Pet Diagnostics in La Crosse

Bloods test for pets determines the health of internal organs such as liver, kidneys, pancreas, adrenal glands, immune system, muscles, and bone, as well as analyzing the blood cells to look for infections, anemia, blood clotting disorders, and more. Other blood tests look for specific disease related antigens and antibodies such as Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), heartworm disease, Lyme disease, and several other diseases.

This blood test is used to detect the presence of six common diseases: heartworm disease, which is spread by infected mosquitoes; and five diseases spread by several types of ticks, Lyme disease, two types of ehrlichiosis, and two types of anaplasmosis.

A fecal exam involves examining a fresh stool sample under a microscope to detect the presence of intestinal parasites, such as hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms.

Examining a urine sample provides information about the function of many internal organs, including the kidney, bladder, and pancreas. The results of a urinalysis can indicate the presence of certain metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, the presence of crystals which cause pain, inflammation and the formation of stones in the bladder, the presence of bacteria which causes infection, and the presence of abnormal or cancerous cells.

Here at La Crosse Veterinary Clinic, we use digital radiography (x-rays) to safely and painlessly examine your pet’s bones and soft tissues. Digital radiographs can also be used to identify foreign bodies. This pet diagnostics technology provides a number of benefits, both for your pet and for our veterinarians. With our modern x-ray unit, images are produced within seconds and can be shared digitally if necessary. The quality of the images is very clear and detailed, which helps us better examine your pet by being able to zoom in or change the color or contrast in specific areas of the image.

Just as with humans, ultrasound technology in the veterinary industry involves examining the internal structures of the body by recording the echoes of ultrasonic waves. In collaboration with Dr. Rita Miller, one of our board certified referring veterinarians, we offer ultrasound technology to examine your pet’s internal organs. We use the Doppler ultrasound technique, which also evaluates blood flow. This technique is safe, painless, and effective.