Sample Page

Anniversary days – we’ll be closed

Our Palmerston North laboratory will be closed on Monday 19 January for the Wellington regional anniversary day public holiday. Our Auckland laboratory and Hamilton logistics centre will be closed on Monday 26 January for the Auckland regional anniversary day public holiday. Both laboratories will be open normal business hours on Saturday (17 and 24 January […]

Sampling tips for large animal vets

ROB FAIRLEY Here are some tips from our pathologists that may be useful during sample collection or out in the field. 1. For PCR, dry swabs are preferred over transport media swabs. We have had success with transport media swabs but the material you collect on the swab is diluted by the media and there is […]

Lab tip – keep cool when it’s hot!

It’s warm weather season, so please remember to keep samples cool after collection. Traditionally as summer heats up, we notice a deterioration in the quality of some samples received at our laboratories.  Some even arrive in an unsuitable condition for testing. We recommend you include an ice-pack of some description with your samples if you […]

Festive season opening hours

Please find our opening hours over the Christmas and New Year period below. All laboratories  will resume normal working hours from Monday 5 January. CHRISTMAS HOURS > 22-24 December: OPEN> 25-28 December: CLOSED NEW YEAR HOURS > 29-31 December: OPEN> 1-4 January: CLOSED Please be aware that online orders for consumable items placed before Christmas […]

BRAF mutation PCR now available in NZ!!

After several years work, Awanui Veterinary has now completed the design, development and validation of a duplex qPCR assay to detect the canine BRAF mutation responsible for canine urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). We are very excited to be the first New Zealand laboratory to offer a BRAF mutation test locally. This mutation can be […]

Herd of facial eczema?

Summer is upon us and it is never too early to ensure plans are in place to protect the herd. To be effective, preventative measures need to be in place before Pseudopithomyces chartarum and / or Pseudopithomyces toxicarius (formerly Pithomyces spp.) spores are detected. For every clinical case of facial eczema you see, there will be at […]

Opportunistic sepsis

Sandy McLachlan Clinical history Query enterotoxigenic E.coli, torsion, sepsis? Metronidazole had been administered by the owner in the morning. Late afternoon the dog presented to the attending veterinarian with fever 40.9°C, and was treated with cefazolin, enrofloxacin, IV fluids, meloxicam and maropitant. In house CBC showed haemoconcentration (HCT 69.5% (37.3 – 61.7)) and profound leukopenia […]

We say goodbye to John Gill

Our long-standing resident pathologist, John Gill, will be retiring after more than 40 years as a veterinary pathologist. John began his career with the MAF Animal Health Lab in Mosgiel in the early 1980s. “I have had the privilege of working alongside John since 1993, and I will especially miss his sense of humour and […]

Drench resistance update 2025

Sarah Riddy, Awanui Veterinary, Palmerston North This report details the analysis of data submitted to the Awanui Veterinary network for the season June 2024 to May 2025 for fully differentiated faecal egg count reduction testing (FECRT). Data was obtained from cases that clearly identified the test anthelmintic and sample groups with ≥ 10 animals per […]

Histo sample issues!

We have recently experienced issues with histology samples leaking during transport, even when containers have been sealed with Parafilm or tape. In most cases, the cause is container lids not securely fastened before sealing. Please ensure that lids are tightened properly — no amount of tape or external sealing can prevent leakage if the lid […]