SPECIMEN
ANALYSIS
Hematology, blood Chemistry, thyroid Panels, special tests for hormonal
disease, pancreatic disorders, cytology, microbiology, histopathology,
and urine analysis.
Dr. Jodie takes pride
in being "bloodwork nuts". She says, "bloodwork tells us
so much about what is going on inside the body, that a physical exam alone
cannot tell us. We never want to miss a diagnosis because we fail to recommend
basic bloodwork!"
In addition to providing in-clinic blood and urine analysis so that urgent
care treatment decisions may be made, Animal Doctor utilizes the services
of top veterinary specimen analysis labs across the country, including
Marshfield in Wisconsin, IDEXX in Illinois, Michigan State University
and UW-Madison.
Animal Doctor has full-service x-ray capability. In addition, we are able to e-mail or mail images to internists, radiologists or surgeons for specialist consultations. Radiographs may be recommended if your pet has a cough or you suspect arthritis, for example.
Animal Doctor offers in-clinic abdominal ultrasound imaging and echocardiograms. A licensed sonographer generates the still images or moving clips of your pet and these rapidly travel the internet to a veterinary internist or cardiologist for a complete case evaluation. This is a convenient and very reasonably priced service. Dr. Jodie might recommend this diagnostic test if physical examination reveals a heart murmur or if bloodwork indicates liver disease, for example. No sedation is used. Your pet lies comfortably in a darkened room on a padded table with a pillow under his/her head.
Our ECG is a telemedicine service, again evaluated by a specialist. This can be rapidly provided as a pre-anesthetic screen or if a heart arrhythmia is suspected. Your pet lies on his/her side on a soft quilt for this procedure which only takes a few minutes. Four tiny metal clips are placed on her skin. Her body generates an electrical message which is transmitted over the telephone. The ECG result is rapidly reported back to us by one of the many Soundtech doctors from across the country.
We can test for hyper/hypotension in your dog or cat. Pets can have blood pressure problems especially if they have heart or kidney disease, hyperthyroidism or Cushings disease. One of our certified veterinary technicians (Kate, Sue, Cindy or Marie) may ask you to sit on the sofa by the fireplace or fountain with your pet on your lap. This allows us to accurately measure blood pressure in a relaxed environment - much like your own home! You may decide you would like us to treat your pet's high blood pressure with an herb rather than a conventional drug. Let us know how you feel about the natural approach. Many of our patients are maintained successfully this way.
A tool used by oriental practitioners to arrive at a diagnosis is the tongue and pulse evaluation. Particular observations of the color or thickness of the tongue or the character or rate of the pulse can be correlated with excess or deficiencies of energy flow which may lead to disease. Dr. Jodie and Dr. Becky have been trained to use this unique skill and talent to choose appropriate Chinese herbal formulations or acupuncture points as a course of very individualized treatment for your pet companion!
