Pet Diagnostic Tests

Early detection is key when it comes to treating your pet, and Gardner Animal Hospital offers complete in-house diagnostics including cutting-edge equipment and an on-site laboratory. This saves time, money, and most importantly, you don’t have to wait overnight for results—meaning your pet gets a diagnosis and needed treatment sooner.

In-House Laboratory

Gardner Animal Hospital has the capability to perform various blood screens, pre-anesthetic bloodwork, urinalysis and other types of testing on site instead of sending samples to an outside lab.

Testing provided in the hospital includes:

Liver enzyme screening
Pancreatic evaluation
Renal (Kidney) profiles
Complete blood counts
General chemistries
Blood gases
FelV, FIV in cats
Parvovirus in dogs

While we do offer an extensive range of on-site testing, it is possible that your pet may need laboratory work beyond our scope. For those cases, we are happy to send blood work or other testing to an outside lab that will send results back to us.

Digital Radiology (X-Rays)

Gardner Animal Hospital employs advanced imaging technologies operated by board-certified veterinary radiologists, guaranteeing the highest quality of care for our patients.

Radiographs, or x-rays, use electromagnetic radiation directed towards the body to highlight objects within. They can detect abnormalities including skeletal fractures, soft tissue damage, foreign bodies and dental disease.

Orthopedic radiographs and contrast studies require the patient remain completely still to work correctly, necessitating sedation in most cases. Some specialized procedures may require anesthesia. The duration of sedation or anesthesia is usually short and patient recovery is swift. A board-certified anesthesiologist oversees all procedures.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is a powerful diagnostic tool that creates a real-time image of an animal’s body. This composite reveals important information about internal processes including the circulatory, skeletal and gastrointestinal systems.

When used in conjunction with other diagnostic tools like x-rays [link to RADIOGRAPHS page] ultrasounds can help identify disease, blockages, skeletal fractures, soft tissue damage and other internal injuries.

An ultrasound works by broadcasting high-frequency sound waves that reflect off your pet’s internal structures. A small probe held against the skin collects the returning signals to create an image of the internal body, most commonly used to examine abdominal organs like the stomach, kidneys, liver, spleen and gallbladder. An ultrasound of the heart, known as an echocardiogram, provides precise information about heart valves, blood flow, chamber size and contractions.

Completely painless and non-invasive, ultrasounds usually require some sedation because the patient must remain completely still. Gardner Animal Hospital employs advanced imaging technologies operated by board-certified veterinary radiologists, guaranteeing the highest quality of care for our patients.