Clinical hematology. In-clinic analysis, quality control, reference values, and system selection.

An increasing number of veterinary practices are performing in-office hematology testing. Historically, this involved time-consuming, labor-intensive manual methods. A number of automated and semiautomated hematology instruments are now available for analysis of veterinary samples, which, when used properly, offer more efficient, precise testing than can be achieved through manual methods. This article reviews manual methods for performing a complete blood count and describes some of the available automated hematology instruments. Factors that affect test results and the importance of a quality assurance program are also discussed.