The Interim CEO of Prairie Diagnostic Services says, while the tried and true methods of diagnosing disease remain relevant, new equipment and new approaches have improved the speed and reliability of the diagnosis of animal diseases.
Prairie Diagnostic Services, located at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, is co-owned by the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan.
Dr. Yanyun Huang, the interim CEO of Prairie Diagnostic Services, says PDS operates a fully equipped necropsy lab, microbiology and toxicology lab and clinical pathology lab which provide a full spectrum of veterinary diagnostic services to all species with a team of about 70 including veterinary professionals who bring expertise in pathology, microbiology and toxicology, highly trained technical staff who perform the tests and IT and administrative staff.
The methods of diagnostic science have changed dramatically through the last couple of decades. We still have older methods, like isolation of bacteria on a plate or pathology where we use our eyes to look at animal organs and tissues under the microscope. These, I concede, are older methods but they stand the test of time and are still very relevant today. However, we have more and more new test methods and new test targets.
These methods are more and more sensitive and also quicker. We also now have methods that can enable us to identify emerging diseases. The implication of all of the changes is that they continue to expand and enhance our ability to provide accurate diagnostic results to our clients.
Dr. Yanyun Huang-Prairie Diagnostic Services
Dr. Huang says what has not changed is the need to have real professionals behind the test results however the importance of veterinary diagnostics has increased through the years in light the larger scale of agricultural, trade, globalization and the awareness of one health.
