Diagnostic Services
Radiographs
Radiographs (X-rays) are extremely helpful for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical conditions. X-rays are useful in examining your pet’s bones, lungs, heart, abdomen, oral cavity and other areas of the body. An X-ray can spot a fractured bone, detect tumors, help with the diagnosis of heartworm disease or locate an obstruction or foreign body in your pet’s intestine or stomach. When used in conjunction with other diagnostic procedures like ultrasound and blood work, X-rays can accurately diagnose problems, making treatment faster and easier for your pet and your veterinarian.
In order to provide your pet with the best medical care, Murray Animal Hospital uses the latest in radiology equipment as part of your pet’s diagnostic care. We are also up to date on the latest radiographic procedures and are able to share these studies with a veterinary radiology specialist for consultations.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a pain-free, non-invasive technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce a real-time image of your pet’s internal organs. Often considered more exact than radiographs, ultrasound provides a movie of what is happening inside your pet’s body.
It is particularly useful in viewing your pet's abdominal organs including the spleen, kidneys, liver, and gallbladder. It can also be used to evaluate heart functions, bladder scans and other areas such as the thyroid glands, testicles and mammary glands.
Ultrasound also works well in conjunction with other diagnostic tools and a wide range of diagnostic procedures. For example, if an X-ray shows an abnormality, an ultrasound can determine the origin and whether it has spread elsewhere in your pet’s body. Using the ultrasound image as a guide, biopsies can be obtained without major surgery and your pet can often go home the same day. Ultrasounds are typically not stressful for your pet and take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to perform.
Murray Animal Hospital works with a specially trained veterinary ultrasonographer who comes to our facility to perform a wide range of ultrasound studies, which includes echocardiograms, abdominal scans and ultrasound guided biopsies.
Our Lab
Performing preventative medicine as well as diagnosing emerging internal health issues requires the ability to perform a wide range of laboratory tests on blood, urine, feces, and biopsied tissue. Without timely access to precise laboratory test results it is difficult to make an accurate diagnosis or assessment of your pet’s health.
For example, diagnostic testing can detect heartworm disease, Lyme disease, infections, feline leukemia, intestinal parasites, urinary tract infections, and many additional diseases and conditions that can go unnoticed in their early stages. Early blood testing can show evidence of disease such as diabetes, changes in liver or kidney function, or simply provide a baseline for future reference. Diagnostic testing is also included in pre-anesthetic screenings prior to dental or surgical procedures that require general anesthesia.
Murray Animal Hospital has a complete in-house laboratory. In many cases, our sophisticated instruments and diagnostic capabilities allow us to receive results within minutes. While many of our diagnostic tests are completed in our clinic laboratory, some specialized tests may be submitted to a veterinary laboratory with most results being returned within 24 to 48 hours.
While many of our diagnostic tests are completed in our clinic laboratory some more specialized tests may be submitted to a veterinary laboratory with most results being returned within 24 hours.