microfilaria (offspring of adult heartworms) in your pet’s blood. There are other blood tests that confirm the presence of adult heartworms by detecting certain substances in the bloodstream.

Fecal Examination  
    
One of our technicians may examine your pet’s feces under a microscope for clues about many different kinds of diseases, including difficulties with digestion, internal bleeding and pancreas disorders. Most importantly, fecal examination will confirm the presence of intestinal parasites, including roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, tapeworm, coccidia and giardia. This will help your doctor to decide on the best possible medication to use to rid your pet of the parasites that are present.

Skin Scraping

Skin scraping is one of the most common tests in veterinary dermatology. Your veterinarian will take a small scraping of your pet’s skin and examine it under a microscope to confirm the presence of certain types of fungi or microscopic parasites on your pet’s skin.