Facilities : Diagnostics : Laboratory
At Blackness Vets we have a comprehensive, modern, in-house laboratory which enables us to give you same day results on may diagnostic tests.
We can carry out complete blood profiles or single tests to provide us with a full biochemical analysis of your pet's blood.
We also provide centrifugation, microscopy and urinalysis.
Blood Biochemistry
We use a "Vet test" analyser which uses wet chemistry to give us diagnostic markers of liver and kidney disease as well as electrolyte (mineral) values which are outside of normal ranges in certain conditions but which many in-house analysers do not pick up on.
We are also able to provide in-house testing of thyroid and pancreatic disease as well as liver function tests.
We can perform these tests using only a small amount of blood and the results are ready in approximately 20 minutes.
This means we can give you the results while you wait, your pet can receive the best treatment tailored to his specific needs and monitoring can be done quickly and accurately.
It also means we are able to offer pre-anaesthetic blood testing on the same day as the procedure is arranged for.
Haematology
While biochemistry allows us to look at organ function by means of the blood haematology analysis looks at the blood cells themselves.
We are able to provide an assessment of the proportion of red blood cells to serum thus monitoring anaemia by in-house centrifugation to provide PCV readings.
We also can examine cytological preparations of blood and other fluids which gives us a kennel-side assessment of the proportions of cells and their morphology (shape).
We have chosen not to have a specific in-house haematology analyser as we feel we get a better service by a specialist interpretation from an external laboratory by trained pathologists who give an expert opinion every time on each sample submitted.
The turnaround is usually no more than 48 hours and in an emergency situation assessment of PCV and a blood smear will give us all the information we require.
Microscopy
Our vets, qualified and student nurses are trained to examine skin scrapings and hair samples under the microscope to look for parasites (lice or mites), yeasts or fungi that may be causing a clinical condition.
We also use microscopy to examine centrifuged (spun) urine samples to look for crystals or abnormal cells and aspirates of suspicious lumps and bumps to give us an idea of whether they should be being removed.
Urinalysis
A urine sample can give us a lot of information about your pet's body.
It can help to rule out diabetes, show us if the kidneys are able to concentrate urine adequately or if they are leaking protein which may be causing weight loss.
If you suspect your animal is thirstier than normal, is passing urine more frequently or with more difficulty than normal it is very useful to bring a urine sample in a clean container when you come in for your appointment.
Some laboratory tests are beyond the scope of our facilities.
We use several recognised veterinary laboratories through the country for our external tests choosing them for their reputation in clinical excellence, approachability in helping us with interpretation in difficult scenarios and efficiency and speed in providing their reports.
