Feline Diagnostic Plans and Panels
The following diagnostic plans have been developed primarily as an educational tool to assist the veterinarian in designing a complete, although not exhaustive, diagnostic strategy. To encourage veterinarians to select only the tests that are deemed clinically appropriate in each situation, the price of the diagnostic plan is not discounted from the sum of the individual test costs.
For the test groupings labeled as panels, there may be a discounted price versus the costs of the individual tests. Diagnostic plans and panels can be requested by writing the complete name as the test request. If appropriate samples are included all tests will be performed.
Antimicrobial susceptibilities for culture isolates are available upon request at an additional charge.
Coagulation Panel + Fibrinogen
Panel Code: COAGFIB
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Fibrinogen | FIB |
|
| Prothrombin Time | PT |
|
| Thrombin Clotting Time | TCT |
|
| aPTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) | APTT |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
Coagulation Panel, Small Animal
Panel Code: COAGPS
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Prothrombin Time | PT |
|
| Thrombin Clotting Time | TCT |
|
| aPTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) | APTT |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
DIC Panel, Small Animal
Panel Code: DICP
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Antithrombin | AT3 |
|
| D-dimer Quantitative | DDIQ |
|
| Fibrinogen | FIB |
|
| Prothrombin Time | PT |
|
| aPTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) | APTT |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
Feline Abortion/Fading Kitten Serology Diagnostic Plan
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Feline Herpes virus (FHV) (Rhinotracheitis) SN | FHVSN |
|
| Feline Immunodef Virus (FIV) ELISA | FIVK |
|
| Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Virus | FELV |
|
| Feline Parvovirus (Panleukopenia) HI | FPVHI |
|
| Feline blood typing | FELBT |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
When acute samples are received, the serologic assays will be run at that time, and samples retained. If second, convalescent samples are later submitted, please note the accession number for the acute serology. Tests on both samples will be run in parallel and paired results should be interpreted. No fee will be applied to the second test performed on the acute sample at the time of the paired testing.
If not previously performed a Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) ELISA and a Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) kinetic ELISA may be warranted.
Feline Abortion/Fading Kitten Tissue Diagnostic Plan
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| (3) Aerobic Bacterial Culture | AER |
|
| Feline Herpes virus (FHV) FA | FHVFA |
|
| Feline Parvovirus (Panleukopenia) FA | FPVFA |
|
| Histopathology | HISTO |
|
| Leptospira PCR | LEPTPCR |
|
| Toxoplasma gondii MAT | TMAT |
|
Notes
Ship fresh tissue chilled and protect fixed tissue from freezing. If full necropsy desired, see Necropsy Testing.
Feline Combination: FeLV/ FCoV/FIV/Toxo
Feline Dermatology Diagnostic Plan
All skin biopsy submissions should be accompanied by a Dermatohistopathology Submission Form.
For additional guidance refer to Dermatopathology Sampling Guide.
Deep lesion
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Acid fast stain | AFS |
|
| Aerobic Bacterial Culture | AER |
|
| Fungal Culture | FUNGCM |
|
| Fungal KOH Fluorescent Stain | FUNGKOH |
|
| Gram Stain | GRAM |
|
| Histopathology (biopsy) | HISTO |
|
Superficial lesion
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Fungal Culture | FUNGCM |
|
| Fungal KOH Fluorescent Stain | FUNGKOH |
|
| Gram Stain | GRAM |
|
| Histopathology (biopsy) | HISTO |
|
| Skin Scraping | SSE |
|
Notes
Deep lesion samples: Ship chilled and protect fixed tissue from freezing.
Superficial lesion samples: Ship at room temperature and protect from temperature extremes. Protect slides from formalin exposure.
