Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures: Canine and Feline

Shelly L. Vaden, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVIM is a professor of Internal Medicine for the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University.

Joyce S. Knoll, VMD, PhD, DACVP is an associate professor and Clinical Pathology Laboratory Director for the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

Francis W. K. Smith, Jr., DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine & Cardiology) is Vice President, VetMed Consultants in Lexington, Massachusetts, USA; and Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, Massachusetts, USA.

Larry P. Tilley, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Internal Medicine) is President of VetMed Consultants and Chief Medical Officer of Dr. Tilley & Associates in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.

1 Introduction. 2 Getting the most out of your diagnostic lab. 3 General principles for performing Blood tests. 4 General principles for performing Urine tests. 5 General principles for performing fecal tests. 6 General principles for performing Radiographic Procedures. 7 General principles for performing Ultrasound Procedures. 8 General principles for performing Endoscopic Procedures. 9 Abdominal radiographs. 10 Abdominal ultrasound. 11 Abdominocentesis and fluid analysis. 12 Acetylcholine receptor antibody. 13 Acetylcholinesterase. 14 ACTH assay. 15 ACTH stimulation test. 16 Activated clotting time. 17 Acute phase proteins. 18 Adrenal ultrasound. 19 Aerobic and anaerobic culture and sensitivity. 20 Alanine aminotransferase (ALT). 21 Albumin. 22 Alkaline phosphatase. 23 Allergen specific serology. 24 Alpha 1 protease inhibitor. 25 Ambulatory ECG monitoring. 26 Ammonia assay. 27 Amylase. 28 Angiography and angiocardiography. 29 Anion gap. 30 Anticoagulant proteins. 31 Anticoagulant screen. 32 Antinuclear antibody. 33 Aqueocentesis and vitreocentesis. 34 Arthrocentesis with synovial fluid analysis. 35 Arthroscopy. 36 Aspartate aminotransferase (AST). 37 Babesia. 38 Barium impregnated polyethylene spheres (BIPS). 39 Bartonella. 40 Bence Jones proteins. 41 Bicarbonate. 42 Bile acids, blood. 43 Bile acids, urine. 44 Bilirubin, blood. 45 Bladder tumor analyte test, urine. 46 Bleeding time. 47 Blood cultures. 48 Blood gases. 49 Blood pressure determination. 50 Blood sample collection. 51 Blood smear preparation. 52 Blood smear microscopic examination. 53 Blood typing. 54 Bone biopsy. 55 Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy. 56 Bone marrow aspirate cytology, microscopic evaluation. 57 Bone Scan. 58 Brain ultrasound. 59 Brainstem evoked auditory response (BEAR). 60 Bronchoalveolar lavage. 61 Bronchoscopy. 62 Brucellosis. 63 Buffy coat preparations. 64 Calcitriol. 65 Calcium. 66 Cardiac catheterization. 67 Catheter assisted stone retrieval. 68 Central Venous Pressure. 69 Chloride. 70 Cholesterol. 71 Coagulation factor assays. 72 Cobalamin. 73 Colonoscopy. 74 Complete blood count. 75 Computed tomography. 76 Conjunctival scrape and cytology. 77 Coombs' test. 78 Cortisol, blood. 79 Cortisol:creatinine ratio, urine. 80 Creatine kinase. 81 Creatinine. 82 Cross Match. 83 CSF tap. 84 Cystocentesis. 85 Cystometrogram, urethral pressure profile. 86 Cystourethrography. 87 Cystourethroscopy. 88 D-dimers. 89 Dental radiographs. 90 Dermatophyte culture. 91 Desmopressin response test. 92 Distemper tests. 93 Echocardiography. 94 Ehrlichia/Anaplasma. 95 Electrocardiography. 96 Electroencephalography. 97 Electromyography. 98 Electroneurography. 99 Electroretinogram (ERG). 100 Epidurogram. 101 Erythropoietin. 102 Esophogastroduodenoscopy. 103 Estradiol & estrogen. 104 Esophagram. 105 Ethylene glycol. 106 Excretory urogram. 107 Fecal culture. 108 Fecal direct smear. 109 Fecal enzyme immunoassays. 110 Fecal fat assays. 111 Fecal flotation. 112 Fecal occult blood. 113 Fecal sedimentation tests. 114 Feline coronavirus. 115 Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). 116 Feline leukemia virus serology (ELISA and IFA). 117 Ferritin. 118 Fibrin degradation products. 119 Fibrinogen. 120 Fine needle aspiration. 121 Fluid analysis. 122 Fluorescein dye test. 123 Fluoroscopy. 124 Folic acid (folate). 125 Food trial. 126 Fructosamine. 127 Fungal Tests. 128 Gall bladder aspirate. 129 Gamma glutamyl transferase. 130 Gastrin. 131 Gastrointestinal ultrasound. 132 Gastroscopic and colonoscopic food sensitivity testing. 