SIMULATED FIELD BLOOD STUDIES IN THE BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHIN Tursiops truncatus

3. Changes in Hematology and Chemistry During Blood and Plasma Storage

¹ The Montreal Aquarium, Montreal, Quebec; Dept. of Pathology, Ontario Veterinary College, Guelph; and School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hemograms were serially performed on dolphin blood stored with EDTA at 4 C and 23 C for 5 days. With the exception of differential counts, the blood remained diagnostically suitable at both temperatures for at least 5 days. Fifteen chemical analyses were serially performed on plasma stored at 25 C and on the plasma of whole blood stored at 4 C and 25 C for 8 days. BUN, uric acid, bilirubin, cholesterol and total protein remained stable under all conditions throughout the 8 day period. Other constituents, including enzymes, were quite stable in stored plasma, and less so in stored whole blood. Many of the changes in stored whole blood were temperature dependent.