Blood Chemistry

RRDA division of MDS offers complete blood chemistry and hematology services to complement our toxicology operation. This is designed to be a useful addition to our toxicology capabilities. The services are tailored to rabbits and rodents, as well as other species of laboratory and companion animals.

Fasting duration should be appropriate for the species and the analytical tests to be performed. Regulatory guidelines for blood chemistry requirements appropriate for all test substances include measurements of electrolyte balance, carbohydrate metabolism, and liver and kidney function.

Please contact us for pricing and turn around times or if you have any questions about the services we offer.

Mouse over the tests for a description.

Basic Metabolic Panel

• Calcium
• Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
• Creatinine
• BUN/Creatinine (calculated)
• Glucose (fasted)
• Chloride
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Bicarbonate (CO2)

Comprehensive Metabolic Panel

• Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH)
• Asparatate Amino Transferase (AST)
• Bilirubin, Total
• Bilirubin, Direct
• Bilirubin, Indirect
• Alanine Amino Transferase (ALT)
• Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT)
• Total Protein
• Albumin
• Globulin (calculated)
• Albumin/Globulin Ratio (calculated)
• Alkaline Phosphatase
• Uric Acid
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Calcium
• Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
• Creatinine
• BUN/Creatinine (calculated)
• Glucose (fasted)
• Chloride
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Bicarbonate (CO2)
• Creatine Kinase (CK)

Electrolyte Panel

• Chloride
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Bicarbonate (CO2)

Hepatic Function Panel

• Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH)
• Asparatate Amino Transferase (AST)
• Bilirubin, Total
• Bilirubin, Direct
• Bilirubin, Indirect
• Alanine Amino Transferase (ALT)
• Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT)
• Total Protein
• Albumin
• Globulin (calculated)
• Albumin/Globulin Ratio (calculated)
• Alkaline Phosphatase
• Creatine Kinase (CK)

Kidney Function Panel

• Calcium
• Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)
• Creatinine
• BUN/Creatinine (calculated)
• Glucose (fasted)
• Chloride
• Sodium
• Total Protein
• Phosphorus

Lipid Metabolic Panel

• Cholesterol (fasting)
• Triglycerides (fasting)
• HDL
• LDL
• Cholesterol/HDL (calculated)

Necrosis/Infarction Panel

• Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH)
• Asparatate Amino Transferase (AST)
• Creatine Kinase (CK)

Parathryoid Disease Panel

• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Calcium

Cardiac Function

• CK-MB
• Cardiac Troponin I (cTnI)
• Myoglobin
• Cardio CRP
• BNP (B-type Natriuretic Peptide) and proBNP

Anemia

• Iron (Fe)
• Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC)
• Ferritin
• Vitamin B 12 (cobalamin)

Other Markers

• Acid Phosphotase
• Ammonia
• Aldolase
• Amylase
• Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE)
• Cholinestrase
• Copper
• CK-MB
• CRP
• Lithium
• Lipase
• Porphobilinogen (PBG)
• UIBC

Tests can be run individually, or custom packages can be created for your project as needed. Additional clinical chemistry tests may be recommended to extend the search for toxic effects attributable to a test substance. The selection of specific tests will be influenced by observations on the mechanism of action of the test substance. Clinical chemistry determinations that may be recommended to ensure adequate toxicological evaluation of the test substance include analyses of acid/base balance, hormones, lipids, methemoglobin, and proteins.

Common causes of hemolysis include:

• Wet needles, syringes, or glassware
• Collecting sample using too much pressure (vacuum)
• Ejecting blood from needle/syringe too rapidly, especially if the needle is small
• Putting sample in chilled glassware
• Vigorous shaking (should be slow inversion of tube) or ringing of sample
• Temperature extremes (most common cause of hemolysis in whole blood samples mailed to a laboratory)

If a sample is lipemic (the serum may appear cloudy), the following test results may not be accurate:

• Amylase
• Bilirubin
• BUN
• Glucose
• Total protein
• Electrolytes
• Calcium

To prevent lipemia, be sure the animal is fasted prior to sample collection.