At Rankin Veterinary Hospital PC we utilize both in-house laboratory testing and outside reference laboratories. Laboratory test are a vital tool that Dr. Rankin uses to reach a diagnosis of a pet’s health problem. Our pets cannot tell us when something is wrong; at least not in words, and because of this, testing becomes a valuable means of determining what is amiss. Testing is also used to make sure that something is not wrong with our pets. Some doctors will do a lot of unnecessary testing but Dr. Rankin will not order laboratory work unless he feels there is a real need for it.
In-house testing is laboratory work that is done at the hospital generally while you wait. Common tests that are done in-house include but are not limited to fecal analysis, skin scrapes, glucose level, and urinalysis.
Using Snap test technology in-house Dr. Rankin can test for pancreatitis, Canine Parvovirus, heartworms, Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency virus and screening for tick borne diseases. Cytology, which is microscopically looking at various fluids for cellular content by staining them, can also be done in-house.
Outside laboratory testing is where the tests are performed out of the hospital generally by a large reference laboratory. As a general rule blood work values are more accurate when run at a reference laboratory than when it is run on in-house machines.
Common things that are tested for at the reference laboratory include CBC’s (complete blood counts) and serum chemistries which check out the function of various organs in the body. Other common outside test include thyroid function, titers for various diseases including the tick borne diseases, and allergy testing. Histopathology is performed by an outside pathologist as well as some cytology. And there are many other specialized tests for various illnesses that are available to Dr. Rankin as each individual case dictates.
As advances in science increase more and more laboratory test will become available to help diagnose diseases early in hopes that we can help our beloved pet’s live longer, healthier, and happier lives.
At Rankin Veterinary Hospital PC we utilize both in-house laboratory testing and outside reference laboratories. Laboratory test are a vital tool that Dr. Rankin uses to reach a diagnosis of a pet’s health problem. Our pets cannot tell us when something is wrong; at least not in words, and because of this, testing becomes a valuable means of determining what is amiss. Testing is also used to make sure that something is not wrong with our pets. Some doctors will do a lot of unnecessary testing but Dr. Rankin will not order laboratory work unless he feels there is a real need for it.
In-house testing is laboratory work that is done at the hospital generally while you wait. Common tests that are done in-house include but are not limited to fecal analysis, skin scrapes, glucose level, and urinalysis.
Using Snap test technology in-house Dr. Rankin can test for pancreatitis, Canine Parvovirus, heartworms, Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency virus and screening for tick borne diseases. Cytology, which is microscopically looking at various fluids for cellular content by staining them, can also be done in-house.
Outside laboratory testing is where the tests are performed out of the hospital generally by a large reference laboratory. As a general rule blood work values are more accurate when run at a reference laboratory than when it is run on in-house machines.
Common things that are tested for at the reference laboratory include CBC’s (complete blood counts) and serum chemistries which check out the function of various organs in the body. Other common outside test include thyroid function, titers for various diseases including the tick borne diseases, and allergy testing. Histopathology is performed by an outside pathologist as well as some cytology. And there are many other specialized tests for various illnesses that are available to Dr. Rankin as each individual case dictates.
As advances in science increase more and more laboratory test will become available to help diagnose diseases early in hopes that we can help our beloved pet’s live longer, healthier, and happier lives.