Comprehensive Resources for Vets
Companion: All Testing Services
Submission Tips:
Motivation for the submission of fresh blood smears
Why fresh smears are so IMPORTANT Fresh smears allow for better assessment of cell morphology. Some key reasons include: When…
Microbiologists are amazing but they are not miracle workers!
Getting the best from Microbiology We think of microbiology as having miraculous qualities, where putting infective material on agar will…
When providing Postmortem samples more is better!
How much blood is needed
Recommendations on when to take blood samples in relation to medications
(Article first published in VetScript, New Zealand Veterinary Association, Sep. 2020)
Urolith Analysis. There is a new submission process!
Your clinic will need to create an account with the Minnesota Urolith Centre (online) and fill out all the information….
Interpretation of In-clinic results.
Do you have in-clinic results that you would like interpreted?
Diff Quik Stains
Diff Quik (DQ) stains are commonly used in practice to examine blood smears and cytology samples. It is a three-step…
How to Package Samples for Delivery to VetPath NZ
Samples need to be packaged using the 3-layer IATA packaging system. This consists of a primary receptacle, secondary receptacle and…
Biochemistry:
Artefactual low calcium in canine blood samples
SUMMARY:-Total calcium levels in canine blood samples may be artefactually lowered when there is a delay in sample analysis, under…
Laboratory tests for working up the thin elderly cat.
Loss of weight is common in elderly cats.
Idiopathic hypercalcaemia in cats
In cats, there are several causes for hypercalcaemia including hypercalcaemia of malignancy and chronic kidney disease. However, idiopathic hypercalcaemia is now…
Hyperlipidaemia in miniature schnauzers
Hyperlipidaemia refers to an elevation in serum triglyceride (TG) and/or cholesterol concentration.
Inflammatory Markers in Cats
How often have you felt sure that your feline patient had an inflammatory condition and yet a CBC didn’t support…
Haematology:
Blood smears: An essential part of the CBC!
HOW to make a Blood Smear: Whether for examination in-clinic, for submission to the lab to interpret alongside in-clinic haematology…
Haemotrophic mycoplasma infections in cats.
Mycoplasma haemofelis (formerly Haemobartonella haemofelis) is one of a group of haemotrophic mycoplasma organisms which can infect cats in NZ.
Thrombocytopenia,
the term used for a platelet count that is below the reference interval, is a common finding in a complete…
The importance of blood smear examination.
(Article first published in VetScript, New Zealand Veterinary Association, May 2019)
Toxicology:
Common Food Toxins
Grapes, raisins, currants and sultanas These fruits can produce toxicities in dogs, and possibly cats no matter whether they are…
Anticoagulant Toxicity.
Anticoagulant toxicity can affect any species but it is most common in dogs. Clinical signs depend on the agent, the…
Microbiology:
Antibiotic sensitivity testing for anaerobes
Anaerobic antibiotic sensitivities are not routinely performed in diagnostic laboratories because testing is difficult, expensive, and routine techniques as used…
New Zealand Veterinary Profession Antibiotic judicious use guidelines for Dogs and Cats.
Cytology and Culture in Otitis.
Underlying disease is present in most cases of recurrent or chronic otitis externa and a good history and physical examination…
Neoplasia:
Canine synovial myxoma
A case discussion of the diagnosis of, and differential diagnoses for, synovial myxoma as a cause for increasing lameness in…
Lipomas are tumours of well differentiated adipocytes that are well demarcated from surrounding tissue.
They are generally easy to resect and recurrence is rare.
Apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma (AGASACA)
Apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma (AGASACA) is a malignant tumour that arises from glandular tissue surrounding the anal sac. The…
Soft tissue sarcomas/soft tissue mesenchymal tumours
(STS) in dogs encompass several types of tumours.
Cutaneous lymphoma in a dog.
Canine cutaneous lymphoma is uncommon and encompasses a variety of diseases with varied presentations, histological features and outcomes. This case…
Urinalysis:
Urinalysis
Urinalysis consists of assessment of
Is that really a urinary tract infection?
Serology:
Titre Testing Post vaccination for Parvovirus and Distemper virus.
Antibody testing is sometimes carried out to determine when a dog needs a booster vaccine for parvovirus and/or distemper virus.
Cytology and Histology:
Things to consider when you have a mammary mass in a dog
Vaccine Reaction Sites in Cats
Do you know the 3-2-1 Rule for vaccine site reactions when dealing with cats? Find out more here.
Liver, Pancreatic, and GI Disease:
Non-specific gastrointestinal signs in dogs
Consider chronic pancreatitis
Faecal occult blood testing
can be useful when investigating the possibility of gastrointestinal bleeding in the absence of clinical melaena.
Total lipase in the diagnosis of pancreatitis in cats and dogs
VetPath NZ uses the DGGR method for assessing total lipase. Summary ————————————————————————————————————————————– Lipase and Pancreatitis Until recently, the use of…
Getting the most out of Companion Animal Liver biopsies.
Investigating the cause for a hepatopathy can be challenging and biopsies of the liver may help provide much needed information.
Vomiting and abdominal pain: Is it Pancreatitis??
In dogs, acute pancreatitis is a relatively common disorder and is a primary differential when the presenting signs are vomiting…
Pancreatitis in Cats.
Cats with pancreatitis play their cards close to their chests.
Folate and Cobalamin in the diagnosis of chronic GI disease in
Serum cobalamin and folate analysis can be useful in the work-up of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disease. Stores for both…
Infectious Disease:
Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in Cats
While many cats are exposed to Toxoplasma gondii at some point in their lives clinical disease is infrequent with most…
Diagnosing Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)
Confirming a diagnosis of FIP is not easy. Clinical signs are often non-specific, routine blood work is not pathognomic and serological…
Dermatology:
Pemphigus Foliaceous, a skin disease in cats.
(Article first published in VetScript, New Zealand Veterinary Association, June 2019)
The case of the scaly Golden Retriever.
A young Golden Retriever presents with pain on the neck and spine and mysterious, severe scaling. (Article from VetScript June/July 2021).
Dermatologic Conditions and what to consider when wanting the best results from skin biopsies
Diagnosing dermatophytosis in dogs and cats.
Dermatophytosis is a disease caused by a superficial fungal infection in keratinised skin.
Musculoskeletal:
Canine Masticatory Muscle Myositis (MMM)
MMM is an autoimmune disease with focal inflammation restricted to the muscles of mastication (temporalis, masseter, pterygoid and rostral digastricus)…
Endocrinology:
Monitoring dogs with hypothyroidism
Monitoring the patient on levothyroxine (e.g. Eltroxin) is not as straight forward as it might seem.
Diagnosis of canine hyperadrenocorticism
A diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism is usually only pursued if history and clinical signs are consistent.
Monitoring treatment of canine hyperadrenocorticism.
There are two methods for assessing the efficacy of treatment in patient receiving trilostane (Vetoryl).
Cytology:
Cytology and Culture in Otitis.
Underlying disease is present in most cases of recurrent or chronic otitis externa and a good history and physical examination…
Mast Cell Tumour Staining.
Mast cell granules often stain poorly with rapid stains such as Diff Quik.
Lymph node aspirates. How to aspirate lymph nodes with a light touch
(Article first published in VetScript, New Zealand Veterinary Association, August 2017)
Miscellaneous Topics:
Inflammatory aural or nasopharyngeal polyps are nonneoplastic growths
that are most commonly seen in one- to three-year old cats, but have been reported in cats up to 15…