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The diagnostic laboratories keep on growing:

Exotics pathology

Dylan Yaffy BVetMed20, Lecturer in Zoo and Wildlife Pathology

he RVC Diagnostic of our veterinary students and pathology
Laboratories are excited to residents. They also provide valuable
promote the continued expansion data for research projects aimed at
Tof their services with increasing increasing our understanding of the
specialisation in exotic animal pathology. diseases impacting some of our lesser
Joining a large team of pathologists with studied pets.
expertise in comparative, laboratory, farm Recent interesting investigations
and domestic animal pathology, 2020 include a case of rainbow trout fry
BVetMed graduate Dylan Yaffy recently syndrome affecting a small colony of fish,
returned to the RVC as a Lecturer in Zoo a soft tissue sarcoma in a pet hognose
and Wildlife Pathology.
snake, campylobacteriosis in a capybara
With this new appointment, the from a private collection, and even a
Diagnostic Labs are seeing an increase in digestive tract prolapse in a Madagascar
zoo, exotic pets and wildlife submissions hissing cockroach!
to its postmortem and biopsy service.
No animal is too small, big or obscure for
the team of pathologists.

The RVC postmortem service offers
a highly competitive turnaround
time, including a preliminary report
within 72 working hours of examination
and a final report within four to six
working weeks for standard and
forensic cases respectively.
The biopsy service, which can also
accommodate small exotic pets
such as mice, birds and fish, aims
for a 72-hour turnaround from tissue
receipt to report release. The exotics
diagnostic service also provides
haematology, biochemistry and
cytology interpretation, in addition
to a range of in-house microbiology
and parasitology tests.
All exotics species submissions
to the Diagnostic Laboratories
contribute to the clinical teaching

If you’re interested in learning more about our
exotic pathology service or would like to enquire
about a submission, please contact the Diagnostic

Laboratories Diagnosticlabs@rvc.ac.uk

Exotic species pathology research enquiries can be
sent directly to Dylan.Dyaffy6@rvc.ac.uk Surgery on the digestive tract prolapse
in a Madagascar hissing cockroach

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