The results of hemostasis screening tests dictate the need for further or more specific diagnostic testing or may prompt additional assays. The choice of assays (screening or otherwise) should be guided by knowledge of the patient (age, breed, sex, access to anticoagulant rodenticides, parasite exposure, type of bleeding symptoms, presence of underlying disease etc). If assay results are still not fruitful and the animal is still suspected of having a hemostatic disorder, referral of the patient to a hemostasis specialist would be worthwhile for more specialized or complex testing. Referral of the actual patient versus referral of samples collected from the patient is recommended because some testing require the use of fresh platelets from the patient and cannot be done on stored or shipped samples, e.g. platelet function assays. We have provided a suggested diagnostic testing algorithm for a bleeding patient. You can also refer to a table summarizing how to interpret routine hemostasis tests.
