Diagnostics

LAB tests


Blood tests

Our blood analysis machines enable us to make a diagnosis in just 7 minutes, meaning that you can have the results at the same time as your consultation. If you are unable to wait we can of course email them to you that same day. Our in house laboratory can test all the major blood parameters including liver, kidney, pancreas, diabetes and the thyroid. This enables our Vets to give you a diagnosis and treatment plan during your initial consultation rather than agonisingly waiting for results for days.

We also work with the reference laboratory IDEXX - so we are able to refer any tests that we are unable to analyse on site, with a quick turn around and accurate results.

Urinalysis

Asides from our blood machine, we also often use urinalysis to monitor the bacteria, protein, and electrolyte levels in an animal's urine when we suspect a problem with their genitourinary system or kidneys. This provides rapid results, which we can communicate in or just after consultations. For our urinalysis samples, we will also analyse this using refractometry.

Microscopy

In our in house laboratory, we also have access to a microscope, which we use to analyse blood samples, detect parasites and bacteria and to analyse crystals in urine.

Imaging

Imaging can be incredibly helpful to enable us to reach a diagnosis in many cases. At the Forest Vets, we have a digital x-ray machine and ultrasound machine in house, which enable us to provide high quality images to support our diagnosis. We also have imaging specialists that regularly visit us, for cardiology and more complex diagnostics, including cardiology, and we also have an endoscopic specialist who can provide more detailed internal diagnostics.