At Bellerose Animal Hospital, our expert diagnostic capabilities start with our highly trained staff of veterinarians who have a wealth of experience treating animal patients with a wide range of medical conditions. We are also proud of our on-site diagnostic tools and technologies that help us to determine the best course of treatment in a quick and efficient manner—so that you get the answers you need right away.
Some of the many veterinary diagnostic tools we use include:
Ultrasound
Veterinary ultrasound is an important, non-invasive diagnostic device that gives us a real-time view of what is happening inside your pet’s body. Used primarily for abdominal and cardiac problems, ultrasound is often crucial to the comprehensive diagnosis of diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys, gallbladder, spleen, and other internal organs. Includes ultrasound guided aspirates (fine needle aspirate) for cytology and pathology review.
Digital veterinary radiology
Our in-house digital radiographs (X-rays) are extremely helpful for diagnosing medical and surgical veterinary problems. Digital X-rays, as opposed to the films you have seen in your doctor’s office, have proven to provide far more detail for our veterinarians and our board-certified radiology, internal medicine, and surgical consultants.
If your veterinarian feels a lump or growth in your pet’s abdomen, an X-ray can determine where the mass is located. If your pet is experiencing a medical problem, an X-ray can often pinpoint the organ where the problem is occurring. Tumors and foreign bodies (lodged in the stomach or the intestine) can be seen in an X-ray.
By providing an inside snapshot of your pet’s body and organs, digital pet X-rays can aid in the diagnosis of orthopedic problems such as fractures and hip dysplasia, as well as arthritic changes in bones and joints. Heart and lung disease, gastrointestinal problems, and bladder stones can often be diagnosed quickly and efficiently using X-rays.
Veterinary diagnostic laboratory
A pet that appears healthy can often be hiding symptoms of disease. Routine blood testing helps your veterinarian learn things about your pet’s health that cannot be spotted during routine physical examinations. Bellerose Animal Hospital has upgraded our in-house laboratory capabilities to allow rapid blood analysis including blood counts and organ function tests, as well as sophisticated blood parameters used as the standard of care in both human and veterinary emergency rooms. Our in-house diagnostic capabilities allow us to get results pre-surgically, or in an emergency, within minutes.
Our extensive laboratory services provide information that is critical to the sick or injured pet. We have access—both in-house and at our centralized reference laboratory—to sophisticated blood test and pathology results within hours after submission. What can be a seven-day wait for a human being can be provided in just hours in many cases. We also use contrast media - IO hexo contrast media (intravenous and urinary tract) and Barium contrast media (intestinal).
Veterinary cardiac evaluation and monitoring
Animals, like people, can suffer from a wide variety of heart diseases. In order to correctly diagnose and treat these diseases, it is necessary to see inside the heart, visualize the movement of the chambers, and to look at the valves in motion. Echocardiography (an ultrasound of the heart) is a standard, non-invasive technique for assessing cardiac anatomy, pathology, and function. Echocardiography is commonly done by a cardiologist at our hospital.
Electrocardiograms, a common procedure for humans, are a part of the standard of care for monitoring cardiac patients, for diagnostic screening of senior patients, and for pre-surgical testing. An electrocardiogram is electronically transmitted to one of our cardiology consultants and results can be returned to us in a matter of minutes. This procedure is very helpful in the management of emergency cases. Another tool is Holter monitoring - a 24/7 electrocardiogram monitor that is sent to a board certified cardiologist.
Bellerose Animal Hospital uses the latest veterinary diagnostic equipment to evaluate and monitor your pet’s cardiac health. We invite you to discuss your pet’s cardiac treatment options with Dr. Mariliz Hernandez and our veterinary medical team.
