Diagnostic Tests in Waterfowl

[Isaac 0]

In this thread I’m going to share some of the diagnostic tests that I have been using the past few months to ultimately aid in the management and diagnosis of some of the birds here on the farm. Since, I’m not a certified veterinarian technician, nor do I have any past vet training, there will likely be some mistakes, so please do feel free to correct me on errors I do make. The goal of this thread is to explore and discuss some of the diagnostic tests us owners can implement into a routine part of our management with our birds, specifically waterfowl.

While researching several of the tests that I've been doing, I realized very few are being discussed here on BYC. Some of these tests require minimal equipment and are more than useful to have in your back pocket when it’s needed.

 

[Isaac 0]

I've found very little (none) search results for TP testing in waterfowl, or fowl of any kind of the matter, on this site so I thought I'd share my current technique.

In case you're unfamiliar what TP, or total protein testing is, here is a quick description -

"T: The evaluation of serum proteins and their electrophoretic pattern is a well-established laboratory method in the diagnosis of many diseases in humans, which has replaced the biochemical determination of the concentrations of albumin and the ratio of albumin to globulins. The measurement of serum proteins may be an important diagnostic tool for the detection, diagnosis, and monitoring of various diseases and pathological processes. The results of serum protein electrophoresis can be one of the most useful diagnostic aids in a wide spectrum of diseases, including infectious and inflammatory diseases, renal or gastrointestinal disorders, immunodeficiency states, as well as paraproteinaemias caused by lymphoid or plasma cell neoplasia. Although many studies have been carried out to determine the usefulness of the determination of serum proteins and their electrophoretic pattern in various disease conditions and disorders also in animals, serum protein evaluation is still a relatively little-used diagnostic tool in veterinary medicine. In this article, methods of serum protein determination, their diagnostic utility in animal care practice and their different patterns in dysproteinaemias and paraproteinaemias are reviewed "
http://vri.cz/docs/vetmed/61-9-475.pdf


To start, I collect a blood sample from the bird in question, there are several areas you can collect blood, the Jugular (neck region), the Medial metatarsal (leg), or finally the basilic vein which is located on the underside of the birds humerus. Out of all area's, I prefer the basilic vein as it's easily accessible (vein is prominent), and can be controlled easily compared to other sites such as the medial metatarsal area, where the bird can apply much more muscle force/ or kicking which can make it extremely hard to collect. The jugular vein is usually only used with smaller birds, and is a site that should be cared for with great caution as rupture of the vein, also know has hematoma can cause breathing problems do to the veins location.

I collect blood single handedly so I use this positioning when doing so,

Source, http://www.fao.org/3/ac802e/ac802e0a.htm

For adults, I use a 3ml syringe equipped with a 22 gauge needle.

Once the blood sample has been collected, I remove the needle and insert the blood into a microcentrifuge tube, or a anticoagulated red top tube. In this case I use a microtainer.

The tube is laid on its side to for fifteen minutes to promote distribution of plasma, as well as induce clotting. Once the blood no longer runs freely in the tube, and looks to have a jello like-consistency you now know the sample has thoroughly clotted.

Now that the sample has clotted, I set the microcentrifuge tube in the centrifuge and spin for fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes, I remove the tube from the centrifuge, and analyze the plasma color for abnormalities. (Below is a thoroughly separated blood sample taken from a full-grown Rouen Duck. (Plasma on top)

The plasma color in this sample is a very faint yellow/clear, which is considered normal. According to this link, white colored plasma, may indicate lipaemia, due to a recent or high-fat meal, liver disease, or pancreatic disease. Reddish colored plasma can also be seen on occasions, this is due to hemolysis which is classified as the rupture of the red blood cells, and while this is most often due to improper preparation of the sample( such as squeezing clotted blood from a needle), it can also indicate disease, or toxicosis.

After an evaluation of the plasma sample has been completed, I then, using a pipette, transfer thee drops of the plasma onto a device called a refractometer, which works by,

"measuring the degree to which the light changes direction, called the angle of refraction. A refractometer takes the refraction angles and correlates them to refractive index (nD) values that have been established"

https://www.coleparmer.com/tech-article/refractometers#:~:text=When light enters a liquid,values that have been established.

After three drops of the plasma has been evenly spaced across the refractometer, the lid is then closed, and aimed towards a bright light for a reading. The photo shown below is what it looks like to look into a refractometer, the reading is approximately where the white and blue lines meet. The total protein % reading in this sample is near 6.8%, which might be considered high in some cases, the duck was treated for dehydration/heat stress via subcutaneous injections of lactated ringer's solution, and the birds symptoms and plasma reading lowered soon after.

"Low protein levels can also indicate a poor diet, 3 malnutrition or disease conditions causing protein loss, which can sometimes occur in chronic gastrointestinal disease. Dehydration can cause an increase in the protein levels."

https://nilesanimalhospital.com/files/2012/05/Understanding-Avian-Laboratory-Tests.pdf

 

[HollowOfWisps]

Absolutely fascinating! Thank you for sharing!

 

[416bigbore]

Oops ! You done it once again, Great info Doctor 0. Are you open for business. LOL