In the last 6 months, Antech Diagnostics has made great strides in improving our avian and exotic services. Some of the behind-the-scenes improvements included placing specialized Hitachi chemistry analyzers in the various Antech laboratories. These machines can accurately analyze very small quantities of plasma, which helps address the common problem with exotic animals of obtaining adequate sample volume. We have trained technicians to work specifically with these samples and all customer service personnel have attended workshops that addressed questions and problems unique to exotic animal samples. New or updated tests for exotic animals are being added as they become available.

The most obvious change has been the new avian and exotic animal requisition forms. Although you can still use the dog and cat form to submit exotic samples, we urge you to use these special new forms. If you need the new forms, please request them from the lab. On the form you have a choice of chemistry tests that depend upon the amount of blood you can take and the cost. We also have grouped a number of tests together based on the signs or signalment of the patient. These comprehensive profiles help those of you less familiar with exotics and which tests to run, and save you money. The section of individual tests represents the most currently accepted diagnostic methods in exotic animal medicine.

One of the most important aspects of the new forms is the section that allows you to list which tests have priority. When sample volumes are limited and we have to decide which tests to run, it saves a lot of time if we know which ones are most important to you. Another improvement is the listing of the sample amounts required for each test and profile. If you send in less volume than stated on the form, we will attempt to get the most information out of what we have. If there is any question about sample size requirements, please call the laboratory beforehand. These new sample submission procedures ensure relevant, quality results!

Another change concerns the blood tubes that are required for specific samples. Almost every chemistry test we offer analyzes plasma, not serum. We get a larger volume of sample by using plasma. Please use the green top tube (heparin) microtainers we supply rather than the serum microtainers. Some of you have had problems with abnormally elevated results for phosphorus and/or potassium in your samples. These problems almost always occur because of leakage of potassium or phosphorus from the red blood cells, even in the absence of gross hemolysis. One easy way around this problem is to separate the plasma from the blood cells before you submit the sample to the lab. Spin your sample in the green microtainer and decant the plasma into a serum microtainer tube and send it to us. As a CBC cannot be run on the plasma, you still need to send us blood cells in either a green top (heparin) or lavender top (EDTA) tube. We also recommend sending one or two freshly made blood smears.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the avian and exotic animal division at Antech Diagnostics is the help you can get for case consultations and treatment recommendations, Monday through Saturday. Sometimes it is best to ask for a consult before you even take the sample, so we can suggest which tests may be the most appropriate for your case.