Diagnostics

Imagine how easy it would be to manage the health of our pets if they could speak. That way they could simply come to us, explain what was bothering them and show us where it hurt. Then we’d know just what to check for and how to best handle the situation. Unfortunately, our animal friends cannot communicate this way, so recognizing the signs of a health concern and addressing that concern in the most efficient and effective manner can be quite the challenge.

That’s where veterinary diagnostics come into play. These tools allow our experienced doctors to take a look inside your pet’s body to learn exactly what’s happening below the surface. This provides for a more timely and accurate diagnosis, and subsequently a better outcome for your pet. Ingersoll Animal Hospital offers a broad range of diagnostic services to manage the ongoing health of our patients.

Routine and advanced diagnostic services available to patients of Ingersoll Animal Hospital include:

• Full in-house veterinary lab—We are able to perform full blood chemistries, complete blood counts, electrolyte analysis and urinalysis within minutes to start treatment for your pet immediately. We can also evaluate ear and skin cytologies, perform intestinal parasite exams, blood parasite screening – including heartworm screening – in addition to many other important tests in-house. (For more specialized blood work results, we also work with an off-site laboratory that provides 24 hour turnaround time in most cases.)
• Radiographs–At Ingersoll Animal Hospital we have a state-of-the-art digital x-ray machine that provides a radiographic image that can be viewed immediately on a high-resolution monitor. This makes the process of taking radiographs more efficient and therefore, less stressful to our patients, allowing us to evaluate your pet’s musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, and reproductive systems from the 2 pound kitten to the 200 pound Mastiff.
• Digital dental x-rays for pets—Because digital x-rays create highly detailed images that provide diagnostic information about processes occurring below the gum line, dental x-rays can greatly enhance the quality of dental care your pet can receive. Digital dental x-rays allow for the most thorough and accurate imaging of your pet’s mouth and allow our experienced veterinarians to better assess the health and integrity of each tooth.
• Advanced Diagnostics–We have regular access to board-certified radiologists for consultations, ultrasonography, and echocardiography services, as well as other advanced diagnostics. We also have a close relationship with the board-certified specialists at Iowa Veterinary Specialties.

In addition to these comprehensive diagnostic and laboratory services, Ingersoll Animal Hospital is one of the select veterinary hospitals in the area that offers both OFA and PennHIP radiographs for hip certification and evaluation. (For more information on the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program please visit www.pennHIP.org.)

Digital Radiography (DR)

Ingersoll Animal Hospital is excited to announce that we have upgraded our radiology service with a state-of-the-art digital radiography (DR) system to complement our digital DR dental x-ray system. Digital cameras have changed the world of photography, making the process easier and more efficient by eliminating film. Similarly, DR systems have also revolutionized and improved the process of taking x-rays.

Digital x-rays provide the veterinarian with a high quality radiographic image that can be viewed immediately on a high-resolution monitor without the need for film development. The process of taking radiographs has become more efficient and, therefore, less stressful to our patients. Digital x-ray systems also offer sophisticated image processing tools, giving the veterinarian much greater depth of information that can be enlarged or manipulated for better detail, resulting in closer scrutiny of potential areas of concern.

Digital x-rays will better help us to help you. We will now be able to visualize the mouth and full body with higher quality, helping to further enhance our diagnosis and treatment of your pet. All of these benefits will allow us to maintain our ongoing commitment to providing excellent veterinary care for our clients and their beloved pets.

Whether it’s simple testing for routine wellness or to make a more in depth diagnosis, Ingersoll Animal Hospital is an excellent place for all of your cat or dog’s lab work. Whatever may be ailing your four-legged friend, rest assured that we’ll get to the bottom of it once and for all so we can get that little guy or gal back on the path to good health again as soon as possible.