Metal & Mineral Panel (ICP/MS)

Measurement of metals and minerals by inductively-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry. Targets include manganese, cobalt, copper, iron, molybdenum, selenium, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and thallium. A tissue/feed prep fee will be added to tissue and feed specimens. 

One or more of the following*: 

• both 0.5 mL EDTA whole blood and 1 mL serum (both sample types are required)
• 5 g fresh liver
• 50 mg fresh liver biopsy (approx. 3 Tru-Cut samples, no fluid added)
• 500 g feed

For birds, 0.6 mL EDTA or heparinized whole blood is adequate.

*Serum selenium provides current day levels, while whole blood selenium indicates selenium status over a longer period of time. TVMDL can interpret both serum and whole blood selenium concentrations for cattle, horses, sheep, birds or white-tailed deer. For goats, TVMDL has reference values for serum or plasma only.

Do not submit tissues in formalin or saline.

For feedstuff, submit a representative sample of the entire ration.

Do not centrifuge EDTA whole blood samples.

Serum and plasma samples should be centrifuged and removed from the clot. If zinc deficiency or toxicity is suspected, use a plastic tube or a royal blue top trace mineral tube.

Please see the Tube Submission Reference Chart for more information.

• Tissue or feed: sealed, leak-proof plastic bag or container.  A tissue/feed prep fee will be added to tissue and feed specimens. 
• Blood: EDTA (purple top) tube is preferred; heparin (green top) is acceptable. 
• Serum: remove from red cells and place sample in an additive free transport tube. If vitamin testing is also desired, wrap tubes in foil or other light-protective material.

Label all samples. Ship overnight on cold packs.

The testing schedule reflects days that extractions are initiated. Samples must be received in the testing section by 3:30 pm the day prior to the scheduled test day, otherwise samples will be held until the next scheduled test day. Turnaround time represents the estimated number of business days needed for complete extraction, sample preparation, instrument analysis, quality review, and data interpretation. 

Blood and serum samples are extracted on Mondays and Wednesdays. Tissue and feed samples are extracted on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A tissue/feed prep fee will be added to tissue and feed specimens. 

Turnaround time may vary on large submissions (e.g., 5 or more feed/tissue samples; 10 or more whole blood/serum samples).