Essential haematology for companion animal vets in first opinion practice

Haematology provides a vital source of diagnostic information in veterinary medicine. Advancement in technology has improved the availability of in-house automated analysers in first opinion practices, allowing practitioners quick access to complete blood count results to aid day-to-day clinical decisions. Most in-house analysers use flow cytometry or electrical impedence technologies which provide fairly accurate complete blood count results. However, practitioners must exercise care when interpreting these results as sample factors such as lipaemia, haemolysis, and the presence of atypical white blood cells, may have an effect on the accuracy of the results. Interpreting complete blood count results alongside a good quality blood smear is important, as it serves as a quality control tool to assess the accuracy of the complete blood count results and also provides useful information on the cell morphology. Good sample handling and good smear making technique are important to produce a blood smear of diagnostic value.