Measurement of relaxin by Rapid ImmunoMigration. In dogs, relaxin can be detected as early as 22 days of pregnancy, with the highest concentrations occurring at 42-56 days of pregnancy. In cats, relaxin can be detected as early as 25 days but more reliably after 31 days of pregnancy.
Specimen
0.5 mL serum, lithium heparin plasma, or EDTA plasma
Detection of pathogens commonly attributed to respiratory disease in canines; includes bordetella bronchiseptica, canine adenovirus 2, canine distemper virus, canine herpesvirus 1, canine influenza virus (subtypes H3N8 and H3N2), canine respiratory coronavirus, and canine parainfluenza virus, all by real time PCR.
Specimen
One or more of the following:
nasal swab
tracheal swab
pharyngeal swab
conjunctival swab
1 g fresh tissue (respiratory, brain, kidney, spleen)
Detection of antibodies to Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, by indirect fluorescent antibody test. Performed at 1:64, 1:128, 1:256, 1:512, 1:1024, and 1:2048 dilutions.
Detection of Rickettsiales species, including Ehrlichia canis, E. chaffeensis, E. ewingii, Rickettsia rickettsii, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, all by real time PCR.
Measurement of selenium by inductively-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry. A $10.75 sample preparation fee will be added to tissue and feed specimens.
Specimen
One or more of the following:
1 mL EDTA whole blood
5 g fresh liver
50 mg fresh liver biopsy (at least 3 Tru-Cut samples, no fluid added)
2 mL serum or plasma
500 g feed
For birds, 0.6 mL EDTA whole blood is adequate.
Blood, serum, and urine samples are tested on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with a turnaround time of 7 days. Tissue and feed samples are tested on Mondays and Thursdays with a turnaround time of 10 days.