Diagnostic Laboratory Testing

Diagnostic laboratory testing plays an important role in maintaining and monitoring the health of your cat. For ill cats diagnostic testing, in addition to a complete exam, becomes a vital piece of information in your cats treatment plan. Even cats that are seemingly healthy with no signs or symptoms of an underlying infection or disease can benefit from routine diagnostic testing and screenings. Because cats cannot voice whether or not they are feeling well, running certain diagnostic tests allows veterinarians to determine whether more care or treatments will be needed.

Usually involving bloodwork, a urinalysis, and blood pressure readings (depending on the age of the cat), standard diagnostic testing can point towards things like infections, blood cancer, kidney disease, diabetes and thyroid disease when they are still in their early non-symptomatic stages; this means that your cat will have a better chance of recovering from a potentially dangerous illness.

While we have the capability to run in house urine exams and basic blood work most of our diagnostic samples are sent to an off site laboratory with a less then 24 hour turn around time. Because we know how important your cat is to you we call with the test results the very next day, even if the next day is Sunday..

As your cat increases in age, engaging in routine laboratory testing becomes much more important. Chronic health conditions are more likely to develop; the earlier they are diagnosed, the faster they can be treated or managed.