UK DIAGNOSTIC LAB NEWS (CONT.)


the most severely affected areas (e.g. color, thick- ness, etc.). Remember to label each biopsy portion accordingly. Areas of alopecia and/or hypotrichosis should be accompanied by samples of normal areas for proper evaluation. Make sure these are also la- beled accordingly.


Fixation Appropriate preservation of the sample is achieved by placing it on 10% neutral buffer formalin at 1:10 tis- sue: formalin ratio, within seconds after removal. Do not freeze samples. Ice crystals can disrupt the tissue and its normal architecture hindering evaluation.


Additional Considerations Superficial lesions are often accompanied by second- ary bacterial infection that can result in additional inflammation and can conceal diagnostic features thus hindering histologic diagnosis. If there is evi- dence of bacterial infection, use of systemic or local antimicrobials to clear the infection may improve the chances of collecting a sample representative of the underlying process and thus, a more accurate di- agnosis. For animal under glucocorticoid therapies, it’s advised to biopsy after the cessation of the effects of the medication whenever possible; these medica- tions frequently mask and/or change the inflamma- tory nature of lesions. General guidelines for with- drawal l or 2 weeks for oral medications and 6 weeks for injectable medications.


Use of dull biopsy punches and excessive pressure from surgical instruments can also jeopardize the quality of the sample.


If you have any question about removing or submit- ting a sample, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.


Submission At our website (https://breathitt.murraystate.edu/), on the left hand corner under “Download Forms,” we provide an accession form (“Standard Accession Form”) for convenient inclusion of signalment, his- tory, location and description of lesion.


To facilitate the complete description of the lesion, the accession sheet contains a drawing of a dog (in dorsal and ventral orientations) for the demarcation of the lesion’s general location. In addition, the form provides designated fields for inclusion of the size (cm), shape, attachment type, gross appearance, consistency, color, duration, rate of development, location of other tumors, history of recurrence (Ta- ble 1 provides examples of the information we will be looking for).


8 KVMA News


As the adage goes, an image is worth a thousand words. Inclusion of one or more photograph(s) of the lesion with the submission form is welcomed and appreciated. If you would like to submit an elec- tronic image, please contact us so we can provide you with an email address.


Critical Information to Include


Te complete description of the lesion and detailed clinical history should include the lesion distribu- tion, presence or absence of pain or pruritus, treat- ments employed (including dose, duration, and re- sponse), and your primary clinical differentials.


size (cm) shape


length x width x height irregular, round, raised


attachment type pedunculated, broad based


gross appearance macula, patch, papule, plaque, pustule, vesicle, bulla, wheal, nodule, cyst, alopecia, hypo- trichosis, pigmented, scale, etc.


consistency color


duration


rate of development


location of other tumors


history of recurrence


soft, firm, hard, movable


White, cream, tan, red, black days, weeks, months Slow or rapid growth


anatomical location yes, no, unknown


Packing and Shipping Biological specimens should be packaged, labeled, and shipped in accordance with federal DOT and IATA regulations. Compliance with these regula- tions is responsibility of the shipper. You can find useful links to these regulations and a summary of the guidelines on our website under “Submission Policies” – “General Guidelines for Sample Submis- sions.”


In general, samples should be individually packaged and carefully labeled into a leak-proof container and placed in a zip lock bag containing absorbent materi- al (e.g. paper towels) to absorb leakage during trans- portation. Additional cushion should be placed sur- rounding the zip lock bag if needed to avoid breakage during transportation. Forms should be placed in a separate bag for protection in case of leakage. Te samples and forms should then be placed in suitable cardboard box for shipment. When refrigeration is


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