Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston celebrated the opening of a new pathology laboratory on Wednesday.
The new in-house lab includes state-of-the-art microbiology testing technology, something that most vet hospitals and clinics typically have to outsource from third parties. Dr. Patty Ewing, director of pathology at the medical center, told WBZ NewsRadio that the new lab will improve infectious testing accuracy and shorten the wait time for results.
“The sooner you can get them on the correct anti-biotic, the better chance they have of surviving,” she said. "If the organism grows on the auger, we can that same day find out what organism is that's causing the infection, and they have a better idea of what to treat with."
According to MSPCA-Angell President Neal Litvack, their capacity "has increased by about 33%" with the faster turnaround times. It has also expanded the capabilities of MSPCA-Angell's existing animal blood bank.
"We have restarted our community blood donor program, which means we can more ethically source blood products for our patients, and we’re expanding the capacity that we have to do blood transfusion for critically ill animals,” Dr. Ewing said.
MSPCA-Angell will not be the only one to benefit from an increased supply.
“We’ll be able to store blood for our own needs but also for the needs of the surrounding veterinary clinics in the area,” Litvack said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@jaredbrosnanwbz) reports.