Diagnostic Services
Webster Groves Animal Hospital & Urgent Care Center is proud to offer our patients digital radiology (x-rays). Our state-of-the-art digital x-ray unit produces sharp, high-quality diagnostic images of your pet, enabling our veterinarians and staff to make a fast, accurate diagnosis. X-rays are useful in evaluating a number of areas of your pet's body, including the musculo-skeletal system, gastrointestinal tract, the heart and lungs and the reproductive system.
Digital x-rays have many advantages for your pet, our hospital and the environment. Because the image quality of digital x-rays is higher, your pet spends less time on the x-ray table. This means less stress for your pet. Digital x-rays can be saved to a disc or emailed to specialists for consultations or second opinions. Unlike traditional plate x-rays, no film is developed for digital x-rays, and so no toxic chemicals are needed to produce x-rays. Digital x-rays can be sent via the internet to board-certified veterinary radiologists when consultations are needed.
Ultrasound is an advanced diagnostic procedure that uses soundwaves to produce a real-time moving image of your pet's internal organs. Ultrasound aids in the diagnosis of a variety of medical conditions, assesses damage caused by illness and guides instruments into the body to remove tissue samples for testing.
Because a sick pet cannot tell us what is wrong, we have invested heavily in an advanced in-house laboratory to perform dozens of diagnostic tests, from fecal exams and heartworm tests to pre-surgical screenings, complete blood counts and blood chemistry profiles,. We also routinely analyze urine specimens in our laboratory. Our laboratory is staffed by our team of highly-trained veterinary technicians, who are capable of collecting and interpreting lab results quickly and accurately, leading to a fast diagnosis for your pet. We also utilize several outside reference laboratories, with results often available in only a few hours.
Endoscopy is an extremely useful procedure which aids in the diagnosis and treatment of problems occurring in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. With an endoscope, we can perform a more complete examination of the GI tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and some areas of the intestine.
With the use of an endoscope, the veterinarian can visualize areas that would normally not be accessible without invasive surgery. The scope is equipped with a lighted camera and pictures are transferred to a monitor. Using the scope, the veterinarian can diagnose gastrointestinal disorders, cancerous growths, polyps and much more.
