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LABORATORY
NURSING FEATURE...
Sarah Holmes RVN REVN
Alnorthumbria Veterinary Group
There are some tests which can be carried
out whilst the vet is with the patient - such as
'snap tests' on blood and dipstick tests on
urine; if they cannot be performed horse-side
the vet can bring samples back to the
practice for further tests to be carried out. The
vets may send samples away to specialist
laboratories for further analysis; this is why
some results take longer to be reported back
to you than others.
Blood
Veterinary Nurse
Sarah Holmes
XLEquine Practice
Alnorthumbria
Veterinary Group
Most practices have facilities to carry out procedures which help in
the early diagnosis of some diseases or conditions. Some practices
have large laboratory facilities which have multiple machines for
carrying out a large range of tests whilst others may have basic
equipment such as a microscope, centrifuge and blood analyser.
Laboratory
Procedures
13
EQUINE MATTERS
Samples which can be tested include:
l
blood
l
urine
l
hair
l
faeces
l
peritoneal (abdominal) fluid
l
synovial (joint) fluid.
Common tests carried out on
blood samples.
The examination of cells within the blood
- red blood cells (RBC), white blood
cells (WBC), platelets and packed cell
volume (PCV).
1
Haematology
Examination of the chemical components
of the body i.e. liver and kidney function,
muscle enzymes and electrolytes.
2
Biochemistry
Examination of serum for antibodies in
response to certain diseases e.g. strangles
- serology samples are more often sent to
external laboratories.
3
Serology
A common question which
clients ask, is why do vets
take so many blood tubes?
The reason for this is that the various blood
tubes are required for different tests. The
anticoagulant in different blood tubes can
affect the blood cells which can give
inaccurate results.