Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory

Using a radiograph (digital x-ray), we can examine your pet's internal systems to reveal information that may be invisible from the outside. 

Radiography is a non-invasive, painless procedure. It only employs very low doses of radiation. Because the level of radiation exposure required for radiography is so low, even pregnant women and very young pets can have this procedure performed.

Radiographs can be used to evaluate bones and organs, and diagnose conditions including broken bones, chronic arthritis, bladder stones, spinal cord diseases, and some tumors. 

The use of diagnostic imaging allows our team of veterinary professionals to create extremely detailed images of your pet's internal structures.

With ultrasound imaging, we expose part of the body to high-frequency sound waves to produce images of the inside of the body. 

Because we capture ultrasound images in real-time, we can see the structure and movement of your pet's internal organs, as well as blood flowing through the blood vessels.

Having this valuable technology available to our vets in our in-house lab means that your dog or cat's condition can be diagnosed quickly and treatment can start sooner. 

At our vet lab in San Mateo we are able to run a number of common and specialized blood tests to determine the health of your pet and to diagnose illness.

CBC (complete blood count), white blood count, hemoglobin and MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration), hematocrit, platelets, eosinophils, and blood serum profile are some of the most common veterinary blood tests we perform.

Urinalysis is a key diagnostic test that provides your vet with essential insights into the physical and chemical properties of your pet's urine.

Urinalysis is primarily used to evaluate the health of your animal's kidneys and urinary tract system, but it can also be useful in detecting problems in other organ systems and is critical in diagnosing metabolic diseases such as diabetes.

This is a valuable diagnostic test for both healthy and sick animals and should be included in any comprehensive evaluation of your pet's overall health. 

If your veterinarian performs a physical examination and suspects your pet may have a heart disorder, we usually take chest X-Rays and an electrocardiogram (ECG / EKG).

This procedure is simple and quick to complete. It reveals information that may be critical to your pet's diagnosis. In other cases, a cardiac ultrasound may be required to identify problems in the heart's chambers.

If your cat or dog is suffering from periodontal disease, much of this damage occurs below the gum line where it can't be easily seen. Digital dental X-Rays help our veterinarians assess your pet's oral health.

Digital X-Rays are safer for your pet. They allow our team of veterinary professionals to examine the roots, bones, and internal anatomy of your cat or dog's teeth.

The risk of radiation exposure for your pet is significantly lower with digital X-Rays than with traditional X-Ray technology. To fully evaluate each tooth, we can see below the surface of your pet's gum line.

This technology allows your San Mateo vet to see results immediately, then project them onto a computer screen to review.