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THIS MONTH 

Blood sampling - avians and exotics 2
Faster Rabies testing
NWL wins PDSA tender for lab work
Converting Fax reports to text
Next Clin Path Club meeting
E-vet - Online Veterinary Discussion Group
Tail End

Blood Sampling Avians and Exotics 2 - 
Collection site, tube and test selection 

Birds 
The blood collection site of choice will depend upon the size of the bird. The medial metatarsal vein is the preferred site when bleeding small birds. 
A useful tip when bleeding birds is to remove the plunger from the syringe and allow the blood to run into the barrel or directly into the tube. You can use just the needle alone but the attached syringe barrel usually helps with the manipulation of the needle. Do not collect blood for haematology or biochemistry by clipping the toenail. 
See Newsletter #50 for information about sample volumes. As a generalization you can draw up to 1% of the bird’s weight at an interval of not less than 2 weeks between samples. 

Rodents and Reptiles 
Iguanas: use the ventral coccygeal vein. 
Snakes:  use cardiac puncture or the ventral coccygeal vein. 
Chelonians: use the jugular vein. 
Rabbits and ferrets: bleed from the jugular, medial or lateral saphenous veins. The central ear artery can also be used in rabbits. 
Guinea pigs and chinchillas: bleed from the lateral saphenous, cephalic or jugular veins. The cranial vena cava can also be used. 

Approximately 0.5% of body weight can safely be taken from healthy rodents and reptiles. See Newsletter #50 for information about sample volumes. 

Submitting samples to the Laboratory 
For optimum results separate samples should be submitted for biochemistry and haematology, see details below. Always try to submit the maximum safe volume of blood. 
Biochemistry 
The preferred specimen for biochemistry is a serum gel tube. Alternatively submit heparin plasma. Use a heparin gel separator tube or if not available, a standard heparin tube. For very small samples submit 2 plain or heparinised hematocrit tubes. 

For Lead determination use standard heparin tube, do not separate. 

For Zinc determination use a plain plastic tube, avoid any contact with rubber. 

Haematology 
Birds and reptiles: submit 2 blood smears made on slides not coverslips and 2 heparinised haematocrit tubes or if sufficient sample a heparin tube. Ensure that blood smears are not too thick and have a feathered end. 
Small mammals: submit 2 blood smears and an EDTA (lavender top) tube. Ensure that the tube is filled to the correct volume and mixed well to avoid clots. 

NOTE: If you are short of sample and need both haematology and biochemistry submit just a heparin tube or as many heparin haematocrit tubes as possible and a smear. 

Serology 
Submit a serum gel tube, alternatively 2 plain haematocrit tubes. 

Faster Rabies Testing 
Rabies blood test results now in 5 – 7 days 

North Western Labs have formed an association with Biobest a specialist veterinary virology laboratory. Biobest have set up the first MAFF approved private rabies testing laboratory in the UK. Using this new facility NWL is able to turn around testing in approx 5-7 working days, a considerable improvement on other testing currently available. Please note the service is only available through NWL, Biobest will not accept samples sent directly. 

To ensure a speedy turnaround it is important to use the correct submission form and to complete it fully and clearly. It is also important to ensure that the correct sample is sent. This should be serum (minimum 0.5ml) free from haemolysis. Separate the serum before despatch or use a gel separation tube. Supplies of forms are available on request, contact client services on 01253 899215. 

Code RBT, Test Name Rabies Blood Test, Sample Serum, Cost £39.00 + vat 
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NWL Wins PDSA Lab Contract 
NWL wins contract to provide 44 PDSA veterinary centres with laboratory service 

The Laboratory has won the contract to provide the 44 PDSA Veterinary Centres with clinical pathology services, beating off strong opposition from 15 other laboratories in the process. We are flattered by the confidence the PDSA has shown the laboratory by awarding us this contract. 

The PDSA was founded in 1917 and is Britain’s largest veterinary charity. Funding is entirely by the public through legacies and donations. The 44 animal hospitals across the country provide free veterinary treatment to sick and injured animals whose owners are unable to afford private veterinary fees. The charity employs 230 veterinary surgeons and 290 veterinary nurses. 

