Photomicrographs of a blood smear and a bone marrow aspirate from a dog with ocular lesions   Case information A 7 year old castrated male, Alaskan Malamute presented due to weight loss, lethargy, inappetance, intermittent epistaxis and ocular inflammation which began about two months prior. The patient initially presented due to clear discharge from his […]

Photomicrographs of an aspirate from the right mandibular lymph node from a dog   Case information A 14 year old male castrated Maltese presented for evaluation of an oral mass. Ten months previously, a mass was removed from the dog’s gingiva, which was diagnosed by histopathologic examination as a presumptive plasma cell tumor, that was

Photomicrographs of an aspirate from the right medial iliac lymph node from a dog   Case information An 11-year-old female spayed Mastiff presented to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals with tenesmus (straining to defecate) over the past few months. The owners also reported that the dog’s stools were smaller than usual. The dog was

Photomicrographs of peritoneal fluid from a foal   Case information A 2-day-old Thoroughbred colt presented to the Cornell University Equine and Farm Animal Hospital Emergency Service with the chief complaints of a weak suckle reflex and reluctance to rouse from sleep. On presentation the foal was bright, alert and responsive with mildly hyperemic mucous membranes

Photomicrographs from transtracheal wash fluid from a dog   Case information A 5 month old intact male Boxer presented with a 2 month history of an intermittent, semi-productive cough. Treatment with amoxicillin-clavulanic acid resulted in some improvement, but the cough never fully resolved. On physical examination, the puppy was in good body condition and vital

Photomicrographs from a digital swelling in a dog   Case information A 9 year old male castrated miniature schnauzer presented for evaluation of a chronically swollen toe. The patient had been intermittently holding up the left rear paw over a 4 month period. The pad of the left hind fourth digit was historically found to

Photomicrographs of a venous blood sample from a dog   Case information A 4-year-old spayed female Siberian Husky presented after a five-day history of inappetence and lethargy. Two days prior to presentation, the dog had vomited parts of a squeaky toy and a corn cob and became anorexic. Additionally, the dog had two episodes of

Photomicrographs of an aspirate from a subcutaneous mass from a dog   Case information A 9 year old castrated male Border Collie was presented for a chief complaint of a rapidly growing subcutaneous mass over the left shoulder.  The mass had doubled in size over a period of three months; this increase in size coincided

Photomicrographs of peripheral blood from a dog   Case information A 7 year old male chihuahua was presented for a 4 day history of inappetence, weakness, and pale mucous membranes. The day before the clinical signs began, the dog had access to the garage which contained various chemicals, but the owner was not aware of

In our diagnostic challenges, we present cases seen by Cornell University’s Clinical Pathology Laboratory. These cover the gamut of venous blood smears, cytologic specimens and result (CBC, chemistry) interpretation, including those pesky erroneous results (usually due to preanalytical errors). A new case will be presented 4-6 times a year. Test yourself with the questions and