Diagnostic Care

Ultrasound

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is one of the most useful technologies for diagnosing certain medical conditions in pets. Ultrasound offers a non-invasive and non-painful method for the diagnosis and staging of many diseases. Ultrasound uses high-frequency soundwaves to create a real-time moving picture of your pet's internal organs. Many organs that are difficult to see on plain film radiographs can be easily seen with ultrasound.

Ultrasound is most often used when examining and evaluating cardiac functions and assessing the performance of abdominal organs. Dr. Fastenrath is particularly interested in ultrasound and related ultrasonography procedures, and Animal Medical Clinic is proud to offer a number of diagnostic procedures using ultrasound. We perform ultrasound-guided biopsies and fine-needle aspirates (a diagnostic procedure used to investigate lumps or masses just under the skin). We also use ultrasound to perform pregnancy evaluations.

The average time needed to perform an ultrasound is approximately 45 minutes. In general, an ultrasound examination is performed without tranquilization or anesthesia.

Radiology

Radiology

Radiographs (x-rays) are used to diagnose a number of conditions in your pet, including fractures, heart and lung disease and the presence of foreign bodies (bones, toys, etc.) in your pet's stomach. X-rays are an extremely useful imaging modality and have numerous benefits for your pet. Animal Medical Clinic uses the latest veterinary radiology technology when diagnosing your pet.

In-House Laboratory

In-House Laboratory

When your pet is sick, he or she cannot tell us what is wrong. In some cases, a thorough physical examination, x-rays and other diagnostic procedures cannot give a complete picture of your pet's condition. Blood work and additional laboratory tests are used to create a full diagnostic picture of your pet's condition. Animal Medical Clinic is equipped with a state-of-the-art, in-house laboratory capable of processing tests for dozens of laboratory values. Our lab is staffed by a team of trained veterinary technicians, capable of interpreting your pet's results quickly and accurately. Rapid test results lead to a faster diagnosis for your pet. Some of the tests that we perform include: