Diagnostics
Diagnostics are an important tool for veterinarians as they can help reveal underlying health conditions.
Aurora North Pet Clinic offers a range of diagnostics tools to analyze animal wellbeing. While symptoms can help guide veterinarians towards a diagnosis, leveraging veterinary technology can guide us towards the most accurate prescription of treatment.
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Pets tend to have a higher tolerance to pain than us and could be hiding symptoms. That’s why it is crucial to bring your cat or dog to the veterinary clinic for regular checkups.Â
Diagnostic Ultrasounds
Ultrasounds are useful tools that use high-frequency sound waves to generate images of the inside of a body. Veterinarians can use them to address medical concerns such as heart conditions, cysts, tumours, and diagnosing problems with internal organs and even pregnancies.
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Why Pets Need An Ultrasound Test?
Veterinary ultrasounds work the same way as they do for humans – they can be used to evaluate and diagnose problems with your pets’ internal organs, from heart conditions to cysts and tumours, or even checking for alterations in abdominal organs. Most times, ultrasounds are done in combination with X-rays to check for the right size, dimensions, and organ position. With real-time monitoring also being possible, ultrasounds can also be used by veterinarians for diagnosing pregnancies and monitoring fetal development.
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Does Your Pet Need an Ultrasound Scan?
Ultrasound tests can diagnose health problems and abnormalities inside your pet’s body. A vet may recommend an ultrasound if your pet has been diagnosed with an organ disease that needs monitoring. If the vet finds any abnormalities in bloodwork or X-rays, they may recommend an ultrasound test.
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How Ultrasound Diagnoses Health Conditions in Pets?
Ultrasound machinery uses high-frequency sound pulses to generate an image. With the help of a probe, sound waves are sent into the target areas inside the body. These waves are either transmitted through, reflected, or absorbed into the tissues. The reflected waves return to the machine as echoes and generate an image displayed on the screen. A diagnosis can be made with the help of these images.
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Ultrasound exams use sound waves, so they are painless. Sometimes, light sedatives are required to keep your pet lying down during the test to generate clear images. The hair in the body area that needs scanning may require shaving because ultrasounds work best when the probe touches the skin. You can rest assured that your pet will not experience any discomfort and will be safe throughout the process.
Endoscopy
An endoscopy is a medical imaging system that can examine your pet’s health without the need for biopsies or examine internal organs.
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How Do Endoscopies Work?
Your vet will insert a thin tube with a tiny camera on end inside your pet’s body through an opening of the body, such as the mouth or anus. This tube is called an endoscope, and it is minimally invasive. With the camera, your vet can take pictures of the part of the body that needs inspection.
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Why Pets Need an Endoscopy Scan?
Endoscopies can be useful in several health situations. Symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss may call for the need to check the digestive tract, and endoscopies are helpful to this effect. The tool is also useful for examining other internal organs, such as the respiratory system, colon, and bladder. For your pet, an endoscopy can provide a painless, least intrusive way to diagnose any problems in their body systems, including a cancer diagnosis.
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When Would My Pet Need an Endoscopy?
Your vet may recommend endoscopy if they find any abnormalities in X-rays or bloodwork or if they need to confirm a diagnosis. Sometimes, an interventional endoscopy may be required. This is also called a therapeutic endoscopy, where treatment is carried out alongside the test.
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How is an Endoscopy Carried Out?
An endoscopy is performed with a flexible or rigid endoscope, depending on the organ that needs examining. The machinery consists of the endoscope, an ocular lens, and an operating handle used by the veterinarian to move the equipment.
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There are also two systems within the diagnostic tool – one to gather liquids or specimen, and the other for air and water passage. Video cameras are also attached to the ends of the tool that allow the vet to view the entire process on-screen as it happens and even record a video.
When performed on humans, endoscopies will generally only need light sedation. But, since pets don’t know that the procedure is just part of helping them, they would have to be under general anesthesia to stay calm throughout the process.
Laboratory Services
Unfortunately, our pets can’t tell us when they’re hurt. Many animals will generally mask pain symptoms, and many times, you might not even realize your pet is in pain until they start exhibiting visible symptoms.
With veterinary diagnostic testing, you’d be able to identify problems before they get too bad and start the necessary treatment. Testing is usually beneficial when the symptoms are not specific and hard to narrow down.
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When are laboratory services required for your pet?
Most times, laboratory work is part of routine checkups carried out by veterinarians. Diagnostics labs often run various tests to identify problems to determine what treatment your pet needs, particularly for emergencies and unscheduled visits.
Though unscheduled tests are possible, it is best to visit your veterinary clinic regularly and keep an eye on your pets’ health at all times, since a healthy-looking pet may be hiding symptoms. If your pet begins to behave strangely, schedule an appointment with your vet immediately so they can determine the proper tests.
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How Do Vets Use Lab Services?
Vets often use different tests to diagnose health problems. Veterinarians commonly look at the eyes, ears, and skin of your pet to spot any abnormalities. Cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, and skeletal systems are examined to ensure that everything is in order, and there are no troubling signs.
If necessary, the vet may recommend blood or urine tests to examine organs like the kidneys and liver and pancreatic and hormonal mechanisms. These are the most commonly used tests to look at your pet’s overall health. Based on the results or the symptoms, your pet may require further testing.
It is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your veterinary clinic as soon as you notice any abnormal signs in your pet or are concerned about your pet’s overall health.
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