Diagnosis of many common disease processes, is facilitated by the analysis of samples from the patient.

Timely analysis of this material not only speeds up diagnosis but means appropriate treatment may be initiated as soon as possible.

Blood

Blood is the most commonly obtained sample.

We usually perform a haematology examination, (full blood count, to those of you that watch American ER dramas!) which, tells us the status of the red and white blood cells and platelets. Not only can this tell us whether the patient is anaemic but often more usefully, is the horse responding to a bacterial or viral challenge.

Biochemistry screening. This range of blood tests, look for chemicals in the blood which can indicate ongoing disease processes. These may be chemicals that need to be present at specific levels for the body to function properly like albumin or glucose, but which are affected by specific disease processes, or maybe chemicals which should be within particularly types of cells but which are released when those cells become damaged. An example of these chemicals are the “muscle enzymes” which are raised as a result of muscle damage causing their release into the bloodstream.

Microscopy

We can stain and examine smears of samples from the uterus, wounds, growth, joints, tendon sheaths, etc, to ascertain whether infection is present or what processes are taking place.

We perform fecal worm egg counts, as part of our Wormwise program, and also as a normal screening procedure.

Treatments

We are also able to incubate and process blood to produce IRAP and PRP, blood products used to enhance the healing of joint or tendon lesions.