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Histopathology

Recent fee changes

Specimens fixed in 10% buffered formalin should be submitted in wide-mouth, leak-proof containers or double-bagged, leak-proof, sealed plastic bags. Tissues must be fixed immediately following collection. Place 5 mm thin tissues (1/4 inch or about the thickness of a wooden pencil) in 10% formalin. The ratio of tissue to formalin should be 1 volume tissue to 10 volumes of formalin.

Label containers with names of veterinarian, owner, and animal. This is important and allows clinic and laboratory personnel to verify specimen identity. Improper handling or fixation of tissue can induce artifacts that may result in nondiagnostic or unsuitable specimens.

Include a complete history and summary of surgical or necropsy findings with all submissions. When submitting multiple tumors, package them individually and note each tumor location. When submitting tissues other than tumors, one container may be used.

Practitioner necropsy - the clinical history and findings should enable you to target tissues for histopathologic examination. In cases with no history or sudden death, a complete set of tissues should be collected. When in doubt as to which specimens and tissues to collect, please call the laboratory. Remember to also collect fresh tissues for submission. Following is a list of suggested tissues to be collected during necropsies: affected tissues, brain, heart, lung, liver, spleen, kidney, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, lymph node, urinary bladder, skeletal muscle, thymus on young animals, and bone marrow on cats.

Dermatologic cases - skin biopsies should be obtained from multiple sites. Pertinent history should be submitted including results from any prior antibiotic or corticosteroid therapy, endocrine assays, skin scrapes and any other clinical data. The distribution of lesions should be drawn on the figure included on the biopsy form. Samples for immunofluorescence can be submitted in Michel's medium to the Clinical Immunology/Infectious Diseases Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Athens.