MISCELLANEOUS PROCEDURES & TESTS
EYE
An eye examination is usually performed if one of the cause of concerns from the owners are their pet’s eyes, or if during the physical examination the vet noticed any issues pertaining to the eye.
When performing an eye pressure check, a tonometer is used to check the eye pressure. This test is also known as ocular tonometry. This test is usually used to diagnose if the pet has glaucoma. The normal range for cats and dogs is 17 to 20mmHg and 15 to 25mmHg respectively.
Fluorescein staining is usually performed to diagnose if there is any ulcers, scratches, or foreign object in the cornea of the eye. The stain would be placed in the cornea of the eye before being washed of with saline. To be able to see the stain, a blue light would be shone on the eye in the dark. If there happens to be any ulcers, scratches or foreign object in the eye, they would have been stained from the fluorescein and would shine yellow under the blue light.
EARS
This procedure would only be performed if deemed medically necessary, such as if there is an ear infection. The ears would be cleaned and any excess fur in the ear canal will be removed. The reason why the fur in the ear canal would be removed is to reduce the rate of infection in the ear and allow owners to apply the necessary topical medication in the ear with more ease.
This procedure would only be performed if deemed medically necessary, such as if there is a severe ear infection. The ears would be irrigated with ceruminolytic ear cleaner and flushed. If the pet happens to be in pain when irrigating, a slight sedation would be needed to reduce the stress in the pet.
This is a microscopic check of the ear swab of the affected animal. This would help the vet determine the cause of the infection. Through the microscope, organisms such as bacteria, yeast and parasite can be seen. With proper diagnosis, proper treatment can be given to alleviate the infection of the ear.
ORAL
An oral examination is usually performed if one of the cause of concerns from the owners are their pet’s mouth, or if during the physical examination the vet noticed any issues pertaining to the mouth. The vet would check the whole mouth, including the teeth and gums. If the pet happens to be in pain when examining the oral cavity, a slight sedation would be needed to reduce the stress in the pet.
Clipping of teeth is performed on small mammals only if medically necessary, such as teeth that has been severely overgrown that the pet in unable to eat. The vet would ensure that the clipping is done properly such that the pet is not overly stressed when their teeth are being clipped and their teeth are clipped at the right length to ensure they are able to eat again.
ANAL GLAND
This procedure is performed if the vet notices that the anal gland is full. Located at the 4 o’clock, 8 o’clock direction of the rectum, this scent gland would be required to be emptied at least once a month. If left alone to fill up, it could lead to the pet being uncomfortable and start scooting around. If it continues, it could lead to anal gland infection and anal gland impaction. The vet would usually show owners how to perform this procedure so that they would be able to do it by themselves at
SKIN & FUR
This procedure would only be performed if deemed medically necessary, such as if there is skin infection. Depending on where the skin issue is, the affected area(s) would be shaved down, i.e. paw pads, paws, any area of the body, whole body. By shaving the affected areas, it would be easier to diagnose the condition and for owners to apply topical medications.
By scraping a sample if skin, it can be checked under the microscope to identify the cause of the skin issues/lesions. It would be able to identify if there is any infection (bacterial or fungal) or parasites (i.e. Demodex, Scabies).
This test uses fur samples obtained from the pet. It is then checked under the microscope to identify the cause of the skin issues. It would be able to identify any parasitic infestation (i.e. furmites).
One of the most common cause of skin issues in dogs is fungal infection. To be able to identify the type of fungus that is infecting the body, the dermatophyte test is able to differentiate dermatophyte fungus from the typical saprotrophic fungus with its specialised agar that includes a pH indicator that turns red is a dermatophyte fungus is present.
NAIL
This procedure would only be performed if deemed medically necessary, such as overgrown nails or if the pet gets feisty when owners try to clip their nails. As the nails have a blood vessel called a quik, we would clip the nails such that there are a few millimetres of space before the quik to ensure that the nail will not bleed. For nails that are black, we would use a light to show us the position of the quik to ensure we avoid it when clipping.
When the nails are overgrown, it will curl inwards and may grow into the paw pads if not clipped on time. If left untreated, it would cause infection of the paw pad as well as a lot of pain and discomfort for the pet. If the pet seems to be in a lot of distress and pain when trying to clip the overgrown nail, slight sedation may be required to reduce the stress and pain on the pet.
When the nails are infected, it would cause a lot of pain and inflammation around the affected paw pad, making the pet cry in pain if they use the paw and they start to limp to prevent any more pain on the paw. Removal of the infected nail would reduce the pain felt by the pet and help to start the healing process of the nail bed. Pets may be sedated if there is a lot of pain induced from the removal.
FAECAL
A rectal examination is usually performed if one of the cause of concerns from the owners are their pet’s gastrointestinal tract, or if during the physical examination the vet noticed any issues pertaining to the rectum. During this examination, the vet would examine the rectum, ensuring that her finger is gloved and lubricated to prevent pain and discomfort of the examination. This examination is usually performed to examine to faecal sample of the pet to be used for faecal analysis as well as to check the prostate in intact male dogs.
This test is performed on a faecal sample to aid in diagnosing some conditions that may be affecting the digestive tract. These conditions can include infections from parasites, viruses or bacteria, poor nutrient absorption and others.
This procedure is performed when the pet is constipated and is unable to defecate for a few days. A radiograph would be performed before and/or after the procedure to be able to visualise the amount of faecal matter that would be required to be evacuated. Sedation would have to be given to reduce discomfort and stress on the pet.
URINARY
A urine collection is usually performed if one of the cause of concerns from the owners are their pet’s urine, or if during the physical examination the vet noticed any issues pertaining to the urinary tract. A urine collection is performed to obtain urine for further testing such as for urinalysis and the urine sediment parameter. Collection via cystocentesis is usually performed on females, where a sterile needle and syringe is inserted into the bladder (ultrasound-guided) to collect the urine directly, whereas collection via catheterisation is performed on males, where a urinary catheter is inserted into the urethra and into the bladder, where the urine is collected directly and in a sterile manner.
This procedure is usually performed when the pet is unable to express their urine on their own, usually due to neurological dysfunction where the pet may not be able to feel that their bladder is full or in male cats that are severely blocked and would require an emergency evacuation of the urine. In male dogs, they would be catheterised to be evacuated while females and male cats are evacuated via ultrasound-guided cystocentesis.
Physical, and chemical check of the urine. A urinalysis is used to detect and manage a wide range of disorders, such as urinary tract infections, kidney disease and diabetes. A urinalysis involves checking the appearance, concentration, and content of urine.
Microscopic check of the urine via the IDEXX SediVue Dx, where it can detect any crystals, red blood cells, epithelial cells, and white blood cells in the urine. This would allow us to further diagnose the condition of your pet.
