The end of an era

Brent Hananeia, manager of our Dunedin laboratory, worked his last day on Thursday 28 September, 2023. Brent has left quite a footprint throughout our network, and it’s sadly time to bid him farewell after 45 years in the lab.Brent started his career at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF) in 1978 at their Invermay […]

You made our day!

One of our Auckland pathologists was recently trimming tissue from histology cases and came across this spleen. On the submission form the veterinarian had commented “apologies about packaging” but actually, it was exceptionally well packaged!It was encased in two sturdy plastic containers with lids that clipped down when pressed, cotton wool (not shown), adequate formalin […]

Call centre update

We implemented our new call centralisation system in August with the aim that all calls to our network be answered promptly and to a high standard of service.Thank you to customers who provided feedback on how this change has met your needs since it was implemented. As a direct result of this feedback, we will […]

Clever specimen bags  

Specimen bags are cleverly designed, cheap, practical and easy to use. The main body of the bag has a plastic zipper across the top, enabling the hazardous samples to be sealed in; plus there is a separate pocket on the outside of the bag for paperwork.?????? ???? ???? ??? . . .> Place samples inside […]

Does interpersonal conflict keep you up at night?

CHRIS GOUGH, LINCOLN INSTITUTEFor those of you interested in diving deeper into this subject, scroll down to the bottom of the email for a special offer… ⬇️Thank you for joining us for Part 2 of the new series on interpersonal conflict from our education partners, The Lincoln Institute.  If you missed part 1 you can find it […]

Diagnostic integration – help us help you!

We are currently in the process of moving all ezyVet customers over to our complete integration system, giving practices access to our laboratory diagnostic testing directly via ezyVet.  This will improve clinic efficiencies and do away with manual handling of test requests and results. If you are an ezyVet customer and have not yet changed over […]

B12 testing issue – cattle

Our team have identified an instrument issue with our serum B12 analyser. This issue has caused some variability with results that are close to the limit of quantification (LOQ) for this test within the last 2 weeks. We are working with the instrument supplier to fix this issue, and until it is resolved we will […]

Lumps and bumps

CRISTINA GANSClinical historyA two-year old Jersey cow presented to the veterinarian with multiple cutaneous nodules of unknown duration, located throughout the body, although most were concentrated on the head and neck (Figure 1). Some nodules appeared ulcerated and may have been secondarily infected. Lymph nodes were not obviously enlarged. Other animals in the herd were […]

Toxic myth

ROB FAIRLEYWe often get requests to do histology of the liver to check for signs of toxicity. The belief that histology of the liver can be used as a gauge of intoxication is widespread and presumably results from thinking that because the liver is the common site of chemical detoxification it is always injured in […]

TSE surveillance – help protect New Zealand!

Biosecurity New Zealand conducts surveillance for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). This programme is vital to our animal products exports. If you see an animal with clinical signs compatible with TSE, please collect and submit samples to the programme.Important update for 2023Carcasses of animals entering the TSE Programme must be appropriately buried on-farm. Please advise your […]