THE CONNECTING LINK BETWEEN THE CAUSE AND CURE
At Kelowna Veterinary Hospital, we pride ourselves on our state-of-the-art in-house laboratory equipment, ensuring your pets receive the best care possible. From routine wellness tests to more complex diagnostics, our hospital is equipped to handle all your pet's lab work needs. For specialized testing, we collaborate True North Diagnostic Lab to provide comprehensive results. Our advanced digital diagnostic imaging, including radiographs and ultrasounds, allows us to thoroughly assess your pet's health, giving us valuable insights that go beyond a physical exam.
The Diagnostic Testing That We Offer:
Blood tests are an essential diagnostic tool that helps us assess your pet's overall health. By analyzing blood samples, we can check for a variety of conditions, including infections, organ function issues, and early signs of diseases like diabetes or thyroid problems.
Routine blood tests are especially important for senior pets or those with ongoing health concerns. They help us detect potential issues early, allowing for more effective treatment. Blood work is also crucial for monitoring pets on long-term medication or undergoing treatment.
We use advanced equipment to ensure fast, accurate results, giving you peace of mind and your pet the best care possible.
Urinalysis is a key diagnostic tool that helps us detect a range of health issues in your pet. By examining a urine sample, we can identify conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney disease, diabetes, and bladder stones. It's often one of the first tests we perform when symptoms like frequent urination, accidents, or changes in drinking habits arise.
A standard urine analysis checks factors like urine concentration, pH levels, glucose, protein, and the presence of blood or bacteria. For example, glucose in the urine could signal diabetes, while blood may indicate infection or stones. It's also a vital tool for monitoring pets with existing kidney problems or those recovering from surgery.
Urine analysis is fast, non-invasive, and provides critical information that helps us create the best treatment plan for your pet.
Fecal analysis is an essential diagnostic tool for assessing your pet’s gastrointestinal health. By examining a stool sample, we can detect a variety of issues, including parasites (like worms or protozoa), bacterial infections, and other gastrointestinal conditions that can affect your pet's digestion and overall well-being. This simple, non-invasive test is a key part of routine wellness exams, especially for pets that exhibit symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss.
Fecal analysis typically looks for the presence of parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms, and giardia, as well as eggs or larvae that may be invisible to the naked eye. We can also detect abnormal bacteria that might be causing gastrointestinal upset. Identifying these issues early allows us to provide prompt treatment, preventing further complications and ensuring your pet’s digestive health is restored.
This test is not just for pets with digestive symptoms—regular fecal analysis is an important part of preventive care, particularly for puppies, kittens, and pets who spend time outdoors or around other animals. It helps us catch issues early, often before symptoms become noticeable. Whether it’s a routine check-up or a more specific concern, fecal analysis provides critical information to guide your pet's care.
X-rays (radiographs) are a vital diagnostic tool that help us see beyond the surface and gain a clearer picture of your pet’s internal health. X-rays are particularly useful for identifying issues with bones, joints, and organs, making them essential in diagnosing conditions like fractures, arthritis, heart disease, lung infections, tumors, and even certain types of foreign objects that might be causing discomfort.
X-ray imaging allows our veterinarians to assess your pet’s skeletal structure, detect abnormalities in the lungs or abdomen, and monitor conditions such as hip dysplasia, fractures, or even tumors that may be hidden beneath the skin. By providing a clear view of your pet’s internal structures, X-rays help us make accurate diagnoses and develop targeted treatment plans, whether it’s a minor injury or a more complex health issue.
One of the major benefits of X-ray imaging is its ability to quickly provide crucial information without invasive procedures. This means we can detect potential health problems early and get your pet the treatment they need as soon as possible. While X-rays are typically non-invasive, some procedures may require your pet to be under mild sedation to ensure they remain still for optimal results. Our team is committed to ensuring your pet is safe and comfortable throughout the process.
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At Kelowna Vet Hospital, we use ultrasound as a highly effective and non-invasive diagnostic tool to assess your pet’s internal health. Ultrasound imaging allows us to get a real-time view of your pet's organs and soft tissues, helping to diagnose a variety of conditions that may not be visible through X-rays or physical exams alone. It’s especially useful for evaluating the heart, liver, kidneys, bladder, and other soft tissues, making it an essential tool in identifying issues like tumors, cysts, organ enlargement, or fluid accumulation.
Unlike X-rays, which provide still images, ultrasound creates moving images that let us observe how organs are functioning in real-time. This is particularly valuable for assessing blood flow, detecting heart murmurs, or monitoring the size and shape of organs to check for abnormalities. Ultrasound is also often used to detect pregnancy in female animals or to guide us during a biopsy or fluid aspiration to ensure accuracy.
Ultrasound is a safe, non-invasive procedure, but it typically requires your pet to be under mild sedation to ensure they stay still during the exam. The process involves placing a gel on the area of interest (usually the abdomen or chest) and using a special probe to capture the images. Our veterinarians and veterinary technicians are highly trained to interpret the results and provide you with a comprehensive understanding of your pet's condition.
Dental radiographs (X-rays) are an essential diagnostic tool in evaluating your pet’s oral health. While a visual exam can reveal obvious dental issues, many oral problems are hidden beneath the surface, such as infections, abscesses, bone loss, or tooth fractures. Dental X-rays allow us to assess the condition of your pet's teeth and surrounding bone structures in greater detail, helping us identify issues that may not be visible without imaging.
Dental radiographs are particularly useful for detecting dental disease below the gumline, where the majority of dental problems occur. Conditions like periodontal disease, which affects the tissues supporting the teeth, can cause pain, infection, and tooth loss if left untreated. By capturing detailed images of the tooth roots, jawbone, and surrounding tissues, we can identify early signs of disease and plan appropriate treatments, such as extractions or scaling, before the issue becomes more serious.
During a dental procedure, your pet will be under anesthesia, ensuring they are comfortable and still while we take the necessary X-rays. The process is quick and painless, and the images provide critical information to guide our treatment plan. With dental radiographs, we can detect issues that might otherwise go unnoticed, preventing long-term damage to your pet’s oral and overall health.
If you’re concerned about your pet’s dental health or would like to learn more about how dental X-rays can help us diagnose and treat oral conditions, feel free to contact us. We’re committed to providing the highest level of care for your pet's teeth, ensuring they have a healthy, pain-free smile.