Pet Diagnostic Services
Whether you have a well pet who needs a screening test or an ill pet who requires a diagnostic work-up, South Forsyth Animal Hospital is well-equipped to handle your situation. Our hospital offers extensive diagnostic modalities, including in-house CBC and blood chemistry, urinalysis, blood glucose monitoring, blood pressure monitoring, exfoliative cytologies, digital radiography, EKG, abdominal and cardiac ultrasound, ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates, and bone marrow aspirates. We also maintain an ongoing relationship with multiple national veterinary laboratories for sending out more specific tests, should they be required.
Drs. Lisa Hillier and Cheryl O'Neal have more than 50 years of combined experience in small animal medical diagnostics and treatment, as well as treatment, surgery, and dentistry, both routine and critical. They enjoy nothing more than using their skills to return your pet to being a happy, healthy member of the family!
Digital Radiography
To provide you with the highest-quality veterinary care for your pet, South Forsyth Animal Hospital has invested in a state-of-the-art digital X-ray machine. There are many important advantages to digital X-rays:
- They can be immediately viewed on a computer monitor.
- The clear, detailed images can be manipulated to get a better view of your pet's bones and internal organs, leading to a faster and more accurate diagnosis.
- They take less time to process, which means less time for your pet on the X-ray table (and less stress), and less waiting time for you.
- No harsh chemicals are needed to develop the images, reducing potential harm to our veterinary staff and the environment.
- If a second opinion is necessary, digital X-rays can be sent by email to a specialist.
Advanced diagnostic capabilities are an extremely important part of veterinary medicine, in part because we can't simply ask our patients what is wrong. Our investment in digital X-ray technology reflects our commitment to offer you and your pet the best, most comprehensive healthcare available.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a painless, safe, non-invasive procedure we use to evaluate your pet's internal organs. Using sound waves, ultrasound produces a real-time moving picture of your pet's organs that allows us to visualize objects that cannot be detected by X-rays alone.
At South Forsyth Animal Hospital, we use ultrasound exams to assess the shape, size, tissue density, internal structure, and position of your pet's abdominal organs. In addition, ultrasounds help assess cardiac health (also called an echocardiogram) and diagnose pregnancy. The technology can also be used to identify masses or tumors and as a guide during fine needle aspirates or cystocentesis.
The ultrasound procedure takes between 30 to 60 minutes to perform and does not typically require sedation. A diagnosis based on what we see is usually available immediately, which means we can also provide you with treatment options at the time of your appointment, minimizing your worry and stress.
Drs. Hillier and O'Neal were two of the first veterinarians in the Atlanta area to begin using this modality in the 1990's. Between them, they have over 30 years of experience with performing ultrasound exams.
In-House Laboratory
South Forsyth Animal Hospital maintains a full-service on-site diagnostic laboratory that allows us to perform complete blood counts, chemistry profiles, urinalysis, fecal exams, cytology evaluations and other valuable tests for your pet. With our advanced laboratory technology, including ProCyte Hematology and Catalyst Chemistry analyzers, we can receive fast and accurate results, helping to determine your pet's diagnosis and what treatment is recommended.
Our complete in-house laboratory is particularly essential to our emergency and critical care cases. For many tests we can often have results within 15 minutes, enabling us to begin treatment quickly.