In-House Laboratory Testing

Our hospital is equipped with a comprehensive in-house laboratory wherein we are able to process blood chemistries and CBC’s. This means we are able to provide laboratory values for your pet based on blood, urine, and fecal samples. By being able to do this testing here in the hospital, we can provide you with results within minutes—certainly before you leave the hospital. In this way your pet’s treatment can be customized based the history and observations you yourself provide us, the physical findings Dr. Negola observes while doing a complete physical examination, and laboratory testing done all at the same time. When necessary, we can certainly send samples to outside laboratories for confirmation and/or for more extensive tests we don’t do in-house. Biopsies, cultures and sensitivities, allergy testing, and testing for and obtaining titers for contagious diseases are examples of tests we would send to an outside lab.

The testing we do in-house includes:

• CBC’s which include testing for red and white blood cells and platelets; hematocrit and hemoglobin which help detect anemia, bleeding, dehydration, some bone marrow abnormalities, toxins and poisonings, nutritional deficiencies, and presence of viral and/or bacterial infection as well as the body’s responses to infections;

• Chemistry testing to help evaluate the body functions according to the organs:
  • Liver functioning: albumin, alkaline phosphatase, ALT, bile acids, bilirubin, BUN, SGPT, glucose, cholesterol, and total protein;                      
  • Kidney functioning: BUN, calcium, creatinine, and potassium;

• Pancreas enzyme tests to evaluate the functioning of the pancreas (CPLI, FPL) as well as amylase and lipase;

• Tick-borne diseases;

• Snap test to evaluate the functioning of the thyroid (T4) and evaluation of other hormonal diseases:
  • adrenal function: Addison’s, baseline cortisol, Cushing’s;

• Tests to detect infection:
  • 4DX Plus: Lyme, anaplasmosis, Ehrlichman, heartworm;

• Feline triple test (Feline Leukemia Virus, Feline Infectious V, feline heartworm test);

• Tests to detect dehydration and evaluate electrolytes: sodium, chloride, potassium, osmolality;

• Testing of drug residue levels: phenobarbital;

• Microscopic testing: ear cytology, skin scraping and skin cytology, fine needle aspiration testing (skin tumors);

• Coagulopathy: PT/aPTT test to find defective coagulation function;

• Urinalysis to check the substances in the urine such as blood, protein, bilirubin, glucose, etc. It will also show the concentration (specific gravity) and the acidity of the urine. A urinalysis can aid in the diagnosis of bladder disease, kidney disease and liver function and/or infection;

• Test groups used as screening tools to help evaluate the whole-body system all at the same time. They have been combined in such a way it offers tremendous savings over the cost of doing each test individually. Dr. Negola takes advantage of these profiles when determining the needed tests to aid your pet;

• The General Health Profile is used to help evaluate your pet’s overall health and electrolytes. This Profile combines 10 values to review the functioning of your pet’s liver, kidneys, and electrolytes. It is used when a pet will be undergoing anesthesia, having surgery, for a geriatric pet, or for pets with vomiting and/or diarrhea;

• The Veterinary Health Profile gives more detailed information than the GHP as it includes a general chemistry, 7 additional categories, and values for the pancreas’ function pancreas. The profile is usually used with sick pets.