Dr Neethu holds an MVSc in pathology and reads samples here, in the clinic, rather than sending them away. For most cases that means an answer while you're still in the waiting room — not a wait of two or three days.
What we run here
| Test | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Complete blood count | Anaemia, infection, and the platelet crash that points to tick fever |
| Serum chemistry | Kidney and liver values, blood sugar, proteins |
| Blood smear | Tick-fever organisms, seen rather than guessed at |
| Cytology | Distinguishes mange, fungal and allergic skin disease from a lump or swab |
| Urine analysis | Infections, crystals, stones, kidney disease |
Why it changes the treatment
A dog with a fever could have half a dozen things wrong. Without a blood count you're choosing an antibiotic and hoping. With one you know whether platelets have crashed, whether the animal is anaemic, and how urgent it is.
The same is true of skin — treating mange with a steroid makes it dramatically worse, and a ten-minute scrape settles it — and of lumps, where cytology often answers "does this matter" without waiting for surgery.
When to ask for bloods
Come in and ask if your animal:
- has been off food for more than a day
- has a fever, or has had ticks recently
- is drinking or urinating noticeably more than usual
- is losing weight with no change in feeding
- is older and due for anaesthesia
- has pale gums, or blood from the nose
What goes out
Histopathology, culture and hormone assays go to an external laboratory. We collect the sample here so you make one trip, and tell you honestly how long it'll take.