We know how frustrating and upsetting it is when your pet is not feeling well and you don’t know why. It would be wonderful if we could just ask our dogs and cats what they’re feeling, but if anything, animals tend to hide when they’re in discomfort.
Fortunately, at Liberty Vet Pets serving Philadelphia, PA, we are available to run many different types of diagnostics to get to the bottom of your pet’s condition. The faster a health condition can be diagnosed by our veterinarain, the faster treatment can begin at our animal hospital.
What Is Diagnostic Veterinarian Care?
Diagnostics refers to any situation where a pet displays symptoms that require further testing to understand or confirm a suspected condition. Sometimes diagnostics are used simply to follow up on results from routine testing. This may include collecting samples of your pet’s blood, urine, skin, stool, tissue, etc.
Some of the Diagnostics We Might Run or Order at Our Animal Hospital
- Heartworm Tests
- X-rays (internal imaging, particularly of the bones)
- Urine cultures (used to diagnose UTIs or urinary tract infections)
- Hematology (testing related to blood)
- Microbiology (how we test for pathogens including viruses, bacteria, and fungi)
- Toxicology (necessary for suspected poison intake)
- Histology (the process of examining biopsied tissue under a microscope)
We provide some on-site laboratory testing for many of our diagnostics. We can also partner with an outside lab for results on any other test your pet may need. This can help us ensure that we provide our patients with a wide range of available diagnostics so your pet can begin the appropriate treatment as soon as possible.
Some Signs that Your Pet May Need Diagnostics:
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty going to the bathroom
- Excessive drinking or urination
- Trouble walking or limping
- Dilated pupils
- Seizures
- Discharge from eyes or nose
- Sneezing and/or Coughing
- Red or swollen gums
- Bloating or stomach pain
This is by no means a complete list, but any of the above symptoms could be an indicator that your pet needs to see a veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.
Visit Our Veterinarian at Our Animal Hospital
Is your pet experiencing one or more of the above, or are they exhibiting any other symptoms or strange behavior? Or is it just time for a routine check-up for your pet? Call us at Liberty Vet Pets at (888) 458-8587 to schedule an appointment at our animal hospital. We see patients at our office in Philadelphia, PA, and we are also available for house calls with our mobile vet service.