Diagnostic Testing in Pets

Laboratory tests are very important in the examination of dogs, cats, ferrets, pocket pets, birds and other exotic pets.  They provide necessary information about your pet's health.  The following is a description of some of them. 

1. Complete Blood Count (CBC): measures the number and type of red and white blood cells.  A CBC is useful in detecting anemia, infection, inflammation, and certain types of cancer.  A frequently utilized test, it aids in speeding a pet's recovery from illness or predicting its outcome. 
 
2. Serum or Plasma Biochemical Analysis: measures the biochemical elements in the blood such as glucose, calcium, total protein, organ enzymes, uric acid, and electrolytes.  The purpose is to test the function of major organ systems such as the liver and kidneys. 
 
3. Electrophoresis (EPH): measures the specific amounts of plasma proteins in the blood.  This helps determine if the immune system is responding to infection.  Indications of immune response, or lack of it, aids in the prediction of disease outcome. 
 
4. Fecal Examination or Microscopic Examination of a Stool Sample: determines whether your pet has parasites in the intestinal tract.  Special stains can be done (eg, Gram's stain) to evaluate the bacterial population and to identify overgrowth of yeast. 
 
5. Culture and Sensitivity: refers to the growing of organisms (ie, bacteria and fungi) on special media in petrie dishes and identifying them to determine their pathogenicity (whether they are harmful to your pet).  The organisms are then tested to determine which drugs would be effective against them. 
 
6. Virus Testing: tests which detect several viruses in birds.  Examples include tests for polyomavirus and beak and feather virus.  However, results must be interpreted carefully in light of other clinical findings. 
 
7. Psittacosis: a disease in birds caused by the bacteria Chylamydia psittaci.  Several methods of testing for this disease are available, but no one test is definitive.  Thus, several tests are usually done when this disease is suspected. 
 
8. Heavy Metals: refers to testing for toxic metals such as lead and zinc in the blood.  Lead poisoning is one of the most common toxicities seen, especially in birds, rabbits, and iguanas.