Feline Diarrhea Diagnostic Plan
Ante mortem
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobic Bacterial Culture | AER |
|
| Campylobacter jejuni Culture | CAMPYJ |
|
| Canine Parvovirus Real Time PCR | PARVPCR |
|
Coronavirus PCR, Alpha Feline Enteric Coronavirus/FIP PCR | ACOR |
|
| Cryptosporidium ELISA | CRYPTO |
|
| Fecal Flotation | FLOAT |
|
| Giardia ELISA | GIARD |
|
| Salmonella culture | SALM |
|
| Trichomonas Fecal Exam | TFE |
|
| Vitamin B12 & Folate Combination | B12F |
|
Necropsy
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobic Bacterial Culture | AER |
|
| Campylobacter jejuni Culture | CAMPYJ |
|
Coronavirus PCR, Alpha Feline Enteric Coronavirus/FIP PCR | ACOR |
|
| Cryptosporidium ELISA | CRYPTO |
|
| Fecal Flotation | FLOAT |
|
| Feline Enteric Coronavirus FA | FECVFA |
|
| Feline Parvovirus (Panleukopenia) FA | FPVFA |
|
| Giardia ELISA | GIARD |
|
| Histopathology | HISTO |
|
| Salmonella culture | SALM |
|
| Trichomonas Fecal Exam | TFE |
|
Notes
Ante mortem samples: Ship chilled except for ParaPak® and In-Pouch® which should be kept at room temperature.
Necropsy samples: Ship chilled except for ParaPak® and In-Pouch® which should be kept at room temperature. Protect fixed tissue from freezing.
In kittens less than 10 days of age an Aerobic bacterial culture on feces should also be considered.
Feline Respiratory Diagnostic Plan
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobic Bacterial Culture | AER |
|
| Anaerobic Bacterial Culture | ANAER |
|
| Chlamydia felis PCR | CFEL |
|
| Fecal Flotation | FLOAT |
|
| Feline Calicivirus (FCV) FA | FCVFA |
|
| Feline Herpes virus (FHV) FA | FHVFA |
|
| Feline Parvovirus (Panleukopenia) FA | FPVFA |
|
Feline Resp Panel PCR & VI *Panel consists of multiple PCR assays: Bordetella bronchiseptica, Mycoplasma felis, Chlamydia felis, Pneumovirus, Influenza A virus (all subtypes), Mycoplasma cynos, and Streptococcus zooepidemicus, and detects Feline herpesvirus (vial rhinotracheitis) and Feline calicivirus by virus isolation. | MDPFRP |
|
| Histopathology | HISTO |
|
| Mycoplasma Culture | MYCOPL |
|
| Small Animal Hemogram | SA CBC |
|
| Tracheal Wash Cytology | TWE |
|
Notes
Ship chilled except for slides. Protect slides from formalin exposure.
TTW fluid is a superior sample for detection of significant bacterial pathogens causing lower airway disease. Results of nasal or pharyngeal swab cultures must be interpreted with caution as many bacterial organisms may be present as normal commensals in the upper respiratory tract.
It may be helpful to collect and bank a serum sample for acute and convalescent serology.
**Testing for heartworm may also be indicated. Please request separately.
Feline Liver Function Plan
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Bile Acids, Fasting Panel | BA-F P |
|
| Bile Acids, Post-Prandial Panel | BA-PP P |
|
| Protein C | PROTC |
|
| Small Animal Chemistry Panel | SA P |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
Pre-prandial bile acid sampling should be done before the animal is fed at their routine meal time (e.g. morning), and the post-prandial sample drawn 2 hours later. If only one sample can be collected, the post-prandial sample is preferred.
Feline Neurologic Diagnostic Plan
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Aerobic bacterial culture | AER |
|
| Avian Influenza Virus PCR | AIPCR |
|
| Cerebrospinal Fluid Cytology | CSFE |
|
| (2) Cryptococcus Antigen | CRYPTA |
|
| Fungal Culture | FUNGCM |
|
| Histopathology | HISTO |
|
| Toxic Heavy Metal Panel | THMP |
|
| West Nile Virus (WNV) PCR | WNVPCR |
|
Notes
Ship chilled and protect fixed tissue from freezing. Please indicate if rabies testing is pending.
