In-House Laboratory

Here at Fox Veterinary Clinic we have an array of different laboratory equipment at our disposable. This enables us to run certain tests on-site and receive results within minutes. This is particularly useful when we have emergency cases.

Blood Tests

Blood testing is probably one of the most common tests carried out on a day to day basis. We use the most modern and up-to-date biochemistry and haematology machines to run these tests on. They are fantastic machines which supply us with results within minutes. This means we can offer our clients in-house blood results the very same day.
If your pet does require bloodwork you can expect them to have a small area of hair clipped from their neck or leg. This allows us to gain clear access to their vein and give the area a clean before we take any blood.

For more extensive blood tests we usually send them to external laboratories which will run the necessary tests. The sample will be collected from our clinic by a courier and delivered to the laboratory. Once they have completed the tests, we will receive the results and deliver them to the owner as soon as possible.

Urinalysis

Urinalysis is a very useful tool we often use it to look for urinary infections, urine crystals and even for signs of diabetes.

If you are asked to get a urine sample from your pet, do not panic. We will happily run through an explanation on how to do so, we will also supply you with a urine pot to keep the sample in. We know we might sound crazy when we ask you to collect a urine sample from your pet but we can actually find out a lot from it!

Skin Scraping and Skin Cytology Examinations

Skin scrapes are performed to help with the detection of mites. These mites are microscopic which means they can only be seen under a microscope. They help to identity conditions caused by mites such as, Sarcoptic Mange (caused by scabies), ‘walking dandruff’ (caused by Cheyletiella mites) and Demodectic Mange (caused by demodex mites). We always recommend to treat your pet monthly with a spot-on treatment or as recommended by the vet to prevent these conditions occurring.

There are other quick and easy tests we use in the clinic to identify other tests of skin infections. These include flea combing and the use of a UV lamp in a dark room to identify ringworm infections.

Ear Swab Cytology

If your pet has mucky-brown dirt coming from their ears when they are being cleaned, chances are they have ear mites. Sometimes the vet or nurse may take a cotton bud and use to it remove some of this dirt from your pet’s ear to examine under the microscope. Usually we do this to search for those pesky mites.
Ear swabs may also be taken from pet’s with chronic ear infections to determine the type of bacteria causing the infection. This usually requires us to send the swab to an external laboratory, the results allow for us to use a more specific antibiotic which will be more effective against the bacteria causing the infection.
 

Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA)

This diagnostic procedure is used to investigate lumps or masses that your pet may have. It involves inserting a thin needle into the lump to collect the cells that are contained in the lump. The cells are then put on a microscope slide, stained and examined under the microscope.

Click HERE to book an appointment or call us on 01 8348411.