lecture 1

Question 1

blood sampling in cats

Answer 1

mostly jugular

Question 2

blood sampling in dogs & horses

Answer 2

cephalic

Question 3

anticoagulant for haematology

Answer 3

EDTA

Question 4

anticoagulant for chemistr

Answer 4

serum or heparin

Question 5

anticoagulation for coagulation

Answer 5

citrate (milder than EDTA), when in a hurry

Question 6

anticoagulant for glucose

Answer 6

fluoride

Question 7

what to use for plasma

Answer 7

heparin or citrate

Question 8

how do we get serum

Answer 8

wait for it to clot or gel that separates cells from serum

Question 9

haemolysis causes

Answer 9

narrow gauge needle, Xs suction, agitation, prolonged storage

Question 10

lipaemia causes

Answer 10

insufficient fasting, endocrine disease, inherited hyperlipidaemia

Question 11

quality control

Answer 11

internal QC done daily, external QC QA (quality assurance) performed monthly

Question 12

sources of lab errors

Answer 12

human, analyser, interfering substances, errors of interpretation

Question 13

sample aging if red cells not removed: what happens

Answer 13

glucose is utilised, potassium leaks out, calcium may fall, platelet count falls, red cells swollen

Question 14

greyhound pcv

Answer 14

high pcv, lower neutrophils and platelets

Question 15

CKCS effects

Answer 15

low platelets

Question 16

GSD

Answer 16

high eosinophils

Question 17

age effects

Answer 17

bone growth, low albumin and globulin, lower pcv, higher lymphocytes BUT we don’t have age matched reference ranges

Question 18

steroids effects

Answer 18

elevated ALP (esp in dogs), increase lipase, mild hyperglycaemia, high neutrophils and monocytes, low lymphocytes and eosinophils, can be endogenous or exogenous

Question 19

sedatives effects

Answer 19

lower pcv, white cell count

Question 20

iv fluids effects

Answer 20

lower pcv, and proteins

Question 21

stress effects

Answer 21

adrenaline release, high neutrophils, low lymphocytes, high pcv, high glucose in cats

Question 22

what is the buffy coat

Answer 22

white cells and platelets

Question 23

decreased pcv

Answer 23

anaemia –> red cell loss or decreased red cell production

Question 24

increased pcv

Answer 24

dehydration or too many red cells

Question 25

impedence analyser

Answer 25

number and frequency of pulses –> cell size = height of pulse

Question 26

flow cytometers how does it distinguish cells?

Answer 26

not just size and number but also granulometry/ morphology

Question 27

problem with nucleated red cells

Answer 27

can be miscounted as leukocytes, analyser may automatically correct or flag

Question 28

in which species is platelet clumping common?

Answer 28

cats

Question 29

problem with clots

Answer 29

lower haematology count + machine not able to recognise what’s there

Question 30

what to use for biochemistry

Answer 30

serum, in an urgent situation, blood can be taken into a tube containing heparin –> produces plasma when the sample is separated

Question 31

what is urine analysis used for?

Answer 31

suspicion of renal disease

Question 32

what do the reference/interval ranges mean?

Answer 32

95% normal healthy animals, 2.5% above, 2.5% below,

Question 33

what to do if it’s outside

Answer 33

electrolytes are usually kept within anrrow range so it depends

Question 34

EDTA contamination

Answer 34

low calcium, low ALP, high potassium