By utilizing lab tests, X-rays, and ultrasound, our team can get a more complete look at your pet and determine what must be done to return them to peak condition.

Digital Radiology

Most people are familiar with the use of radiography, or X-rays, to diagnose dental and skeletal issues. At Poway Animal Hospital, we’ve upgraded to the latest, most effective version of this technology and have gone digital!

Digital radiography uses much less radiation than traditional X-rays. Additionally, image clarity is superior to that of film X-rays, and the images are viewable within minutes. Not only do we get a better look at what may be ailing your cat or dog, but we can do so more quickly, which allows us to diagnose and treat the problem sooner.

Digital X-rays are the safest, most efficient way to analyze your pet’s bones and internal organs. X-rays are commonly used to diagnose:

• Broken or dislocated bones
• Bladder and kidney stones
• Bowel or urinary tract obstructions
• Tumors
• Joint inflammation
• Damage or infection of the lungs, liver, kidney, and heart
• Dental disease
• Teeth that need extraction or bonding

Digital radiography is painless and noninvasive. However, sedation is sometimes recommended to ensure ideal positioning of pets during the procedure.

Ultrasonography

Ultrasonography, or ultrasound, uses sound waves for internal imaging. These waves bounce off the body’s organs to create a real-time, moving image of the abdominal and chest cavities. Ultrasound is most commonly used to diagnose and analyze pregnancies. However, it can also be used to detect tumors and cysts; study the shape and texture of organs; and diagnose fluids or stones in the digestive and urinary tracts.

Like X-ray, ultrasound is completely painless and noninvasive, but we cannot perform ultrasound procedures on the same day as your pet’s routine exam. If we recommend an ultrasound for your pet, we can help you schedule it for a separate appointment.

In-House Lab

When your pet is having surgery or is very ill, you will not need to wait for blood test results. Poway Animal Hospital has an in-house IDEXX laboratory capable of running complete blood work for your pet. Our lab can provide same-day results for blood and urine testing, so we can find out what’s wrong the same day you bring your pet in.

For more complex testing, we send blood, urine, and fecal samples out to IDEXX labs for their specialists to analyze. This ensures a thorough and detailed evaluation, and results can take about 24 hours.

In addition to our same-day services for pre-anesthesia and emergency illness, we also offer heartworm and allergy testing. Heartworm tests are sent to another lab to ensure the most accurate results and are therefore not available as quickly.