CATHY HARVEY Clinical history: A four-year-old spayed female Staffordshire bull terrier presented after a one-week history of anorexia with vomiting and diarrhoea. She had been treated with antibiotics, anti-emetics, antacids and antiulcer medications. When the dog deteriorated (white gums and lethargic) further work-up was consented to by the owner. On abdominal ultrasound, there was free […]
MSD Animal Health is running a roadshow for veterinary staff featuring speakers from MPI, MSD Animal Health, and the fabulous Lisa Hulme-Moir from Gribbles Veterinary. Salmonella is a significant disease of sheep and cattle and case reports in cattle are increasing. Join us to learn more about how Salmonella is affecting farms nationwide and how […]
… correctly! Imagine several liquid bovine faecal samples in zip-lock bags, sent in another plastic bag via NZ Couriers to one of our laboratories. What is the worst-case scenario you come up with? Some of you may have seen our Facebook post in January regarding a very inappropriately packaged faecal sample received at one of […]
MICHAEL HARDCASTLE It is very common for clinicians to call the laboratory asking how long they should wait before sampling a skin problem that has already been treated empirically with glucocorticoids. If one consults standard texts on veterinary dermatology, these generally contain recommendations to wait because “anti-inflammatory agents can dramatically affect the histologic appearance of […]
KATHRYN JENKINS Did you know you can submit up to six slides per site, for each cytology case? Cytology tip: Increasing the number of sites sampled from each lesion, increases the diagnostic power for a more accurate interpretation. In many cases, increasing the sample number taken, improves the chances of a diagnostic sample (often we […]
GEOFF ORBELL We are starting to see cases of attaching and effacing Escherichia coli (AEEC) in weaned calves this season. This is likely underdiagnosed in New Zealand as no ante-mortem tests are available, and post-mortem examinations often yield false-negative diagnoses due to intestinal autolysis, or lack of submission of a full range of gastrointestinal samples […]
ROB FAIRLEY It has been about eight years since the first case of sporadic bovine encephalomyelitis (SBE) was diagnosed in New Zealand. The causative organism, Chlamydophila pecorum, was however isolated much earlier (2000) in a healthy goat on a Waikato farm as part of an investigation*. Since the first diagnosis of SBE in cattle, many […]
In April 2019 we upgraded our trace element reporting to include cumulative results for routine screening. This year our outstanding team of programmers have gone an extra step, and we are now able to report cumulative results for a farm PLUS local regional trends for a specific trace element. Cumulative reporting can be used to […]
Clinical history: A seven-year-old female rabbit was presented for a swelling on the right hind limb, which was worsening after being first noticed two weeks previously. At presentation, the rabbit had muscle atrophy in both hind limbs, with a hairless, nodular mass noted directly above the right calcaneus. The mass was sampled by fine needle […]
There are many sample types that need to be collected with a syringe and needle. Our online Veterinary Handbook covers sample collection requirements for cytology and urinalysis, and interestingly enough, we don’t once mention that we’d like to receive a needle with any of these fluids or biopsies! Surprisingly often, we receive needles on syringes […]