In-House Diagnostics
Lakeside Veterinary Care offers in-house diagnostic services for your pets. Learn more below.
In-House Diagnostics
Our hospital in Cypress houses a complete in-house diagnostics lab, a digital X-ray machine, and advanced ultrasound equipment. Because a physical examination limits what we can diagnose and leaves us with an incomplete picture of your pet’s health, we’re excited to take our testing capabilities to the next level and offer a higher standard of care to our dog and cat patients.
Lab Testing
Why is lab testing so important for dogs & cats?
Lab work is an essential part of your pet’s annual (or semiannual) checkup. By testing blood, urine, and feces, we can obtain detailed information about your pet’s condition and recommend treatments or lifestyle adjustments based on our findings. What’s more, regular testing makes it easier for our veterinary team to catch subtle, underlying problems that could turn into big problems.
Dogs and cats cannot communicate to their human families about how they’re feeling or if something is wrong. Our veterinarians and staff can give your pet a voice and give you the information you need to make educated choices to better their quality of life.
In-House Testing We Offer
Dogs and cats should receive blood and fecal testing at least once a year, depending on what their veterinarian recommends. These tests typically include:
- Heartworm testing
- Complete blood count (CBC)
- Comprehensive blood panel
- Fecal testing to screen for intestinal worms
- For pets with chronic health issues, we can also check blood glucose and test urine samples for bladder and kidney issues.
Digital X-Ray & Ultrasound
Our digital X-ray and ultrasound equipment allows us to capture clear, detailed images of the bones and soft tissue organs, respectively.
The benefits of digital x-ray.
Digital X-ray is superior to traditional film X-ray in several ways, including:
- Producing sharper, clearer, higher-contrast images of the joints and skeleton
- Significantly less radiation exposure for your pet
- Less need for re-positioning your pet and taking multiple X-rays
- The ability to save your pet’s X-rays on a hard drive and email them to other practices as needed
- An overall less-stress experience for dogs and cats alike
Why We Offer Ultrasound
Ultrasound helps our veterinary team detect and diagnose conditions affecting the soft tissue organs, which cannot be viewed clearly with X-rays. We can use this technology for evaluating/diagnosing:
- Tumors
- Cysts
- Conditions of the heart and abdomen
An ultrasound image shows the organs in real-time so that we can observe their shape, size, and function in remarkable detail. We’re pleased to offer this service at our hospital, so your pet won’t need to go elsewhere if they need to have an ultrasound procedure.