A spokesman for the PDSA said, “NWL offered a very competitive commercial package. We liked their approach to client service and attention to detail”. Client services coordinator Joanne Kenyon said "The laboratory places a high priority on the quality of client services. We try to treat each client as an individual. Winning this contract confirms the soundness of our approach and represents a major step forward for the laboratory." 

In addition to providing laboratory services NWL will be offering CPD support for Veterinary Surgeons and training for Veterinary Nurses. The first seminar will be an introduction to laboratory work for those nurses about to embark on their NVQ level 3 training. 

Such has been the expansion in business since we moved to new premises just over 2 years ago we are about to embark on a major building project to increasing both our office and laboratory accommodation. 

Fax is still the most convenient way to receive laboratory reports. The main advantage of fax is as soon as report is sent it pops up on your fax machine for all to see without you having to even think about it. 

However the one big snag with faxes, even if you have a computer fax is the fax is a graphical image and very difficult to electronically integrate into a computer record system directly. But that isn’t necessarily so. It is possible to convert a paper fax report into a text file that you can easily integrate into your computer system. 
HOW? By the use of a scanner and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. You scan the fax into your computer and use an OCR programme to read it. This converts the fax into a text file that can be recognised by any word processing programme. The text can then be altered in any way you wish or cut and pasted into your computer record system. It isn’t as complicated as it may sound; it takes longer to explain than to do. 

Scanners come in a range of price and quality ranging upwards from about £60. There are a large number of OCR programmes around. One of the best is probably OMNIPage Pro 9, currently available at around - £67. OMNIPage is particularly good at dealing with tabulated text as in a report. Some scanners come with a cut down version of OMNIPage. You could save hours of typing with the attendant risk of mistakes by using OCR to reading faxes or regular typed reports. 

For more information go to http://www.pcpro.co.uk/nwlabs/indexwelcome.html . and search for scanners. 
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E-Vet - Online Veterinary Discussion Group 
E-vet online veterinary community 

E-vet is an online worldwide community of veterinary health professionals, veterinary surgeons, nurses and technicians, who communicate by e-mail. Registered members have a choice of interest groups in which they can participate. There are specific groups for, clinical, exotics, business, social and veterinary nursing interests. The participants ask questions, discuss, exchange information and occasionally fall out. You can join in or just watch the threads that develop. 

To participate, you start by registering at www.e-vet.com. From here you will be provided with a password which will allow you access to the E-vet discussion group which confusingly is hosted by www.egroups.com , a web site which hosts private and public, e-mail discussion groups on a variety of subjects. Here you select which of the groups you wish to join. This type of forum provides a useful opportunity to consult with colleagues, air your views or pick up gems of information. 

The E-vet section of the Egroups web site contains an archive of e-mail messages, which are a fund of valuable information. There is also a database of other information not suitable for transmission by e-mail, pictures, articles, and copies of documents. Log in and check it out. 
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Tail End 
Scientist seeks quake-spotting gene in animals 

Birds began to flit from tree to tree, dogs howled, and cats scratched and mewed. These antics were spotted by scientists who had come to Haicheng in China's Liao-ning province to study local earth tremors which they thought might presage a major quake. The animals' behaviour so alarmed the researchers they had the city evacuated. A couple of days later, a major quake destroyed Haicheng. Thanks to the scientists, and to the city's animals, only a few citizens died. This success - in 1975 - convinced seismologists they had discovered how to forecast earthquakes: by combining geological knowledge with observations of animals. 

Then, a year later, a shock of 7.9 on the Richter scale devastated neighbouring Tangshan, killing 650,000 people. No one predicted this catastrophe, and geologists were forced very quickly to abandon their claims to have developed seismic powers. 

Scientists currently put forward two main explanations to account for animals' reactions to forthcoming shocks. 'Either they are picking up static electricity that is caused by rocks rubbing together, or they are reacting to rising levels of electromagnetic radiation,' said Dr Bill McGuire, of the Benfield Greig hazard research centre at University College London. 

How an animal could spot such forces remains to be seen. 
Source: - 
The Guardian
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