Lab (blood/faecal/urine testing) Flashcards
Why may we do faecal testing?
- Presence of pathogenic bacteria/virus
- Presence of parasites
- Cause of underlying disease
- Digestive function
What are the possible collection methods for faecal testing and what may their limitations be?
- Ground
- Don’t know when voided/age
- High risk of contamination from environment - Rectal
- Consider animal compliance
What is the difference between plasma and serum?
PLASMA:
- Liquid using anti-coagulant (eg EDTA/Lithium heparin)
- Plasma contains fibrinogen
- Plasma has higher levels of protein and globulins
SERUM:
- Liquid left over after clotted
- More commonly chemistry testing
- Potassium and phosphate higher levels
- Allow to clot for 10-15 minutes before spinning
Discuss 5 reasons to take a blood sample
Any 5 from:
- Pre and post operative bloods to check if protocol safe for patient (liver and kidney function)
- Check hydration (PCV)
- Check after ingesting toxins for toxic dose
- Hormone testing (eg hyperthyroid)
- Internal haemorrhaging (eg RTA)
- Wellness testing to find baseline
- Drug use (competition animals) and drug reviews (long term NSAIDs)
What equipment do you need for a free flow urine collection?
- COllection pot
- Sample pot
- Gloves
- Non-absorbable litter (feline) eg Katkor
What equipment is needed to collect a manual expression urine sample?
- Kidney dish
- Restraint aids
- Sample pot
What equipment is needed for catheterisation urine collection?
- Catheter
- Syringe
- Collection pot
- Sample pot
- Gloves
- Lubrication
- Pen
- Speculum for females
What equipment is needed for a cystocentesis urine collection?
- Needle
- Syringe
- Clippers (dependent on patient)
- Ultrasound
- Sample pot
- Pen
What are the advantages and disadvantages of tape impressions?
ADVANTAGES:
- Quick
- Cheap
- Non-invasive
DISADVANTAGES:
- Only for dry lesions
- Only takes superficial sample
- Can be fiddly
What are the advantages and disadvantages of direct impression/impression smears?
ADVANTAGES:
- Can use on lesions, tissues or exudate
- Identify gram positive/negative
- Quick
- Direct contact with sample
DISADVANTAGES:
-Can’t get into crevices/pockets of skin
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hair brushing?
ADVANTAGES:
- Quick
- Easy
- Cheap
DISADVANTAGES:
- Difficult on double coat animals
- Only get superficial analysis
What are the advantages and disadvantages of hair pluck?
ADVANTAGES:
- Simple method
- Can identify burrowing mite & fungi
- Help identify Cushings & hyperthyroid
What are the advantages and disadvantages of skin scrapes?
ADVANTAGES:
- Gain cells, exudate and parasites
- Can gain superficial or deep analysis
- Get more information/results
DISADVANTAGES:
- Need to remove excess hair
- Consider immune depressant animals (secondary infection)
- May cause more trauma
What are the advantages and disadvantages of swabs?
ADVANTAGES:
- Can take from direct wound/tissue
- Identify skin folds
DISADVANTAGES:
- Must take care not to damage ear canal for aural swabs
- Ideally tested before treatment started
What is the difference between haematology and biochemistry testing?
Haematology identifies various components of blood
Biochemistry is an analysis of the blood plasma or serum to evaluate organ function