Veterinarians use clinical chemistry and other laboratory tests to diagnose disease, to monitor
disease progression or response to therapy, and to screen for the presence of underlying
disease in apparently healthy animals. A wide variety of clinical chemistry tests are offered
by clinical pathology laboratories for this purpose (laboratories differ on the combination
of tests [panels] offered to their clients). The Clinical Pathology Laboratory at Cornell University
offers several chemistry panels, the most commonly used being the
small and large animal panels.
These panels include selected tests that help the veterinarian
evaluate for disease in most body systems.
Several specialized chemistry tests, not included on these panels,
may be useful for the diagnosis of specific disease processes (e.g. the measurement of
bile acids to detect abnormalities in hepatic function or blood flow). The veterinarian must
be aware of the availability and purpose of these specialized tests
to optimize the use of the clinical chemistry laboratory for disease diagnosis.
For the most accurate interpretation of chemistry test results, consideration must be
giving to the following concepts:
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