phenobarb level blood tests - recommended method?

Re: phenobarb level blood tests - recommended method?

albatross — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:54:54 GMT

many thanks everyone for your help.
Only two of the four dogs turned up!
We took blood and placed in a plain tube. It then went over to the lab to spin down and draw off serum. Hopefully the boss has done this and has the serum in a plain tube ready to post tomorrow (or should that be today as Ive just noticed the time ?
Wish we had a lab (and I don't mean the doggie breed either!) at our branch! Anyone ugrading their lab machines and need a home for the old ones let me know, our charity clinic would find them very useful.....

Re: phenobarb level blood tests - recommended method?

Rachel Jayne — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:15:36 GMT

Oh and take bloods 12 hours post pill too

Re: phenobarb level blood tests - recommended method?

Rachel Jayne — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:12:08 GMT

I always collect into a plain tube, spin it once it's clotted & decant plasma into another plain tube.

Any preservative, including the gel in serum gel tubes will effect results for dynamic drug monitoring... so I was told.

Re: phenobarb level blood tests - recommended method?

loobylou — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:59:16 GMT

We ask clients to give tabs as normal then take the sample 6 hrs post morning dose, so usually around 1-2pm.
We fill 2 serum gel tubes, spin down then send to lab.

It does depend on the lab as to what they prefer, the lab we used to use wanted plain tubes, soun down and serum drawing off.

Re: phenobarb level blood tests - recommended method?

Kim Buckley — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:55:36 GMT

We take 5ml of blood and put into a plain tube and take the serum off once the blood has clotted. Can't remember who we send it to off the top of my head though.

Re: phenobarb level blood tests - recommended method?

Sal the 1st — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:34:37 GMT

do take into account that I am not in practice at the mo and things could well have changed in the last 8 months or so but this was the way I did it.

plain tube spun down and serum drawn off the top sent in another plain (not gel tube). if you have biggish dogs as patients how about taking a bigger sample and leaving it to stand and clot - and then drawing the serum off the top so maybe wouldnt need centrifuging at all, ( I used to do this with T4 and combi kit testing and was assured that this was ok) - check with the lab if that would be acceptable? and if it was maybe you could get samples in the post quicker by posting from your own practice rather than having to transport them to main practice? What sort of sample size are you needing? Ours used to be a 1ml minimum so a 5 mls sample of blood should be yielding enough serum for that unless your animal is severly dehydrated