FAQs

Physical exams and history are very important in telling what is wrong with a pet, but in most cases, further diagnostics are required to diagnose a disease or narrow a list of possible diseases to just a few. Just like when you go to your doctor and need to have blood work or x-rays or an ultrasound done, my patients often require some of these procedures. Diagnostic sounds like a scary word but it is really not scary. It is essential in giving clues to what is going on with a patient. There are many diseases that can be picked up on routine blood work prior to causing any clinical signs.

Vaccines are biologics. They carry a ‘tag’ that shows the body’s immune system a piece of virus or bacteria that it needs to protect against. This stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies against this and provide protection for the patient from whatever pathogen (harmful substance) the vaccine is for.

X-rays, or radiographs, are images that are formed from radiation. Now I know that sounds scary, but it really isn’t that scary. They are essential in the diagnosis of certain diseases. X-rays are generally recommended for lameness cases to ensure that there is no deep infection, fracture, or arthritis as a cause of the pain. They are generally recommended in vomiting dogs to make sure that no obvious foreign object is found. In cases of coughing or respiratory issues, they are used to see if the disease or cause of those issues is from the heart or lungs. Screening radiographs are sometimes recommended to make sure that everything is okay.

Ultrasonography is where an image is taken using sound waves that are converted into an electronic image. Ultrasound is very good at giving detail about soft tissue structures and is generally recommended to assess the heart as well as to assess certain organs and check for pregnancy. It is also used in the collection of urine (pee) samples allowing us to assess the bladder wall at the same time as collecting a sample.

Bloodwork tells us what is happening in certain organs, such as the liver and kidneys, by showing us metabolites that indicate either the function of these organs or dysfunction. Some of these metabolites are monitored via subsequent blood collections to give an idea of how a patient is responding to treatment or make sure that a medication is not causing any unwanted damage. Bloodwork usually entails a complete blood count looking at red and white blood cells. These often will tell if there is any inflammation or infection present as well as sometimes give an indication of certain types of cancers. Note: Bloodwork alone will not tell you if a patient has cancer or not and it is not the best screening tool for cancer; it is used in combination with other tests as a screening tool.

Chemistry is another important test and this looks at those metabolites mentioned earlier such as kidney waste products (urea, creatinine) and liver enzymes (ALP, ALT, GGT). Electrolytes are often included in a chemistry, and these are things like sodium, potassium, chloride, and calcium, among others. These are important as some of these electrolytes are intricately linked with heart function, such as potassium, sodium, and calcium, and others can give an indication of certain diseases and more importantly are essential to know for treatment.

Our phone hours are from 9am to 4:30pm. Please call to schedule an appointment. We book our appointments based on location. We generally are in the Gulf Islands on certain days. We schedule Duncan/Vancouver Island on Tuesdays as needed. Please call for more information. If you are interested in seeing Dr. Oliver but don’t know if she will come to where you live, please call the office. Just because a location is not listed on our website doesn’t mean that we do not go there.

Please book an appointment as soon as possible so that appropriate treatment may be started. You may call us at 250-221-6198 to set up an appointment. Please note that many human medications can be harmful to your pet and before giving any medication to your pet it is highly recommended that you contact your veterinarian.

Yes! Absolutely. There are also some supplements that can be given, such as certain milk proteins. Please call us for details.