Description
The treatment and management of disease in exotic species may be hindered by many factors including financial constraints, lack of access to equipment, handling challenges, or even the knowledge of the veterinary team dealing with the patient.
As veterinary nurses, we are often responsible for obtaining blood samples. Knowing how, when, why, and how much blood we can take from a patient is a vital par of ensuring appropriate patient care, assessing a patient’s health status, and can help provide a clearer prognosis in some cases.
This lecture will walk through blood sampling sites and techniques for a variety of exotic species from rabbits to reptiles. We will cover the “do’s and don’ts” for various species and look at normal blood sample findings in some exotic species.
Learning Objectives
- Recognise and identify sampling sites in a variety of species
- Outline pros and cons related to choosing various sampling sites in a variety of species
- Identify normal cell morphology in exotic species
- Be able to calculate the maximum amount of blood that can be taken from a patient
- Identify cases that may benefit from bloodwork
