Use of the Laboratory in Diagnosis & Therapy

Abstract

Many veterinarians have been engrained with a philosophy that laboratory tests are only ancillary aids in diagnosis; the main components being a good history and a thorough physical examination. This philosophy, while not incorrect, can be misleading since many body systems do not lend themselves to good physical examination, i.e., the hemopoietic and urinary systems. Physicians and to some extent our small animal colleagues have shifted away from this thinking and have adopted the problem-oriented approach to diagnosis. This system has broadened the scope of the data base to include the routine collection of certain laboratory tests such as hemogram, BUN, or urinalysis in addition to the history and physical examination.