icon
Diagnostic
Tests or procedures used by your vet to determine what is wrong with your horse, in order to reach a diagnosis.

YOUR VET MAY PERFORM

Cytology, Cell Counts & Analysis of Fluid

Summary

Fluid normally bathes any body cavity, including the chest cavity, abdomen, joints, space around the spinal cord, etc.

For each of these fluid types, there is a normal range of characteristics and a normal population of cells. Diseases that involve these cavities change these characteristics and cell population. These changes are determined in a laboratory, and they tell veterinarians a great deal about the nature of a disease process affecting the area.

A vet collects the fluid using a sterile protocol, to avoid contamination of the cavity itself. The sample is sometimes centrifuged to concentrate the cells, and then they are spread on a slide and stained. The slide is then analyzed by a veterinarian or pathologist.

An example of this diagnostic that is helpful is the collection and analysis of abdominal fluid. In the roomy abdomen of a horse, there is normally only about 50-100ml (appx. 2-3 oz) of free fluid. The cell count is normally low - only about 4000 cells per unit, and the cells are of a particular type. If the abdomen is infected, the cell count can increase to 200,000 or more cells per unit, and the predominant cell type changes too.

Why A Vet Chooses This Diagnostic

icon

Diagnoses Your Vet May Consider

This test could rule out or confirm any of the following diagnoses.

Very Common
Less Common
Rare
+ 5 more diagnoses
BENEFITS
Cell types and counts provide helpful information to better understand a disease process within a body cavity.

LIMITATIONS

Sometimes uncontaminated samples (without blood) can be difficult to obtain.

Prior needle puncture of cavities can cause a change in the cell count and cell types.

your role

decor
Questions To Ask Your Vet:
  • Can you trust the results of the cell count or might there be another explanation (contamination) for your findings?

Author: Doug Thal DVM Dipl. ABVP