Dog and Cat Diagnostics
At Prairie Animal Hospital, we offer full animal diagnostic services. We listen to the lungs and heart for abnormal sounds, heart rhythm, and heart rate.
Your veterinarian services in Peoria, IL
At Prairie Animal Hospital our veterinary team is passionate about working with our clients to nurture and preserve the human-animal bond by providing compassionate, expert, and affordable veterinary care. We look forward to being there for your pet’s first big adventure and beyond!
- We check the abdomen for masses, fluid buildup, or the presence of pain.
- We feel for enlargement of the lymph nodes and thyroid glands.
- We will check your animal’s teeth for tartar buildup as well as signs of disease.
- At the same time, we check the mouth for any masses or inflammation that could be signs of other issues.
- The ears are checked for infection, as well as the eyes for any abnormalities.
We will examine your pets skin and coat for signs of parasites, infection, lumps, masses, or discolorations. We will check your pet’s musculoskeletal system for signs of swelling or lameness. We also will observe your pet for changes in the mental or nervous system.
Veterinary Diagnostics Available:
- The Veterinarians and veterinary Team members here at Prairie Animal Hospital trust and love our diagnostic in-house Laboratory from Idexx. Idexx offers a comprehensive chemistry profile with amylase and lipase, making it ideal for canine and feline patients.
- We can combine a CBC, electrolytes, chemistries and tests such as total T4, when indicated.
- We can do this in about 20-30 minutes while you wait. No more waiting for veterinary tests overnight for most labs.
- With Idexx and its full software integration, we can e-mail you results quickly and we have access to a Pet Health Network.
- You can look up any questions that you may have about veterinary diagnostics.
Other diagnostic services include digital x-ray and ultrasound capabilities. Digital dental x-rays will be coming soon to further our ability to remove and treat dental disease in dogs and cats.
Pet Digital X-Rays
Radiology (x-rays) is routinely used to provide valuable information about a pet’s bones, gastrointestinal tract (stomach, intestines, colon), respiratory tract (lungs), heart, and genitourinary system (bladder, prostate). It can be used alone or in conjunction with other diagnostic tools to provide a list of possible causes for a pet’s condition, identify the exact cause of a problem or rule out possible problems.
With the advances in digital x-ray technology, we can now manipulate the digital images that we take of a pet’s system to see what is wrong. This has allowed us to detect things like hairline fractures and orthopedic conditions that were previously not visible. We can share these digital images and refer our clients to specialists who consult with us on complex cases.
Pet Ultrasounds
Although humans and animals differ in many ways, some advances in human medicine are also beneficial for veterinary patients. One of these advances, diagnostic ultrasound, has proven to be a powerful tool in veterinary medicine. As a practice, one of our goals is to offer state-of-the-art medicine and diagnostic testing, so we are pleased to offer ultrasound services as a means of providing a higher level of quality care to our patients.
Ultrasonography is a type of diagnostic technique that uses ultrasound waves to produce an imaging study. This means that when we perform ultrasonography, we can see internal images of the patient’s body. Unlike other imaging studies, like x-rays, ultrasonography does not use radiation. Instead, ultrasonography uses high-frequency sound (ultrasound) waves to create a picture of what is inside your pet’s body. Ultrasonography is a completely non-invasive, painless way to diagnose and evaluate many common diseases.
An ultrasound machine generates ultrasound waves. The machine is connected to a small probe that is held gently against your pet’s skin. The probe sends out painless ultrasound waves that bounce off of structures (for example, organs) in your pet’s body and return to a sensor inside the ultrasound machine. The ultrasound equipment collects these reflected “echoes” and uses them to generate viewable images on a screen. Ultrasound waves can generate excellent images of abdominal organs, including the liver, spleen, gallbladder, and kidneys. It is also helpful for assessing fetal health and monitoring pregnancy in breeding animals, and it can help us diagnose and stage (determine the severity of) some forms of cancer.
Pet Echocardiography
An echocardiogram (or echo) is an ultrasound of the heart. This procedure is one of the least invasive and best ways to take a much closer look at the structures of the heart and to watch how the heart functions in real time. The most common reason we schedule an echo is if your pet has a heart murmur.
The heart comprises four chambers, each of which is separated by a valve. These valves close at the right time to keep blood flowing in the right direction. With an echocardiogram, we can see whether the walls of the heart are thickened, if the chambers of the heart are enlarged, and whether the valves of the heart are working correctly. We can also see whether the blood pressure in the vessels going to and from the heart is what it should be.
For your pet’s echocardiogram, we will shave a small area of hair on both sides of their chest so the ultrasound probe can have better contact with the skin. Your pet will lie on his or her side on a comfortable, padded table. Most pets are just fine laying on their side for the time it takes to get the necessary images, but some pets who are more nervous may get light sedation. For this reason, we recommend that you fast your pet overnight.
We perform echocardiograms on patients two years of age and older. If you think your pet could benefit from an echocardiogram or if you have any other questions about this procedure, please don’t hesitate to contact us!