Diagnostic Services
What We Offer
One of the frustrations of dealing with a sick pet is that you cannot simply ask what is wrong. That is why advanced veterinary diagnostics is important. When your pet is not well, we need to find out what is happening on the inside. Advanced diagnostics help us identify the problem so that we can develop an effective treatment plan.
Along with advanced training and experience, we make use of the latest equipment to diagnose and treat your sick pet.
We offer a full range of diagnostic (radiography, blood analysis, etc.) and ancillary services to diagnose and manage both minor and major health problems. Our team of experienced veterinarians and support staff are here to assist you with the outpatient and inpatient care needed throughout the life of your pet.
We treat kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, auto-immune conditions, infectious diseases, congenital diseases, Cushing's Disease, Addison's disease and all other endocrine disorders.
Digital Radiology
Animal & Bird Hospital of Del Mar is equipped with a state-of-the-art digital x-ray machine that produces excellent quality radiographs (x-rays). Radiographs are extremely helpful for diagnosing and monitoring many medical and surgical problems.
Digital x-rays have become a powerful and useful tool. Images can now be taken digitally and displayed on a computer monitor. This means that we can quickly take highly detailed images and then manipulate them to gain a better view of your pet's bones and internal organs. The result is that diagnosing a very wide range of medical conditions is made faster and can be done far more accurately than ever before.
Digital x-rays can be saved to a disk and given to you as part of your pet's home medical record. Images can also be quickly shared via email to specialists when a second opinion or additional diagnosis is needed.
Your pet's time on the x-ray table is reduced because fewer images need to be taken.
Digital x-rays also eliminate the need to use toxic chemicals in the film development process, decreasing the risk of exposure to our staff and the environment.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound is a non-invasive imaging procedure that complements x-rays and allows our clinicians to better visualize internal organs in the chest and abdomen. This painless diagnostic technique is normally done without sedation of your pet. Ultrasound is invaluable for making treatment decisions for various types of heart disease. It also allows us to biopsy organs such as the liver, and kidney through a tiny "keyhole" incision. Using the ultrasound image as a guide, major surgery is avoided and your pet can often go home the same day.
In most cases, the procedure is relatively brief and your pet is able to go home the very same day. Most importantly, though, an ultrasound helps us make an accurate diagnosis of your pet's condition and provides effective treatment recommendations.
Video Otoscopy
Ear disease is a common problem in our pets. Until now, diagnosing and treating most ear diseases have been difficult and the results have been unsatisfying. Animal & Bird Hospital of Del Mar has recently purchased a computerized video otoscope in order to perform ear exams, diagnose diseases and treat external and middle ear problems.
Middle ear surgery, as well as external ear canal cleaning, are performed more accurately with the help of the video otoscope.
Video Rhinoscope
Rhinoscopy is the exploration of the nasal passages awith a very small rigid endoscope. The scope used for this procedure is 1-2mm in diameter and 18 inches long. Using this instrument allows our veterinarian to explore the entire nasal passage of your pets.
The nasal cavity contains multiple small passages which are often beds to infection and tumors. Through rhinoscopy, our veterinarian can take accurate biopsies, remove foreign objects, control bleeding from ruptured vessels, and perform many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
Diagnostic Laboratory Testing
One of the most important aspects of any preventive medicine regimen is the ability to analyze how well your pet's internal organs and processes are functioning. For example, are your pet's kidneys and liver doing their jobs at removing waste from the blood stream? Does your pet have internal parasites? Is a growth on your pet's skin benign?
Our extensive laboratory services provide information that is critical to the sick or injured pet. We have access to both an in-house and centralized reference laboratory for extensive diagnostic testing, allowing animals to receive appropriate treatment in a timely manner.
Animal & Bird Hospital of Del Mar is equipped with sophisticated instruments that allow us to measure many laboratory values.
As a complement to our regular laboratory services, our in-house diagnostic capabilities allow us to get results pre-surgically, or in an emergency, within minutes.
Pharmacy
Animal & Bird Hospital of Del Mar stocks an extensive inventory of medications that can be dispensed before you and your pet leave the hospital. This is an important aspect of veterinary medicine.
As the prescribing veterinarian for your pet's medications, we are able to ensure there is a direct link between the exam room and our pharmacy. This means your pet will receive the right medication, at the right dose, in the right form as quickly as possible. We will also be able to easily guide you on the medication's use as well as monitor its effectiveness.
We maintain a complete inventory of pharmaceuticals, vitamins, shampoos, flea and tick control products and heartworm preventives to meet the needs of your pet. We also carry a full line of prescription diets.
Refills are easy, too. Simply give us a call or use our online form.