Our practice has a fully equipped laboratory with the most up to date instruments for measuring biochemistry, haematology and blood electrolytes.

These tests are run in house and give the veterinary surgeon a full set of blood results in about 10 minutes. We can assess a patient’s fitness for a general anaesthetic with a pre anaesthetic blood test as well as diagnose complex illnesses in our sick patients.

We also perform geriatric blood profiles in the in-house laboratory to identify common age-related diseases before they become serious. Dogs and cats commonly hide signs of disease until it is advanced and this then limits our options for treatment.

Essex Vets is proud to extend our laboratory services to include on site progesterone testing within 20 minutes using a specialised AIA360 machine. Progesterone is the most important hormone in female dog reproduction. It is easy to test for and can be used to look at ovulation cycles to assess the optimal mating time. It can also be utilised for reverse progesterone testing which enables the practice to perform elective caesarean sections at the most suitable and safest time for the patient and puppies.