How should the sample be handled?

The referral 

The referral should include patient information, the analyses desired and what sample material is included in the referral. 

Enter your account ID in the designated field on the referral. Your account ID is located at the top right after the orderer on all test results you receive from us. If you, as a new customer, have not yet received your account ID, please indicate that you are a new customer on the referral when you send your first sample to us. 

The patient's medical record number at your clinic can be filled in. Otherwise, a new medical record number will be generated at the laboratory. 

To ensure the age of the sample and thus the durability for the desired analysis, both the sampling date, shipping date and any storage at the clinic need to be specified. Keep in mind that the time the sample is in the mail is considered room temperature. Most analyses can be performed on samples that have been stored at room temperature for three days or more, but there are exceptions. Contact the laboratory for more information. 

The medical history could be crucial for us when it comes to assessing and interpreting test results. This applies especially to hematological and cytological samples.

Samples are stored at the Clinical Pathology Laboratory

Serum, plasma and urine samples where cortisol/creatinine or protein/creatinine have been analysed are stored in a freezer for four weeks. EDTA whole blood and transcellular fluids are stored in a refrigerator for seven days. Urine samples for sediment assessment are stored in a refrigerator for two weeks. Smears are stored for six months (hematology) to two years (cytology and bone marrow). This enables supplementary analyses in many cases.

Handling of the sample

Our referrals state which sample material is needed for each analysis, and whether the animal needs to fast before sampling. Here is a brief overview of how different sample materials should be handled, as well as the minimum sample volume for certain methods. Remember to label the sample with patient information.

If the analysis is to be performed on serum, EDTA plasma, lithium heparin plasma or citrate plasma, these can be centrifuged and separated before transport to the laboratory. Separated plasma is poured into an empty plastic tube. It must not be stored in a serum tube with gel or clot activator. It is a good idea to freeze separated serum or plasma before transport if it needs to be stored at the clinic.

If whole blood or urine sediment is shipped in cold weather conditions, it is important to ensure that the sample does not freeze during shipping to avoid hemolysis in whole blood, as well as destroyed crystals or cells in the urine. If whole blood or urine sediment needs to be stored at the clinic before shipping, 4–8°C is a recommended storage temperature. Urine for analysis of cortisol/creatinine ratio and protein/creatinine quota can withstand freezing.

All samples smeared on glass should be stored at room temperature to preserve the cells. Smears on glass cannot withstand freezing and should be protected if shipped in cold weather conditions.

Read more about cytology, bone marrow and transcellular fluids (link)

The referral states which type of tube is required for different analyses. The minimum sample volume varies depending on the number and type of analyses desired, see table below.

* For single analyses, a smaller sample size may be sufficient.

To do blood smears

See our instructions for taking blood smears (In Swedish) (PDF)

When analyzing glucose and potassium

For glucose analysis, serum/plasma needs to be separated within one hour of sampling for the result to be reliable because the erythrocytes consume glucose in the sample. If it is not possible to separate the serum within one hour of sampling, fluoride tubes can be used for sampling to preserve the glucose concentration in the sample. For potassium analysis in horses, serum/plasma needs to be separated within one hour for a reliable result because potassium leaks out of the erythrocytes in horses.

Contact us 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us!

E-mail: KlinKemLab@slu.se