Pet Diagnostics And Blood Work In Citrus Heights, CA

Welcome to Citrus Heights Pet Hospital, where your furry friend’s health and well-being is more than just a priority—it’s our passion. We understand that pets are family too, and we know how crucial in-depth diagnostics and blood work are for ensuring their health.

Our experienced veterinarians boast not only expertise but also a profound love for all animals, dedicating their skills to comprehensive care for dogs and cats alike. In our cozy, hospitable environment, your pet will always feel at home with us.

And thanks to our state-of-the-art equipment on-site, you can be rest assured that our wellness exams are precision-focused and  provides accurate results every single time—because when it comes to your faithful companions’ health, settling for anything less simply won’t do.

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Importance of Pet Diagnostics and Blood Work

Pet diagnostic testing and blood work form a critical part of the overall health assessment for cats and dogs. These diagnostic procedures help us detect potential illnesses or conditions early, ensuring timely treatment.

Overlooking periodic pet diagnostics can lead to delayed detection of serious ailments in pets. While a full history and physical exam are crucial, your pet cannot verbalize to us what they are feeling. Diagnostic tests help us discover what your pets can’t tell us.

Bloodwork is not the diagnostic tool in our toolbox. Other common diagnostics include urinalysis, x-rays, ultrasound, and endoscopy. The purpose of diagnostics and bloodwork is to answer questions about your pets’ health. Each test is a piece of the puzzle. Each piece provides a view of your furry family member’s overall health picture.

Overlooking recommended periodic pet diagnostics can lead to delayed detection of serious ailments in pets.

Our Services

At Citrus Heights Pet Hospital, we pride ourselves on offering a full scope of pet diagnostic services. From routine check-ups to urgent point-of-care screenings, our team is well-equipped with in-house abilities to ensure your pets are in optimal health.

Blood Work

Bloodwork gives a comprehensive look at your pets’ internal health status, revealing issues like hormonal imbalances, infections, anemia, kidney disease, or diabetes among others. It also helps evaluate how well their body responds to treatments during illness recovery periods or post-surgery phases. Thus, these tests act akin to preventive healthcare measures by detecting problems before they get worse and adjusting treatments accordingly for optimum health outcomes. They may also be used to help select the safest medication to treat your furry friend.

Urinalysis

Urinalysis often goes hand – in – hand with blood work. Testing urine can tell us a great deal about kidney function, including how well your pet is getting rid of waste products and how well they are staying hydrated. Your vet will
recommend urine testing to screen for infection, inflammation, endocrine disease, organ disease, toxin exposure

The way we obtain your pet’s urine and when we do it depends upon what we are testing for. The doctor may recommend catching the urine in a clean vessel such as a urine cup. This sample tells us about urine that has passed from the kidneys, through the ureters, through the bladder, past glands, through the urethra and out of the prepuce or vulva, over the hair and into a cup.

Alternatively, the doctor might request a catheterized sample, in which case a small tube is passed into the urethra. This might be useful if we are trying to get some cells from the prostate, for instance, but we are trying to avoid contamination from the outer prepuce or vulva.

If the vet is concerned about a bladder or kidney infection, they will likely recommend a procedure called a cystocentesis. This involves passing a small needle through the abdominal wall directly into the bladder to draw an uncontaminated sample. This is especially important if the veterinarian plans to send a sample for culture to grow the bacteria causing the infection; this is the information your doctor will use to choose the correct medication to treat infection.

X-Ray

X-Rays, also called radiographs, not only tell us a great deal about your pet’s bones and joints, but can also tell us about the shape and size of organs, whether or not gas or fluid is present in the right (or wrong) places, and can sometimes even tell us if there is foreign material present.

When it comes to taking x-rays, air is our friend. We can see things easier when they are surrounded by air or gas. For this reason, the doctor will recommend x-rays as part of a study to evaluate a coughing dog. Lungs, the shape and size of the heart , the character of airways and a gassy belly are a few of the things that can be evaluated with X-rays.

On the contrary, doctors cannot see through fluid with an x-ray. Fluid in the lungs can hide the heart, and fluid in the abdomen can hide organs.

Bones and metal show up bright white on X-ray, so if your dog eats something like this, we will know!

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is another way your veterinarian can see what is going on inside your pet. With ultrasound, the doctor gets to see organs in real time, in motion, and in cross-section. When looking at something using ultrasound, fluid is our friend, and the presence of fluid highlights what we are trying to see. (The presence of air or gas, however, blocks our view. )

Your veterinarian might recommend ultrasound to see the heart in detail, to watch it contracting, visualize the valves, and track the blood flow. They might recommend ultrasound to see the details of the liver and gallbladder, making sure bile is flowing through the bile duct the way it should.

Ultrasound is routinely used to help guide us when we are obtaining samples for the lab, such as an ultrasound-guided cystocentesis (sterile urine collection).

Cytology (Cell Study)

Cytology is the study of cells.

Your doctor uses the microscope throughout the day to look at fluids, swabs and fine needle aspirates of all kinds.

Swabs of ears, scrapings of skin, drops of bodily fluids and tiny needle samples of skin bumps carefully placed on a slide with special colored stains can reveal secrets about infection, parasites, inflammation, and even detect possible cancer.

Why choose us?

Experienced and compassionate veterinarians

Our team of seasoned veterinarians boasts extensive practice and expertise, giving their undivided attention to each animal they care for. Their unique mix of excellent clinical capabilities and compassion for pets sets them apart in the field.

They dedicate considerable time to comprehending every animal’s situation during diagnostic evaluations and blood tests. This understanding enables them to offer customized veterinary services that meet our pet patients’ health requirements while ensuring a comfortable experience throughout the visit.

State-of-the-art diagnostic equipment

Our advanced technology allows us to perform comprehensive blood work and other diagnostic tests right here in our facility, saving you time and reducing stress for your pet. With cutting-edge equipment, our experienced veterinarians can quickly identify any potential health issues and create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your pet’s needs.

Acceptance of insurance

We understand that the cost of pet diagnostics and blood work can be a concern for many pet owners. That’s why at Citrus Heights Pet Hospital, we strive to make our services as accessible as possible by accepting all pet insurance and CareCredit.

By accepting insurance, we aim to alleviate some of the financial burdens associated with these necessary veterinary procedures. Our goal is to ensure that your furry family members receive the care they need without adding unnecessary stress to your wallet.

Convenient location

Conveniently located in Citrus Heights, our pet hospital is easily accessible for pet owners in nearby areas. Whether you reside in Orangevale, Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Granite Bay, Roseville, North Highlands, Gold River, Antelope, Rancho Cordova, or Folsom, our clinic is just a short drive away.

We understand the importance of convenience when it comes to taking care of your pets’ health needs. That’s why we selected a central location that can be reached from various neighborhoods.

Schedule an appointment today!

To ensure the well-being of your furry friend, it’s important to schedule a pet diagnostic appointment today. Our team of experienced and compassionate veterinarians at Citrus Heights Pet Hospital is here to provide top-notch veterinary care for your dogs and cats.
Don’t hesitate – reach out to us now and let us take care of your beloved companion with quality pet diagnostics and blood work services.
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