The pace of activity in the office has too be experienced to be believed. From 8.00 am when the doors open to 5.30pm when they close, that’s if they are lucky. The ringing of the telephone and the chirping of the modems never slackens.
We collect our post and opening is well under way by 8.10am. The team of office and laboratory staff carefully open packages, check the forms and samples. The information is entered in the computer everything uniquely identified and distributed to the different laboratory departments. Meantime the phones have started ringing. A report to be discussed before surgery starts, a courier collection required. Then there are the queries. Is this sample from a dog or a cat? I can’t read what test is required! No age, no sex (no comment). One member of the staff usually spends up to an hour on the phone each morning sorting out the anomalies on samples submitted.

Joanne has responsibility for client services. In addition to sorting out day to day problems and enquiries, Joanne works closely with regular clients ensuring that they are receiving the high standard of service they expect. She follows up enquiries from new or prospective clients and leads generated by the sales staff in the field.

Lorrain makes sure every one receives their request forms postal packs and sampling requirements as well as ensuring reports are correctly generated and faxed or posted.
Twinkle fingers Annette looks after the bulk of the technical typing. She has the fastest set of digits out side of a computer. Annette has the typing speed of a Pentium III processor and doesn’t crash nearly as often.

Betty is our newest recruit, her soft voice and quiet manner disguises her background in medical reception. She is coping well with the cauldron of office activity.
New test for Occult Hyperthyroidism in cats
Hyperthyroidism is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in the older cat. Clinical signs are often quite characteristic. characteristic symptoms of …… combined with a detectable enlargement of one or both thyroid glands The test of choice for confirmation is a Total T4 (T4). However a significant proportion of cases my reveal a low or low normal T4. These animals often show of concurrent kidney or liver problems. This presents the question is there an underlying hyperthyroidism or not. It is now possible to differentiate by determining FreeT4 following equilibrium dialysis of the sample (FT4d). This test eliminates factors which may interfere in the establishment of the true Free T4 value.
Cats with occult hyperthyroidism show high levels of FT4d values whilst cats with "Sick Euthyroid" effect show low or normal levels of FT4d.
New test "Sick Euthyroid Factor"
How can you be sure that a low T4 due to hypothyroidism? It could be the result of concurrent disease. We are pleased to offer a new test to help clarify this diagnostic dilemma. Dogs showing low or low normal T4 values in addition to abnormal haematological and general biochemistry changes or suspect hyperthyroid Cats with normal T4 levels should be tested. Ask for Sick Euthyroid Factor (SEF). A simple way to clarify your diagnosis. If you submitted sufficient sample originally no additional sampling will be required. 
Getting in a spin, can you afford not to have a centrifuge.
Question - Is a centrifuge a luxury or a necessity in a modern veterinary practice? Answer – A necessity.
For accurate biochemical test results it is essential to submit samples of appropriate quality. The commonest cause of poor sample quality is haemolysis. There may be occasions when haemolysis may be impossible to avoid regardless of what steps you take. However for the other 99.9% of the time simplest solution is to separate the serum or plasma from the red sells or clot as soon as possible after collection. This means you need a centrifuge. It is possible to purchase a suitable new centrifuge for around £200 or a second hand one for under £100. It is usually a good idea to purchase one that can also be used to provide a haematocrit. LINKS. To make your job even easier we supply Gel Separation tubes which means you don’t even need to remove the serum from the tube before you send it to the lab. Submitting unseparated samples wastes everybody’s time and effort but more importantly the results you receive could be seriously misleading. In addition to separating serum samples it is also helpful to remove heparin plasma and oxalate fluoride plasma before submission but make sure you label the tubes clearly.
Serum Gel tubes and plain tubes for separated plasma are available on request from client services, call 01253 899215.
FAQ –Can I check for tumour cells in a urine sample?
Submitting plain urine samples for the detection of neoplastic cells is likely to result in a false negative result. These delicate cells deteriorate rapidly in normal urine.
When a bladder neoplasm is suspected equal parts urine and "Cytofix" should be mixed together to fix and preserve any abnormal cells. If possible two samples should be prepared. One should be submitted untouched and the other spun down at slow speed in a centrifuge for about 10 minutes to concentrate any cells present. Neoplastic cells may only be present in small numbers. pour off the excess urine and resuspend any cells in the residual fluid by flicking the tube. With a pipette place one drop on a clean microscope slide (if possible use NWL cyto-slides, these ensure adhesion of any cells to the slide surface). do not smear the cells allow to dry naturally. Place in a postal container for safe submission. Make at 2 or more preparations slides. You can submit the remaining residue as well. If normal urinalysis is required submit a sample in a plain and boric acid tube.
Postal Regulations – Latest News
The Royal Mail continue to heap confusion upon confusion with regard to their desire to protect their work force from the ravages of pestilence. As may have been suspected from the outset the issue has become Europeanised. In their efforts to define what constitutes a hazard to all concerned no body seems to have considered just what risk the shipment of diagnostic samples presents compared with known pathogens. In these days of risk management and hazard analysis it is not unreasonable to expect a more analytical approach to the establishment of a fair and considered decision. The wrong decision could have a significant impact on not only the livelihood of many individuals and businesses but there could be a significant welfare issue to consider as well.
Stating the obvious.
It may seem like stating the obvious but you would be surprised how many samples submitted for histology and cytology do not include the site from which the sample was taken. Please describe the site and or the lesion. It helps us to help you. Thank you.
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