See Tissues for Rabies Diagnosis for photos of brain samples needed for rabies testing.
May also want to consider Cerebrospinal Fluid Cytology which requires CSF in EDTA tube (LTT) and (2) air dried slides of CSF. Protect slides from formalin exposure.
Feline Respiratory PCR & VI Panel
Panel Code: MDPFRP
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Bordetella PCR | BORD |
|
| Chlamydia felis PCR | CFEL |
|
| Influenza Virus Matrix PCR | IVMPCR |
|
| Mycoplasma cynos PCR | MCYN |
|
| Mycoplasma felis PCR | MFEL |
|
| Pneumovirus N RT-qPCR | PNVPCR |
|
| Streptococcus zooepidemicus PCR | SZT |
|
| Virus Isolation | VI |
|
Feline Vaccine Panel 1
Feline Vaccine Panel 2
Feline Vaccine Panel 3
Feline Fever of Unknown Origin Diagnostic Plan
If case is chronic, virus isolation can be omitted if desired. If not previously performed a large animal chemistry panel may be warranted and serum (separated) or heparinized plasma would need to be submitted.
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| (3) Blood Culture, Aerobic | BLDAER |
|
| (3) Blood Culture, Anaerobic | BLDAN |
|
| Feline Immunodeficient Virus ELISA | FIVK |
|
| Feline Leukemia Virus ELISA | FELV |
|
| Fibrinogen (heat-precipitation) | FIB-SCH |
|
| Hemogram (CBC), Small Animal examination for blood parasites included | SA CBC |
|
| Small Animal Chemistry Panel | SA P |
|
| (2) Virus Isolation nasal, whole blood | VI |
|
Notes
Ship chilled except for blood culture bottles and slides which are shipped at room temperature.
See Blood Culture Technique for more information. To order blood culture bottles go to shipping services or call 607.253.3935.
It may be helpful to collect and bank a serum sample for possible acute and convalescent serology.
This diagnostic plan is designed to detect a broad spectrum of systemic bacterial, viral, and some blood parasite causes of acute fever of unknown origin, as well as certain inflammatory changes which may assist in determining the underlying problems. Viral causes of illness are best detected acutely and most are unlikely to be detected in a patient with a chronic fever of unknown origin. This plan is intended to be used as an adjunct to targeted, disease-specific testing appropriate to the species, clinical history and geographic location or conditions. See Small Animal Internal Medicine, 5th Edition, 2014, Nelson RW and Couto CG; Chapter 88: Fever of Unknown Origin, pages 1279-1282 for other ideas of testing.
Fungal Serology Panel
Panel Code: FUNGSER
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Aspergillus Antibody | ASPERA |
|
| Blastomyces Antibody | BLASTA |
|
| Coccidioides Antibody | COCCA |
|
| Cryptococcus Antigen | CRYPTA |
|
| Histoplasma Antibody | HISTOA |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
Hemophilia Panel, Small Animal
Panel Code: HEM89P
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Clotting Factor (08) FVIII Activity | CF08 |
|
| Clotting Factor (09) FIX Activity | CF09 |
|
| Prothrombin Time | PT |
|
| Thrombin Clotting Time | TCT |
|
| aPTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) | APTT |
|
| von Willebrand factor (vWF:Ag) | VWF |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
Hemostasis Panel, Small Animal
Panel Code: HEMOP
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Prothrombin Time | PT |
|
| Thrombin Clotting Time | TCT |
|
| aPTT (Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time) | APTT |
|
| von Willebrand factor (vWF:Ag) | VWF |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.
Mineral Panel (Tissue, Feed)
Thyroid Panel, Feline: FT4d, T4, T3, TSH
Panel Code: THYPFEL
| Tests Performed | Test Code | Samples Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Free-T4 by dialysis baseline (FT4d) | FT4 |
|
| T3 (Triiodothyronine) baseline | T3 |
|
| T4 (Thyroxine) baseline | T4 |
|
| Thyroid Stimulating Hormone baseline | TSH |
|
Notes
Ship chilled.