Toxicology - Sample Submission
Many poisons/poisonings can be diagnosed from proper tissue
and/or feed samples. If a toxicosis of unknown origin is
suspected in a live animal, samples which can be of value
in analysis are whole blood, urine, vomitus (or gastric
contents from lavage) and feed. In general, clot separator
tubes should not be used for collection of blood for toxicological
analyses. The material in these tubes can make analysis
difficult or impossible. Urine and stomach contents should
be frozen. Feed should be thoroughly mixed and a representative
sample submitted. If an unknown poisoning is suspected
at necropsy, samples to be collected include liver, kidney,
fat, brain, stomach contents, urine and blood (if available).
With the exception of blood, ¼ to ½ pound (100 to 200 grams)
of tissue (or all that is available for small animals) should
be collected, wrapped in aluminum foil, placed in individually
labeled plastic bags, sealed and frozen. Brains of large
animals should be cut longitudinally and ½ of the brain
wrapped, labeled, sealed, frozen and submitted. Representative
samples of tissues should also be fixed in formalin for
histological examination. Following are guidelines which
can be used for future reference. Please feel free to phone
ADDL at 765-494-7440 with any questions regarding samples
or fees.
by Stephen Hooser, DVM, PhD, Head Toxicology
Laboratory
Robert Everson, PhD, Chemist
Christina Wilson, Assistant Chemist
Regina Bedel, Lab Technician
KEEP FOR FUTURE REFERENCE
| Test |
Sample to submit |
| Mineral/Elemental Analyses |
| Arsenic |
liver, ingesta |
| Copper |
feed, serum, liver |
| Iron |
serum, liver |
| Lead |
Whole blood (Not in clot separator tubes),
liver,
kidney, paint chips, bone, urine |
| Magnesium |
serum, ocular fluid |
| Potassium |
feed |
| Selenium |
serum, liver |
| Sodium |
feed, serum/CSF fluid, brain |
| Zinc |
liver, serum (No rubber stoppers, use plastic) |
| ICP Mineral Analyses |
serum, soil, tissue, urine, vitreous humor, water |
| Bone Analysis |
| Calcium/Phosphorus |
feed, bone (whole femur) |
| Bone Ash/Density |
bone (whole femur) |
| Organics |
| Alkaloid screen (strychnine, nicotine, caffeine, theobromine) |
ingesta, liver, urine |
| Anticoagulant rodenticides |
blood (in EDTA tube), liver |
| Cholinesterase inhibition |
heparinized blood, brain |
| Pesticide screen (organophosphate, carbamate, organochlorine
Insecticides, herbicides) |
ingesta, liver, milk, fat, feed, water, serum |
| Mycotoxins |
| Aflatoxin, deoxynivalenol, Ochratoxin, T-2, DAS, Zearalenone,
Fumonisin B1,B2 |
feed |
| Other feed-related toxicants/tests |
| Ammonia/urea |
water, rumen contents, feed (freeze quickly) |
| Cyanide |
ingesta, plant (freeze quickly) |
| Nitrate |
feed, plants, water, ocular fluid |
| Nitrite |
water, ocular fluid |
| Monensin |
feed |
| Vitamin A |
serum, liver, feed |
| Vitamin D |
serum, kidney feed |
| Vitamin E |
serum (must not be hemolyzed), liver, feed |
|
MINIMUM AMOUNTS OF SAMPLES TO
SUBMIT
|
| Whole blood |
4 ml |
| Serum |
2 m
3 ml for both Vitamin E and Selenium |
| Liver |
½ pound (200 g) |
| Kidney |
1 whole, large animal/ both, small animal |
| Brain |
½ cut longitudinally (large animal)
Whole, small animal |
| Fat |
¼ pound (100 g) |
| Urine |
All available |
| Ingesta (vomitus) |
1 pound (450 g) or all available |
| Ocular fluid |
All available |
| Feed |
1 pound (450 g) |
| |
|
| If these amounts of tissues cannot be
obtained from the animal, then send all that is available
after removing a section for formalin fixation and histological
examination. |
| |
| Plant and seed identification is also
available. |
|
