Fast Answers, In-House
When your cat isn’t feeling well, you don’t want to wait days for results — and neither do we. Cats are remarkably skilled at hiding illness, which means by the time symptoms appear, time often matters. That’s why Rialto Cat Hospital is equipped with in-house diagnostic capabilities that let us evaluate, diagnose, and treat many conditions on the same day you arrive.
From everyday wellness screenings to urgent cases that need answers fast, our diagnostic and imaging services include:
- In-house laboratory testing
- Digital X-ray (radiology)
- Ultrasound
When your cat’s health is on the line, faster information means faster treatment — and that often means better outcomes.
In-House Laboratory Testing
Our in-house lab gives us the ability to run a wide range of tests right here at Rialto Animal Hospital when results are needed NOW, often with results available during your visit. That means:
- Faster diagnoses for sick or injured cats
- Same-day treatment decisions when time matters
- Pre-anesthetic bloodwork before surgery or dental procedures
Common in-house tests include complete blood counts (CBC), chemistry panels to evaluate organ function, thyroid testing, and infectious disease screening for conditions like FeLV and FIV. For more specialized or complex testing, we partner with reference laboratories that provide reliable, fast turnaround.
Digital X-Ray (Radiology)
Digital radiography lets us quickly capture detailed images of your cat’s bones, chest, and abdomen — helping us evaluate concerns like:
- Fractures or orthopedic injuries
- Swallowed foreign objects (yes, including the hair ties and the bits of string)
- Heart and lung conditions
- Abdominal masses or organ abnormalities
- Bladder stones
- Dental disease (full-mouth dental X-rays are part of every professional dental cleaning)
Because our system is fully digital, images are available within seconds — no waiting around. We can also easily share images with specialists when consultation is needed.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound gives us a real-time, detailed look at the soft tissues inside your cat’s body — organs, vessels, and structures that X-rays can’t fully capture. It’s especially useful for evaluating the kidneys, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, bladder, and intestines, and it plays a major role in diagnosing illness and screening for early disease — particularly in senior cats, where conditions like kidney disease and abdominal masses become more common with age.
Our team includes ultrasound-certified veterinarians who perform abdominal, bladder, and reproductive ultrasounds in-house. For advanced cardiac echocardiograms, we partner with a mobile ultrasonographer to bring specialized cardiac imaging right to our hospital.
A full abdominal ultrasound typically takes 45 minutes to an hour, and your cat may receive a light sedative to help them stay relaxed and comfortable during the scan. Once the ultrasound report is complete, your attending doctor will review the findings with you and walk you through what we found.
When Diagnostics Are Recommended
Our team will recommend diagnostics whenever they’ll meaningfully help us understand what’s going on with your cat — never as a default or a sales pitch. Common reasons include:
- Sick or urgent care visits where symptoms need investigation
- Pre-anesthetic screening before surgery or dental procedures
- Yearly wellness screening for all cats, especially senior cats or those with chronic conditions
- Monitoring response to treatment for ongoing conditions like kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, or diabetes
We’ll always walk you through what we recommend and why before moving forward.
Schedule Diagnostic Services for Your Cat
If your cat needs diagnostic testing or imaging, give us a call at (909) 546-3321 or request an appointment online.