Page 573 - The Veterinary Laboratory and Field Manual 3rd Edition

510 Samuel Sharpe

Sampling • Open the omasum. The ingesta will be
noticeably drier and pressed tightly between
Formalin:
tall leaves of mucosa. Note any areas of ero-
sion, ulceration or even complete perforation
• Take a 0.5 cm transverse section of both kid- of omasal leaflets.
neys which encompasses the capsular surface, • Open the abomasum along its length. Note
cortex, medulla, papilla and pelvis.
the amount and quality of ingesta and the
presence of any gross apparent parasites.
Fresh-frozen:
• Carefully examine the mucosa and note any
areas of reddening, erosion, or ulceration, or
• A larger piece of kidney to submit for bacte- roughening or nodularity which may be asso-
rial culture/ancillary testing. ciated with encysted nematode larvae.
• A piece of kidney and surrounding adipose
tissue for toxicology.
Intestine
• Examination of the intestines should include
16 Examining the GI tract
the gut tube and mesenteric lymph nodes.
• Examination of the small intestine can be
Stomach
facilitated by freeing the intestine from the
MonoGastrIc mesentery to linearize the gut tube. Make
• Open the stomach along the greater curva- a stab incision in the mesentery anywhere
ture and examine the contents. Note quantity along the intestine. Grasp the gut and con-
and quality of contents. Take a fresh sample tinue to incise the mesentery with the knife
of stomach content for toxicology testing. blade perpendicular to the long axis of the
• Remove content and gently rinse mucosa intestine.
under running water. • Lay out the linearized intestine and examine.
• Note any areas of reddening, erosions, ulcers,
nodules, or mass lesions. Things to note
• Take a 2 cm full thickness section of gastric
2
wall from the fundus and pylorus into formalin. • The serosa should be translucent and
glistening. Note any roughening, areas of dis-
ruMInants colouration or material (for example, fibrin)
• Open the rumen along the great curvature attached to the serosal surface.
and examine the contents. Take a sample of • In small animals, the entire GI tract can be
rumen content for toxicology testing. opened and examined.
• Remove content and examine the mucosa • In larger animals, select several 15–20 cm
which should form tall, broad papillae. Note sections of intestine to open. These areas can
any areas of ulceration, fibrosis and scarring, be chosen at random or you can choose to
reddening and the presence of any parasites. open areas which have an abnormal appear-
• Open the reticulum and examine the contents ance on the serosal surface. Using scissors
which should be very similar to rumen con- snip the wall and then open longitudinally to
tent. This is a common site for foreign bodies expose the gut content and mucosa.
to become lodged. Examine the mucosa and • Note the quality of the ingesta and the appear-
note any lesions. ance of the mucosa. The mucosa should be

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