The laboratory veterinarian will use this information to select diagnostic tests necessary to arrive at a cause of the problem. The information is therefore essential to successful diagnosis. Upon arrival, the specimen will generally be assigned to the laboratory veterinarian on duty for that particular day, unless otherwise requested. Diagnostic laboratory veterinarians often take individual initiative in deciding which tests to perform based on past experience, and often will opt to perform tests not initially requested on the submission form. This tends to expedite the process of diagnosis and can prevent delays, which could be costly in lost production of animals.
Many tests take days or weeks to obtain results.
The results of the laboratory findings are reported to owners or veterinarians, or both, depending upon your request. We prefer to report to an attending veterinarian. They possess the first hand knowledge of the clinical situation, environmental factors, and management practices that can be crucial in interpreting the findings and applying them in a field situation. Consideration of these factors in concert with laboratory findings is necessary to recommend control or treatment measures. In general, laboratory veterinarians refrain from recommending treatment.