Diagnostics

Whether your furry family member is coming to Malibu Coast Animal Hospital for a routine surgery or because he or she is ill, our practice is equipped with state or the art diagnostic equipment to ensure that your four-legged friend receives the highest quality care.

In-House Laboratory

Our in-house laboratory equipment provides our doctors with the ability to evaluate your pet’s metabolic status prior to anesthetic procedures or quickly when an emergent health issue occurs. With results available in a short period of time, we are able to make an accurate diagnosis or assessment of your pet’s health, which drastically improves the likelihood of a positive outcome for your furry family member.

Imaging

With our commitment to offering comprehensive care, Malibu Coast Animal Hospital is equipped with digital radiography and ultrasound.

Radiographs, or X-rays, can be a vital tool in the diagnosing or monitoring of numerous medical conditions.

With digital imaging our team is able to produce images that are clearer and are produced quicker than with standard film radiographs. Further, our digital system means decreased radiation exposure for your pet, as well as our staff, and is environmentally friendly as there are no chemicals to change or discard. X-rays grant our veterinarians the ability to assess your furry friend’s musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, reproductive and urinary systems. Radiographs are able to detect bone fractures, locate cancerous tumors, determine if there is an obstruction due to the ingestion of a foreign body and identify or rule-out other medical problems with the assistance of this diagnostic tool.

Often, even with pristine digital X-rays, further diagnostic imaging is necessary for our doctors to obtain a thorough assessment of a patient’s medical condition. For this reason, Malibu Coast Animal Hospital offers ultrasonography, a non-invasive and pain free diagnostic tool that works by using sound waves to generate real-time images of your pet’s internal organs.

​​​​​​​Our veterinarians use this technology in conjunction with other diagnostic tools or equipment to evaluate organs such as the spleen, live, kidneys and bladder, or to evaluate the heart when cardiac disease is a concern. For example, if a X-ray showed a patient’s heart to be enlarged, an ultrasound can provide the doctor with detailed images of the heart’s structure (valves, chamber size and wall thickness, etc.) as well as images of the heart as it functions (blood flow – direction and volume). With the combination of diagnostic procedures, the team at Malibu Coast Animal Hospital is able to offer your canine companion or friendly feline comprehensive care.