- CBC
- Collect blood in EDTA (lavender top) tube. Minimum volume is ½ of total tube. Invert tube at least 5 times to mix anticoagulant with blood.
- Refrigerate blood until shipped; place cold packs in shipment. Samples should be shipped overnight Monday-Thursday to arrive at VMDL the day after collection.
- Submit 2 freshly made smears along with the blood.
- Use plastic slide holders rather than cardboard mailers if possible.
- Protect slides from formalin fumes.
- Chemistries
- Minimum volume: 1 ml of serum or plasma for panels, 0.5 ml if requesting 6 or fewer individual tests.
- Collect blood in red top, serum separator, or lithium heparin (green top) tubes. Invert green top tubes at least 5 times to mix anticoagulant with blood.
- Avoid using small gauge needles or forcing blood into collection tubes as this will cause hemolysis.
- Serum (red top or SST) and plasma (green) tubes must be centrifuged. Remove the serum/plasma and transfer to a sterile tube within 1 hour of collection.
- Ship on ice Monday-Thursday to arrive at the VMDL the day after collection.
- Cytology (Aspirates, imprints, smears)
- Submit fluids in EDTA (lavender top) tubes. Direct smear slides must also be submitted at the same time.
- Air-dry smears. Do not fix. Keep as dust-free as possible.
- Bone marrow aspirate slides or bone marrow core biopsies should be accompanied by either current CBC results or fresh blood smears and EDTA blood (lavender top) collected at the same time as the bone marrow sample.
- All fluids should be shipped Monday-Thursday for next day delivery. Place cold packs in shipment.
- Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF)
- For cell count and slide preparation:
- Collect blood from the patient in a red top or SST tube. Allow to clot, centrifuge, and collect serum.
- To a clean tube with no anticoagulant (red top), add 1 part serum to 9 parts CSF. Example: if you have 0.45 ml of CSF, add 0.05 ml of serum. Label this tube “CSF with Serum”. Do not use all of the CSF for this as you will need some for protein determination.
- For protein determination:
- Label the tube with the remaining CSF “Straight CSF”.
- Ship Monday-Thursday for next day delivery. Place cold packs in shipment.
- For cell count and slide preparation:
- Urinalysis
- Sample size 5 -10 ml shipped in a sterile container.
- Indicate method of collection: cystocentesis, catheter, free catch, etc.
- Ship Monday-Thursday for next day delivery. Place cold packs in shipment.
- Fecals: See Parasitology
- Samples not listed or special requests
- Contact the Clinical Pathology lab at 573-882-3338.
Message from the Director
The University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) is a full-service veterinary diagnostic laboratory and Missouri’s only laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. The VMDL is a Level I Lab of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, Tier I Lab of the FDA Veterinary Laboratory Response Network, and a National Poultry Improvement Plan authorized lab. The VMDL maintains an effective quality assurance and quality control program.
The VMDL has formal anatomical pathology, clinical pathology, and clinical microbiology training programs. The VMDL faculty hold academic appointments in the Departments of Veterinary Pathobiology and Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. The director is administratively responsible to the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine for the overall operation of the laboratory and its multiple missions of public service, teaching, research and continuing education/extension.
The VMDL faculty and staff work diligently to provide relevant, timely and cost-effective diagnostic services to our clients and to create a positive learning environment for our students and residents. In 2024, veterinarians, animal owners and researchers from 103 Missouri counties and cities, as well as from 51 states and provinces outside Missouri, continued to rely on the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory’s (VMDL) diagnostic services. The lab performed approximately 63,500 total cases and conducted nearly 204,500 tests.
About the MU VMDL
The VMDL is a full-service laboratory accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). The VMDL provides in-depth laboratory diagnostic support to veterinary practitioners, livestock and poultry industry interests, companion animal interests, wildlife conservationists, scientists utilizing animals in their research throughout the university, state and regulatory officials, and clinicians of the MU Veterinary Health Center.
Our Location
901 E. Campus Loop
Columbia, MO 65211