Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Techniques for Veterinary Technicians provides a comprehensive reference of laboratory procedures featuring ‘how-to’ information as it pertains to small animals, horses, and cattle.

•An inclusive reference on laboratory procedures pertaining to small animals, horses and cattle •Provides information on hematology, hemostasis, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, parasitology, and fecal testing

•Features high-quality photographs labelled with magnification and stain information, which clearly depict cellular morphology, inclusions and infectious organisms

•Offers key objectives, technician tip boxes, case examples and a glossary of key terms

•A companion website provides images from the book for download, instructor questions and answer key to multiple choice questions in the book

List of Contributors ix

Preface xi

About the Companion Website xiii

Chapter 1 Getting Started with Clinical Pathology 1

Introduction 2

Standard Equipment 2

Standard Supplies 11

Sample Types 14

Sample Storage and Preparation 15

Basic Laboratory Safety 15

Multiple Choice Questions 17

Chapter 2 Hematology 19

Introduction 21

Components of Peripheral Blood 22

Blood Cell Parameters 22

Erythrocytes 24

Leukocytes 38

Platelets 50

Atypical Cells in the Peripheral Blood 53

Blood Parasites 54

Hematology Methods 58

Further Reading 71

Multiple Choice Questions 74

Chapter 3 Hemostasis 75

Introduction 77

Physiology 77

Diagnostic Testing 84

Further Reading 91

Multiple Choice Questions 94

Chapter 4 Clinical Chemistry 95

Introduction 97

Available Testing 97

Sample Preparation 97

Sample Quality 101

Clinical Chemistry Health Profiles 105

Further Reading 138

Multiple Choice Questions 140

Chapter 5 Urinalysis 141

Introduction 142

Urine Production 142

Further Reading 173

Multiple Choice Questions 175

Chapter 6 Parasitology 177

Introduction 179

Classifications of Parasites 179

Parasite Identification 213

Further Reading 224

Multiple Choice Questions 225

Chapter 7 Minimizing Laboratory Errors in Veterinary Practice 227

Introduction 228

Laboratory Considerations 228

Laboratory Area 230

Types of Laboratory Error 231

Summary 242

Further Reading 242

Multiple Choice Questions 244

Glossary of Terms 245

Index 255

Anne M. Barger, DVM, DACVP is Clinical Professor of Pathobiology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is the section head for clinical pathology for the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and is an editorial board member of Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Amy L. MacNeill, DVM, DACVP graduated from the University of Florida with a doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1998, became a board-certified veterinary pathologist in 2004, and was awarded a PhD in virology and immunology in 2005. That same year, she joined the faculty at the University of Illinois as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathobiology and the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology at Colorado State University.