This Mini Series is suitable for vets and veterinary nurses.

• Join Roger Powell MA VetMB DipRCPath Diplomate ACVP FRCPath MRCVS for three 2-hour online sessions and make the most of your practice lab!
• Expert top tips on skin pathology, fluid analysis and haematology
• Comprehensive notes to downloaded
• Self-assessment quizzes to ‘release’ your 8 hours CPD certification (don’t worry, you can take them more than once if you don’t quite hit the mark first time)
• A whole year’s access to recorded sessions for reviewing key points
• Superb value for money – learn without travelling
• Watch the recordings on your iPad!
• This Mini Series was originally broadcast in March 2016.

Programme

Skin Lumps: Whoops, That Didn’t Need That…

Skin pathology will often present as a distinct protruding lump which may be a benign ‘cyst’, inflammation, infection and/or malignant neoplasia/cancer. Whilst the macroscopic appearance can aid differentiation, it is non-specific and potentially malignant neoplasia can be missed and result in inappropriate intervention with associated morbidity and increased cost or delayed therapy. This lecture will focus on practically distinguishing inflammation from proliferative lesions to guide therapy and intervention.

Extensive illustrations and numerous pictures from case examples will be used to demonstrate:

• Setting up the microscope properly
• Staining and smearing
• Identifying infection and inflammatory causes
• Proliferative lesions and when to ‘refer’ the slide material

Fluid Analysis On Your Own: Rapid In House Screening

Cavity or tissue effusions can present as an emergency and require rapid intervention with appropriate therapy. However, different aetiologies look similar macroscopically and on imaging, requiring good but practical microscopy to identify what therapy is needed. Subsequent additional analysis and confirmation may require judicious use of an external laboratory and more detailed cytopathology though. This lecture will look at rapidly but consistently preparing a fluid sample for staining and examination, focussing on aspects to identify in house to guide appropriate therapy at that time.

What you’ll learn:

• Preparing and staining fluid samples
• Inflammatory or haemorrhagic
• Infectious aetiologies
• Not infectious – referral analysis?

Haematology: Preventing Automated Analyser Misdiagnosis

No automated analyser provides you with a complete veterinary haematology. Smear evaluation is absolutely required for accurate and full identification of disease from a drop of blood, so as not to waste time or money and allow rapid appropriate therapy. This final lecture will look at common analyser pitfalls from specific cases, illustrating where and how they go wrong and how to correctly identify the disease.

What you’ll learn:

• Types of analysers
• Smear evaluation
• Detailed morphological assessment of red and white cells
• Introduction to leukaemia