ROBYN WINTERSBlood cells begin to degenerate as soon as they leave the body, and continue to do so in the sample tube. Blood cells from different species degenerate at different rates. For example, bovine and rabbit blood cells degenerate particularly quickly, but horse’s cells do not.By the time we receive the bloods in the laboratory, […]
BERNIE VAATSTRAClinical history:A two-year-old, domestic shorthair cat died on arrival at the veterinary clinic. The owner reported the cat had been unwell and produced brown, syrupy urine the previous day. Concern was raised about the possibility of malicious poisoning, since there had been a spate of suspicious cat deaths in the neighbourhood. The cat was […]
Many of our laboratories are reporting increased numbers of Salmonella isolates over the past month or more (from companion animals especially). MPI have advised us there is a cluster they are currently monitoring.The increase is occurring nationwide, but of note is a higher than normal occurrence in dogs from the upper North Island. Serovars on the […]
AMY WEEDENPerianal tumours are fairly common in dogs. Distinguishing between the two neoplasms, which are specific to this anatomic location, is often straightforward. However, if this is not the case, there are some clinical and cytologic differences that will usually provide a definitive diagnosis.Circumanal gland tumours are also known as perianal gland tumours or hepatoid […]
ROB FAIRLEYCutaneous mycobacterial infections are common in cats in New Zealand and a variety of different mycobacteria may cause cutaneous lesions.A study from the University of Melbourne several years ago, identified at least three different mycobacteria from lesions in cats from New Zealand. The most common was Mycobacterium lepraemurium, the classic cause of cat leprosy. […]
CATHY HARVEYClinical history:A six-month-old, female kitten was brought into a veterinary clinic with abdominal pain, lethargy and vomiting. In-clinic bloodwork and urinalysis were consistent with acute renal failure: BUN / urea >50 mmol/L (ref. 6.6-12.6), creatinine 992 umol/L (ref. 67-150), phosphate >5.81 mmol/L (ref. 1.07-2.22) and USG 1.012.Treatment was not elected and the owner requested […]
KATHRYN JENKINSIn a recent cytology smear from a cystic oral mass in a cat, we observed several clumps of large, polygonal, sky blue, keratinised squamous epithelial cells. There are a few scattered erythrocytes in the background for size comparison (see image below). An interesting finding were the mixed bacteria adherent to the squames, including numerous […]
The feedback received so far regarding this programme has been outstanding! “Wonderful – the only way forward to deal with anthelmintic resistance.”“A great initiative and combination of IP and resources to provide a much needed tool for NZ farmers.”The WormFEC Programme is provided by AgResearch in association with Beef & Lamb New Zealand (Sheep Improvement Limited […]
MICHAEL HARDCASTLEWe frequently receive incisional biopsies (e.g. wedge, Tru-cut or punch biopsies) of enlarged lymph nodes. Unfortunately these can be unsatisfactory for multiple reasons and excisional samples (i.e. removal of the entire node) are preferred.The main issues with incisional biopsies relate to sample distortion. Since lymphocytes are fragile and lymph nodes have a delicate supporting […]
GEOFF ORBELLIt is the time of year when we are seeing a lot of foreign body reactions due to migrating grass awns through the lab at the moment.These are usually due to barley grass (Critesion spp.) of which there are six different species in New Zealand, but other grass species can also be culprits. Barley […]