All Creatures Veterinary Center

Veterinary Diagnostics & Laboratory in Carrollton, TX

Diagnostic care allows our medical team to help your pet feel their best inside and outside. Lab work, blood tests, and imaging technology help our doctors and staff diagnose illness and injury, as well as confirm the health status of seemingly healthy pets.

Digital Radiography

Radiography is the science of using waves such as x-rays to produce images of internal structures on a sensitive plate for medical examination.

For diagnostic purposes, radiography is incredibly valuable because it allows a trained radiographer to view the heart, lungs, musculoskeletal system, bones, and other internal structures.

Decades ago, diagnostic questions which may have resulted in surgery can now be answered using this safe and non-invasive technique.

At All Creatures Veterinary Center, instead of traditional film x-rays, we use digital radiography because of its higher quality. Here are some of the benefits of digital radiography as opposed to film:

  • Digital x-rays create more precise images. This aids the veterinary team in making accurate diagnoses.
  • The image can be created faster. This will expose you pet to less of the x-ray waves, and they do not have to sit still for as long.
  • The resulting images can be sent electronically to specialists across the country with the click of a mouse.
  • The images can also be stored electronically in your pet’s medical records for future reference.

We decided to invest in the equipment and training necessary for digital radiography to better serve you, our clients and prospective clients, with the most accurate, timely, and safe diagnostic services on the market today. Staying at the cutting edge of veterinary medicine is part of our mission as a practice.

Ultrasound

Much like x-ray radiography, ultrasound radiography is another method of using waves to create images of what cannot be seen with the human eye. Often, these two forms of radiography are complementary, and used together to create a more complete picture of the pet’s health. In the case of ultrasound, the waves used are sound waves. For this reason, ultrasounds are safe and non-invasive.

Ultrasounds create real time video images of the body’s internal structures. With an ultrasound, a trained radiographer can see the heart beating and the lungs breathing. Ultrasounds are commonly used to diagnose foreign body ingestion, abdominal masses, cancer, pregnancy, and heart and lung abnormalities.

An ultrasound session requires no sedation. Sometimes if the pet is long-haired, we will shave the area to reach it with the instrument. We will keep the pet patient still by petting them and talking in a soothing voice while they lie down. We will use a cool gel on the skin of the examined area and our tool will simply rub against the pet’s skin.

The resulting images will be displayed on a monitor in the exam room. The radiographer conducting the procedure will be able to use the information to make an informed diagnoses. For more complex cases, we may ask a specialist to help us read the images.

In-House Laboratory

To diagnose disease with accuracy, going deeper than a physical examination may be required. Laboratory testing allows us to gather a complete dataset of your pet’s health, and understand what is going on below the surface at a chemical level.

At All Creatures Veterinary Center, we are able to provide our clients with an on-site, staff-run laboratory. This helps us to increase the speed and accuracy of our diagnostic process, so you are not left waiting days or even weeks for results.

Other veterinary offices who are not able to provide this service must ship their samples to a third party laboratory, then wait for them to test, then wait for the results to be delivered. Because we have complete control over the laboratory testing process, we are able to expedite the results for our patients.

Here are some of the routine tests we routinely run in our in-house laboratory:

  • Blood chemistry panel is actually a series of tests that work together to assess major organs such as the kidney, liver, or pancreas.
  • Electrolytes testing is useful to for monitoring dehydration, bone metabolism, and general body health. The most abundant electrolyte in the body is sodium, but we also test for others such as potassium, chloride, calcium, and phosphorous to understand more about your pet’s unique chemistry.
  • Complete blood count is one of the most common laboratory tests we conduct, because it is so informative of the animal’s overall health. It identifies the amounts of different blood cells that are present in the blood, and using this information we can diagnose anemia, infection, inflammation, and more.
  • Thyroid tests measure the output of the critically important thyroid gland, which is responsible for energy and metabolism. Disorders of the thyroid can result in serious symptoms.
  • Urinalysis gives us an overview of the chemistry of the animal’s urine. It can help us diagnose disorders of the kidneys, diabetes, and more. For senior pets, we recommend this test even more strongly.

Allergy & Dermatology Testing

Allergies and other issues which irritate the skin can be painful and limiting. We want your pet to feel their best all year round, without the burden of constant itching and burning. In Texas in particular, our climate breeds airborne allergens because we do not have a cold winter to alleviate our pollen count. This affects not only people, but many animals who also suffer from seasonal allergies.

Are you worried your pet may be suffering from allergies or another dermatological ailment? Look out for these symptoms:

  • Regular itching or biting of the skin
  • Hair loss
  • Dry or flaky patches of the skin
  • Red or watery eyes
  • Excessive shedding
  • Lumps or bumps
  • Vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Redness or irritation

If your pet has more than one or two of these symptoms, it may be time to schedule an appointment to discuss their condition with a veterinarian.

The first step that we must take to offer them relief, is finding the correct diagnoses for the problem. Dermatological conditions can include allergies, skin cancer, infections, parasites, hormonal disorders, and autoimmune diseases. Before a diagnosis is arrived at, conditions of the skin are commonly referred to as dermatitis. The symptoms of all of the above list can be described as dermatitis, and once we understand the root of the problem, we will address the disease itself as the cause of dermatitis.

To accurately diagnose the cause of the irritation, we may need to run some laboratory tests such as a skin biopsy, allergy test, or blood samples.

Once we understand the nature of their ailment, we will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan to offer your pet relief. This may consist of a topical cream, injections, stress relieving lifestyle changes, or a combination of many factors. If we determine that the issue facing your pet is an allergy, we may advise you to remove any contact your pet may have with the allergen.

Join the All Creatures Veterinary Center Family Today!

On Hebron Parkway between Marsh Lane and Marsh Ridge Road. 2 miles from the Midway Rd exit on the President George Bush Turnpike W.

Phone: 972-307-7400

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