Laboratory Services
At Peñasquitos Pet Clinic we offer both in-house laboratory testing and outside laboratory testing.
IN-HOUSE LABORATORY TESTS: In-house blood tests can be of great value in Emergency situations when we really have to know quickly what kind of organ function does your pet possess or is having trouble with.
For this purpose we have in-house laboratory equipment that allows us to test kidney and liver functions, test electrolyte balances, blood sugar levels, calcium and phosphorus levels and other blood values. Knowing these values allow us to give appropriate Emergency Treatment.
We can make sure your pet has enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to his/her heart, brain and organs. We can also find out whether your pet has too many or too few white blood cells that help fight infection and inflammation.
Our ability to run in-house urinanalysis tests also gives us valuable information about your pet’s major organ functions in an Emergency Situation.
We also use our in-house laboratory equipment to evaluate your young puppy or kitten’s organ function prior to their spay or neuter surgery or his/her dental procedure if he/she is under 7 years of age. In this way we can evaluate their organs’ ability to handle the anesthesia necessary for these surgeries.
We also offer in-house HEARTWORM testing prior to starting any dog who is 6 months of age or older on HEARTWORM preventative medication. This is CRITICAL since starting a dog that has heartworm disease on a heartworm preventative medication can cause that dog to die. Heartworm disease is spread from dog to dog by two mosquito species that live everywhere in San Diego County. San Diego County is NOW considered a Heartworm Endemic area. The canine reservoir for the infection is our coyote population.
OUTSIDE LABORATORY TESTS: If we are planning to perform major surgery or dental work on your pet who is 7 years of age or older or if an elective surgery or dental work is going to involve a longer anesthesia time we always send a full blood and urine panel to the outside laboratory we use, Stat Veterinary Laboratory. The outside laboratory can give us a broader range of blood tests than in-house testing equipment can.
We also test those dogs that are on anti-inflammatory medication (example: Carprofen) for their joints or dogs and cats that are on behavior modification medication (example: Prozac) every 6 months to monitor for liver and kidney changes. We do these blood and urine tests to evaluate your pet's ability to tolerate such medications over time.
The outside laboratory also gives us access to specialized tests that cannot be done with in-house laboratory testing equipment. Examples of such tests are genetic testing for breed specific diseases or conditions, special endocrine gland function testing (Cushing’s disease), testing for tick borne disease or fungal infections, specialized parasite testing and so on.
Tick borne diseases that we find in San Diego County are Ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF, especially in rescued Greyhounds and dogs from other parts of the country who are adopted from our shelters) and more rarely Babesia. We do have the ticks here that can and might carry these diseases some of which are zoonotic to human beings (e.g. RMSF).
We use Stat Veterinary Laboratory for most of our outside laboratory testing. We also use the services of several different veterinary school laboratories, which have developed special tests for specific disease conditions. We also utilize certain companies that have developed specific genetic tests for certain breed specific diseases, conditions or genetic deficiencies.
Don’t wait: if you pet is ill (decreased appetite, drinking less or more water than normal, vomiting, having diarrhea, depressed, hiding) call today for an appointment (858-484-1260). The sooner we see your pet the better.