Diagnostic Services

Digital Radiographs  •  Our In-House Laboratory

Animal Hospital on Route 66Digital Radiographs

Radiographs, or X-rays, are one of the most common, useful diagnostic tools in medicine. After performing a thorough examination, diagnostic tests are sometimes necessary to identify the underlying cause of your companion's illness.

The veterinary team at Animal Hospital on Route 66 uses digital X-rays to examine your pet's bones, lungs, heart, abdomen, oral cavity and other areas and for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical conditions. There are many important advantages to digital X-rays:

  • They can be immediately viewed on a computer monitor.
  • The clear, detailed images can be manipulated to get a better view of your pet's bones and internal organs, leading to a faster, more accurate diagnosis.
  • They take less time to process, which means less time for your pet on the X-ray table (and less stress), and less waiting time for you.
  • No harsh chemicals are needed to develop the images, reducing potential harm to our staff and the environment.
  • If a second opinion is necessary, digital X-rays can be sent by email to a board-certified veterinary radiologist.

Advanced diagnostic capabilities are an extremely important part of veterinary medicine, especially because we can't simply ask our patients what is wrong. Our investment in digital X-ray technology reflects our commitment to offer you and your pet the best, most comprehensive healthcare available.

Abdominal Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a painless, safe, non-invasive procedure we use to evaluate your pet's internal organs. It is one of the many ways we strive to give you peace of mind when it comes to your pet's health. Using sound waves, ultrasound produces a real-time moving picture of your pet's organs that allows us to visualize objects that cannot be detected by X-rays alone. One of the most important uses for ultrasound technology at Animal Hospital on Route 66 is to observe your pet's abdominal organs, including the liver, stomach, spleen, pancreas, intestines, kidneys, bladder, uterus, and prostate.

The images produced allow our specially trained veterinarians to assess the shape size, tissue density, internal structure, and position of your pet's abdominal organs, as well as identify masses, tumors, and abnormal lymph nodes.

The procedure can take between 30 to 60 minutes to perform and, unless it is being used during a surgical biopsy, does not typically require sedation. A diagnosis based on what we see is usually available immediately, which means we can also provide you with treatment options at the time of your appointment and minimize your worry and stress.

Animal Hospital on Route 66Our In-House Laboratory

Animal Hospital on Route 66 maintains a full-service diagnostic laboratory that allows us to perform complete blood counts, chemistry profiles, electrolytes, urinalysis, fecal exams, cytology evaluations, and other valuable tests for your pet. With our advanced laboratory technology, we are able to receive fast and accurate results, helping to determine your pet's diagnosis and what treatment therapy is required.

Our complete in-house laboratory is particularly essential to our emergency and critical care cases. We also offer several tests as part of your pet's wellness exam and specialized testing if your pet is in his or her senior years. For many tests we can often have results within 15 minutes.