Blood and Plasma Analysis

We partner with a laboratory that specializes in the determination of the amount of each major component in blood samples from your study using a complete blood count (CBC).

A complete blood count test measures several components and features of blood, including:

• Red blood cells
• White blood cells
• Hemoglobin
• Hematocrit
• Platelets
• Mean corpuscular volume
• Mean corpuscular hemoglobin
• Mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration

Abnormal increases or decreases in cell counts as revealed in a complete blood count may indicate that the animal has an underlying medical condition.

Blood chemistry tests or panels are groups of tests that measure many chemical substances in the blood that are released from body tissues or are produced during the breakdown (metabolism) of certain substances. A blood chemistry screen provides information about the general health of an animal, helps look for certain problems, and finds out whether treatment for a specific problem is working. We collaborate with a partner laboratory that specializes in the testing of blood for individual components or panels of components such as the full chemistry panel that includes:

• Albumin
• Alkaline phosphatase
• Alanine aminotransferase
• Aspartate aminotransferase
• Blood urea nitrogen
• Calcium
• Cholesterol
• Creatine kinase
• Creatinine
• Glucose
• Total bilirubin
• Total protein
• Triglycerides
• Electrolytes (Na, K, Cl)

Pharmacokinetics, sometimes abbreviated as PK, is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to determining the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism. The substances of interest include pharmaceutical agents, hormones, nutrients, and toxins. It attempts to discover the fate of a substance from the moment that it is administered up to the point at which it is completely eliminated from the body. Pharmacokinetics describes how the body affects a specific substance after administration through the mechanisms of absorption and distribution, as well as the chemical changes of the substance in the body (e.g., by metabolic enzymes such as cytochrome P450 or glucuronosyltransferase enzymes), and the effects and routes of excretion of the metabolites of the substance. Pharmacokinetic properties of substances may be affected by elements such as the site of administration and the dose of administered substance. These may affect the absorption rate of the substance. We collaborate with a partner laboratory that specializes in the detection of your agent in specific tissues.