Veterinary Medicine International 3 Table 1: Female harlequin duck serum chemistry baseline reference values as determined on paired samples analyzed using the portable VetScan machine and a laboratory analyzer (Monarch). N 88 88 86 88 88 79 88 88 88 88 R 0.95 0.70 0.99 0.98 0.95 8.7 0.18 0.02 14.1 4.6 VetScan Median 18.8 2.7 500 35 1430 3.4 2.3 5.6 17.7 39 Quartiles 16.9 –20.4 2.4–3.0 291–770 26–47 1191–1635 3.4–5.1 2.3–2.4 4.5–6.5 17.7–26.5 36–41 Median diﬀerence 0.6 −1.0 6 −1 30 0.7 0.08 0.26 0 2.0 N 82 82 82 82 82 1 82 82 82 82 82 Quartiles 0.3–0.9 −0.6 – −0.6 0–17 −2–1 18–67 0–1.7 0.03–0.1 0.05–0.54 −8.8–8.8 1.0–3.0 Monarch Median 18.4 2.0 253 17 978 3.4 2.3 5.3 44.2 34 21 Quartiles 17.0–20.2 2.0–2.1 142–377 14–22 827–1169 — 2.3–2.5 4.3–6.2 35.4–53.0 32–37 19–23 Range of diﬀerences − 2.6 to 1.3 −1.3 to −0.6 −106 to 17 −3 to 2 −225 to 289 −1.7 to 1.7 −0.28 to 0.18 −0.67 to 0.98 −17.7 to 26.5 −6.0 to 6.0 Parameter Glucose Potassium Alkaline phosphatase Alanine transferase Amylase Total bilirubin Calcium Cholesterol Creatinine Total protein Globulin Parameter Glucose Potassium Alkaline phosphatase Alanine transferase Amylase Total bilirubin Calcium Cholesterol Creatinine Total protein Units mmol/L mmol/L U/L U/L U/L μmol/L mmol/L mmol/L μmol/L g/L g/L Units mmol/L mmol/L U/L U/L U/L μmol/L mmol/L mmol/L μmol/L g/L Table 2: Comparison of paired samples of whole blood and serum using the VetScan analyzer (N = 13). samples were zero; however 2 of the 13 whole blood samples registered 1+ hemolysis readings. The sign of the diﬀerences for total protein, total bilirubin, ALT, and creati- nine concentrations analyzed from whole blood and serum were not consistent (Wilcoxon Ranked-Sign Test). Whole blood potassium concentrations were consistently lower than those from the same samples analyzed as serum (median diﬀerence: –1 mmol/L). Glucose, cholesterol, calcium, and amylase concentrations in whole blood were consistently higher than those determined from serum (Table 2). Serum chemistry parameters of 29 birds were examined around the storm event (Table 3). The most dramatic change, noted during ﬁeld sampling, was the precipitously lower serum potassium concentrations in ducks captured immediately after the storm abated compared to ducks captured the day before the storm. Serum potassium levels in ducks captured the next day after the storm had abated on the third day of storm conditions had returned to within baseline quartiles. Median serum glucose concentration was also lower in ducks captured immediately after the storm abated. Although these data remained within the baseline quartiles established by the overall study, they were much less variable compared to samples taken on days without a storm. Serum glucose concentrations in ducks captured the next day after the storm abated were uniformly higher than for birds captured immediately before the storm, but again, they were within the baseline quartile values established by the survey study. The only change other than serum potassium levels that resulted in values outside of the baseline quartiles for the parameter was an increase in median total protein in serum samples collected immediately following the storm which only partially returned to baseline in birds captured the next day after the storm abated. Other more subtle trends included higher median cholesterol in ducks caught immediately after the storm began to abate on day 3, which appeared to rebound, falling below expected baseline concentrations in ducks captured a day later. A similar pattern was seen for serum ALT (median after storm 43.5 U/L, data not included in Table 3). Median serum alka- line phosphatase was higher in ducks captured immediately after the storm abated (666.0 U/L), but then fell back to prestorm concentrations (500.0 U/L) in ducks captured a day later, but always remained within the baseline quartiles for the parameter. Similarly, median serum amylase con- centrations in ducks captured immediately after the storm abated (1479.5 U/L) and a day later (1430.0 U/L) were higher compared to ducks captured immediately before the storm (1231.5 U/L) but remained within the baseline quartiles for the parameter based on the entire cohort of the survey study.