133 Genetic testing. 134 GGT:creatinine ratio, urine. 135 Giardia antigen. 136 Gingival sulcus measurement. 137 Globulin. 138 Glomerular filtration rate. 139 Glucose curve. 140 Glucose. 141 Glycosylated hemoglobin. 142 Haemobartonella. 143 Heartworm serology. 144 Heinz bodies. 145 Hematocrit. 146 Hemoglobin. 147 High Dose Dexamethasone suppression test. 148 Horizontal beam radiography. 149 Immunoglobulin assays. 150 Impression smears. 151 Inborn Metabolism Disease screen. 152 Insulin assay and amended insulin glucose ratio. 153 Intradermal skin testing. 154 Iron level & TIBC. 155 Knott's test, modified. 156 Lactic acid. 157 Laparoscopy. 158 Lead. 159 Leptospira serology. 160 Lipase. 161 Liver and gall bladder ultrasound. 162 Liver biopsy. 163 Low dose dexamethasone suppression test. 164 Lower GI radiographic contrast studies (Barium enema, air). 165 Lower urinary tract ultrasound (bladder, prostate, urethra). 166 Lung aspirate. 167 Lung biopsy. 168 Lupus erythematosus cell test. 169 Lyme disease serology. 170 Lymphangiography. 171 2M antibody assay for masticatory muscle myositis. 172 Magnesium, total and ionized. 173 Magnetic resonance imaging. 174 Methemoglobin. 175 Muscle and nerve biopsy. 176 Myelography. 177 Nasal flush and biopsy. 178 Nasolacrimal flush. 179 Natriuretic peptides. 180 Ocular ultrasound. 181 Osmolality, blood and urine. 182 Osmotic fragility. 183 Pancreas ultrasound. 184 Pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity. 185 Parathyroid hormone (PTH). 186 Parathyroid-related protein (PTH-rp). 187 Partial thromboplastin time (PTT), activated. 188 Pericardiocentesis. 189 Phosphorus. 190 PIVKA test. 191 Platelet antibody detection tests. 192 Platelet count and volume. 193 Platelet function tests. 194 Potassium. 195 Pregnancy tests. 196 Progesterone concentration. 197 Prostatic wash. 198 Protein electrophoresis. 199 Protein:creatinine ratio. 200 Prothrombin time (PT). 201 Pulmonary function tests. 202 Pulmonary perfusion scan. 203 Pulse Oximetry. 204 RBC enzyme activity. 205 Rectal scraping and cytology. 206 Red blood cell count and morphology. 207 Red blood cell indices. 208 Renal biopsy and aspiration. 209 Renal ultrasound. 210 Reticulocyte count. 211 Rheumatoid factor. 212 Rhinoscopy. 213 Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. 214 Schirmer tear test. 215 Semen analysis. 216 Semen collection. 217 Semen culture. 218 Skeletal radiographs. 219 Skin biopsy. 220 Skin scrape and cytology. 221 Skull radiographs. 222 Sodium. 223 Somatomedin C. 224 Splenic ultrasound. 225 T3 suppression test. 226 Taurine/Carnitine. 227 Technecium enema. 228 Testosterone. 229 Thoracocentesis and fluid analysis. 230 Thoracic radiographs. 231 Thoracic ultrasound. 232 Thoracoscopy. 233 Thyroglobulin antibody. 234 Thyroid and parathyroid ultrasound. 235 Thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) response test. 236 Thyroid scan. 237 Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) assay. 238 Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulation test. 239 Thyroxine (T4) total. 240 Thyroxine (T4), free. 241 Tissue biopsy, needle and punch. 242 Tonometry. 243 Toxoplasmosis titers. 244 Tracheal Fluoroscopy. 245 Tracheal wash. 246 Trichogram. 247 Triglycerides. 248 Troponins. 249 Trypsin-like immunoreactivity. 250 Ultrasound guided mass or organ aspiration. 251 Upper GI radiographic contrast studies. 252 Urea nitrogen, blood (BUN). 253 Urethral catheterization. 254 Urinalysis overview. 255 Urine albumin. 256 Urine bilirubin. 257 Urine culture and sensitivity testing. 258 Urine fractional excretion of electrolytes. 259 Urine glucose. 260 Urine heme protein (blood). 261 Urine ketones. 262 Urine pH. 263 Urine protein. 264 Urine sediment. 265 Urine Specific Gravity. 266 Urolith analysis. 267 Uterine ultrasound. 268 Vaginography. 269 Voiding urohydropropulsion. 270 Von Willebrand factor assay. 271 Water deprivation test, modified. 272 White blood cells - Basophils. 273 White blood cells - Eosinophils. 274 White blood cells. 275 White blood cells - Neutrophils. 276 White blood cells -Lymphocytes. 277 White blood count and differential. 278 Wood's lamp exam. 279 Zinc. App I Tables of laboratory normal values. App II Table of therapeutic drugs (Cytoxan, digoxin, amiodarone aminoglycoside, theophylline, phenobarbital, potassium bromide). App III Table of diagnostic labs, including special tests they might run. Index by organ system. Index by test type