Small Ruminant Abortion Panel

Price: $300.00

The small ruminant abortion panel is designed to detect common and high consequence causes of reproductive disease in the Pacific Northwest, but this panel is not exhaustive. Please include clinical, herd, and management history, and suspected causes on the online client submission portal or the Abortion Diagnosis Accession Form to alert us about special diagnostic needs. 

This panel includes:

Fresh whole fetus with placenta, chilled (not frozen)

Veterinarians may choose to perform a field necropsy and submit a full panel of formalin-fixed and fresh tissues. Please see Special Instructions below for more detailed information.

For additional information on how to collect and submit a sample please visit our Submit a Sample page.

Cadavers should be submitted as quickly as possible, as diagnostic integrity deteriorates with prolonged postmortem interval. If possible, keep cadaver chilled (not frozen).

Whole fetal cadavers should be placed in a:

1.       Primary leak-proof receptacle (such as a sealable Ziploc bag). Placenta should be placed in a separate leak-proof bag.

2.       Leak-proof secondary insulated packaging (such as a sturdy Styrofoam container)

3.       Sturdy external packaging (such as a cardboard box)

4.       Absorbent materials to be placed within the secondary packaging

For fetal tissues collected by a veterinarian from a field necropsy, submission should include a complete set of formalin-fixed tissues in a sealed jar. Fresh tissues should be packaged in clearly labeled, leak-proof containers.

For mail-in submissions, the fetal cadaver and placenta must be placed inside a primary sealed, leak-proof receptacle, with enough properly sealed ice packs to keep the cadaver chilled. The cadaver and ice packs should be placed in a secondary insulated box (such as a Styrofoam box), set in a third external cardboard box. Absorbent material should be placed between the primary and secondary packaging to prevent external leakage. Mail carriers will not deliver leaking containers.

Specimens should be clearly labeled and must be accompanied by a completed submission form or online web portal requisition confirmation, which should be placed in a sealed bag inside the secondary packaging.

Generally, submission of a whole fetal cadaver is preferred. For veterinarians submitting field necropsy samples, please submit a full set of formalin fixed tissues, including brain, in addition to fresh tissues as outlined below.

Formalin fixed tissues: Individual tissue samples should be no greater than 1 cm thick and placed into a leak-proof jar containing 10% buffered neutral formalin. Do not exceed a 10:1 formalin to tissue ratio. The entire brain should be placed in a separate formalin jar.

Recommended formalin-fixed tissue list includes: placenta, liver, spleen, kidney, lung, heart, thymus, thyroid, lymph node, tongue, diaphragm, brain (in separate container).

Fresh (unfixed) tissues: Tissues should be clearly labeled and may be pooled in four separate leak-proof containers as outlined below. Additional charges may apply if unlabeled tissues are submitted or if tissues are not pooled as follows:

1. Pooled liver, kidney, lung, and spleen

2. Fetal stomach contents

3. Liver

4. Placenta

Maternal serum can be submitted separately for a small ruminant serologic profile, at an additional charge. Please see more information for performing a Goat Abortion Serologic Panel or Sheep Abortion Serologic Panel.

For online test ordering please visit our Submit a Sample page for additional information. To submit a specimen without submitting through our online portal please see our Forms page for fillable forms and further instruction.

Please provide a relevant, concise clinical history with the submission. This includes a description of the submitted animal (species, breed, age, etc) and any signs of maternal illness or conditions suspected. Please include vaccine status, environmental conditions or management changes, and number of affected animals. Entire medical records can be submitted as supplementary materials but should not replace a brief collective history on the submission documents.