In-House Diagnostics

Diagnostic Services for Pets

When your pet isn’t feeling their best, getting answers quickly is essential. At East Ridge Animal Hospital, we offer a variety of advanced diagnostic tools that help us identify health concerns and begin treatment as soon as possible.

Ultrasound Imaging

Ultrasound is a safe, non-invasive imaging tool that allows us to evaluate your pet’s internal organs in real time. Using sound waves rather than radiation, ultrasound helps us examine structures such as the liver, kidneys, bladder, spleen, heart, and gastrointestinal tract.

This technology is especially helpful for investigating unexplained symptoms, identifying abnormalities, monitoring ongoing medical conditions, and evaluating soft tissues that may not be visible on X-rays. By providing a detailed look inside your pet’s body, ultrasound can play a vital role in reaching an accurate diagnosis and developing an effective treatment plan.

In-House Laboratory Testing

Our in-house laboratory allows us to perform many common diagnostic tests right here in the hospital, often with results available in minutes. From blood work and urinalysis to fecal testing, these diagnostics provide valuable information about your pet’s health and help our veterinarians make informed treatment recommendations without unnecessary delays.

For more specialized testing, we partner with trusted reference laboratories that offer advanced services including bacterial cultures, biopsy analysis, hormone testing, and other comprehensive diagnostics when additional investigation is needed.

Advanced Digital Radiography

Digital radiography (X-rays) remains one of the most valuable diagnostic tools in veterinary medicine. Our digital imaging system produces high-quality images quickly while using less radiation than traditional radiography.

X-rays allow us to assess bones, joints, the chest cavity, and many internal structures, helping diagnose conditions such as fractures, arthritis, foreign body ingestion, respiratory disease, and more. We also utilize dental radiography to evaluate the health of teeth and structures below the gumline, allowing us to identify issues that may otherwise go unnoticed.

Digatherm™ Digital Thermal Imaging

At East Ridge Animal Hospital, we are committed to utilizing innovative technology that enhances patient care. Our Digatherm™ digital thermal imaging system allows us to detect areas of inflammation, pain, or abnormal tissue activity without touching your pet and without exposing them to radiation.

Why consider screening?

Pets are unable to tell us where they are hurting and the symptoms they’re experiencing. The Digatherm allows us to view things we would not be able to see with the naked eye. It is especially useful in our patients that present with lameness or pain where the origin is not readily appreciated on our physical exam. By using the Digatherm to localize the lesion, we can then target our multi-modal treatment plan to a specific area on your pet’s body, making treatment much more patient and problem specific.

The Digatherm can also detect areas of disease prior to clinical symptoms becoming apparent, which makes including it in part of your preventative medicine visits, especially if you own an older animal, incredibly valuable to catching and preventing conditions before they become a clinical issue. Routine scanning of an older patient allows us to note areas of concern and continue to follow through each time we see your patient. Finally, the Digatherm allows us to make sure that the treatment plan we’ve selected to manage your pet’s complaint is working to improve and eventually resolve the problem. By continuing to follow up with routine scans during the selected treatment plan, we have quantifiable data showing that our treatment is working or that we may need to consider moving onto another treatment option for your pet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can vet diagnostics detect?

A ton! Routine tests can spot kidney disease, diabetes, thyroid issues, arthritis, and more—often before your pet acts sick. Early catch equals better care.

How often should we run tests?

Once a year for most healthy pets. Seniors or pets with health issues? Every six months is smart. Reach out to our vets at East Ridge Animal Hospital in Chattanooga to book an exam.