CATHY HARVEYClinical 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 fluid in the […]
For production animal veterinarians, autumn is the time to remind farmer’s about the importance of trace element testing leading up to winter.Tissue and serum sampling in the autumn or at drying off, provides an opportunity to ensure trace elements and magnesium concentrations are appropriate heading into winter, and to assess any effects of sporidesmin on […]
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 to […]
… 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 our laboratories. […]
MICHAEL HARDCASTLEIt 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 many dermatoses”.1,2 […]
ROB FAIRLEYHere 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 a risk […]
KATHRYN JENKINSDid 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 find that the […]
GEOFF ORBELLWe 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 for […]
ROB FAIRLEYIt 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 outbreaks of […]
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 identify […]