The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine

Veterinary Dianostic Laboratories

Clinical Pathology

When completing accession forms, please indicate clearly which tests you want performed. Please make sure the sample submitted is appropriate and sufficient for the tests requested. Remember that lipemic samples should not be submitted since lipemia affects the chemistry results for many tests. To prevent postprandial lipemia in samples, collect blood samples from dogs and cats at least 12 hours after they have eaten. Also, serum should be removed from clotted blood prior to submission to the laboratory. The laboratories offer comprehensive chemistry panels for both small and large animals. Other specific tests are requested as needed. Specimens should be kept refrigerated during transport time to the laboratory.

For the CBC, it is necessary to submit 2 or 3ml EDTA blood and two blood smears prepared immediately after collection. These slides need to be air dried and submitted in a protective cover. Please refrigerate EDTA and serum specimens submitted for analysis. Reticulocyte counts are done by request or if indicated. Fibrinogen is routinely performed on bovine and equine submissions, and by request for all other species.

Cytology: submit air-dried, unstained and/or stained smears of aspirates, fluids, and/or tissue imprints. Spray fixatives should not be used on the slides. Do not refrigerate slides. Each slide should be individually marked for identification. Autolytic changes in cells occur rapidly in fluids and on swabs. Prepared smears must accompany any fluid submitted for cytologic examination. Fluid should never be submitted in a syringe but should be transferred to a sterile tube for shipment. This prevents contamination, bacterial overgrowth, leakage of specimen and injury to laboratory personnel.

This page was last updated September 29, 2006