Our news

Testosterone testing no longer recommended

Kathryn Jenkins There is currently no validated serum testosterone test for veterinary species available and the referral test method in use has low sensitivity. As a result, serum testosterone is no longer recommended for use in veterinary species. In many cases, this can be replaced by serum Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). AMH is produced by the […]

Zinc toxicity in cattle

Hania Klobukwska Introduction Zinc toxicity is almost exclusively seen following the prophylactic use of zinc supplementation administered during the facial eczema (FE) season. Zinc toxicity is not new to the New Zealand scene however it is important to consider it as a differential diagnosis under certain circumstances, especially when the farm is known to be […]

An unusual finding in a bloated dog

Bernie Vaatstra Clinical findings A 13-year-old, spayed female Lhasa Apso presented at an after-hours veterinary clinic for acute gastric dilatation. Prior history included several years of upper gastrointestinal signs including intermittent vomiting and inappetence. Clinical signs improved on institution of treatment with 10mg omeprazole SID in 2023, and remained stable until October 2024, when the […]

Spindle cells

Cathy Harvey Of all the masses that occur in the skin and subcutis, probably the most care needs to be taken when evaluating spindle cells from mass lesions, as reactive spindle cells associated with fibroplasia cannot be easily distinguished from neoplastic cells on cytology. Often these lesions are firm and do not exfoliate well, making […]

Acorn poisoning

ROB FAIRLEY Each year significant numbers of acorn poisoning cases are seen in our laboratories and almost always in calves. They often occur when feed is short and animals are driven to consume acorns, or because animals have been put into areas to clean rank grass out – areas like lane-ways with mini plantations of […]

Fees for credit card payments

We are no longer able to absorb the merchant fee associated with credit card payments. As a result, we will be passing this cost onto our customers at a rate of 2.5%, effective for payments made on or after March 1, 2025. However, payments made via direct debit will still be completely free of charge. […]

PMSG testing issue

We have encountered an issue with our current batch of PMSG testing kits. The supplier has been notified, but unfortunately, they are unable to provide replacements as the kits are out of stock. A new batch is expected to be ready in April and will be shipped to us from Germany. Until the new kits […]

A rare but deadly diagnosis

Cristina Gans Clinical history A one-year-old DLH cat presented to the veterinarian for acute -onset anorexia and lethargy. Additional findings on clinical examination were a reduced body condition and moderate pyrexia. After treatment with antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, the cat displayed a marked improvement in appetite and demeanour and was discharged from the hospital.  Shortly […]

What’s your diagnosis?

Lisa Hulme-Moir Figure 1 is a photomicrograph of a blood film from a four year-old male castrated Australian Kelpie. The dog had been in an induced coma with constant rate infusion (CRI) of propofol to manage hepatic encephalopathy due to acute liver failure. Haematocrit was 0.23 L/L. What’s your diagnosis? Answer: Eccentrocytosis indicating oxidative injury […]

*NEW* – Liver fluke antigen ELISA test

Liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) is endemic in certain areas of New Zealand, affecting all grazing ruminants. However, despite its prevalence, diagnosing liver fluke infection in farmed livestock before death remains challenging. Liver fluke establish in the bile ducts of ruminants and interfere with liver function. Sheep do not establish immunity and infection can build up […]