Sunnycrest Animal Care Center uses both in-house laboratory equipment and commercial testing services to provide comprehensive laboratory tests and rapid results.

In-house test results for most tests are available in 30 minutes or less.  Most tests sent to the reference laboratory are back in one working day.  Some tests such as cultures, biopsies, and send out tests can take three to 14 days. We make extensive use of the reference laboratory because of the exacting quality control employed, ability to consult directly with pathologists and internists and because it is often less expensive for the client.

Recommended Laboratory Tests:

• Fecal Exams – Intestinal parasites are very common in pets.  Frequently seen parasites include Giardia, Roundworms, Hookworms, Whipworms, and tapeworms.  Intestinal parasites can cause weight loss, diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. Some of the parasites our pets and local wildlife carry are contagious to humans. Blindness and even death have been caused by roundworms, especially the Raccoon Roundworm which can be carried by dogs and passed on to humans. Sunnycrest Animal Care Center sends our fecal exams to an outside reference laboratory where the test is performed by a qualified parasitologist.
• Heartworm Testing – Heartworms are a blood parasite that lives in the heart and pulmonary artery. They are transmitted by mosquitos. Heartworms left untreated can be fatal and a heartworm test can detect this parasite before it does become fatal.  Fortunately, we do not see many heartworm cases in our area.  That may be partly because a large percentage of Sunnycrest clients have their pets on heartworm preventive medication.  If you travel anywhere outside of our area, even to the local mountains, be sure to talk to us about heartworm prevention.
• Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) – Feline leukemia is a disease cats catch from an infected cat or from an infected mother. Transmission is most commonly caused by catfights, mutual grooming and shared food dishes.  The incidence of FeLV in our practice is markedly less than it was before the advent of good vaccines to prevent the disease.  All newly acquired cats should be tested for FeLV.
• Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) – FIV is transmitted primarily through bite wounds and sometimes prenatally from a mother cat to the kittens.  While there is no cure for FIV there are supportive treatments that can help. All new feline pets should be tested for this contagious disease.
• Pre-Anesthetic testing – Many pets are able to hide their diseases very well so it is not uncommon to find significant problems with lab testing that were not apparent on physical exam. It is important to do blood and urine tests before anesthetic procedures to be sure it is safe to do the procedure.
• Geriatric Health Screening – Older pets should have annual blood and urine tests.  If problems are detected before they become clinically apparent there are often treatments we can do to cure the problem or slow down the progression of the disease process.