ACT-VETube – Activated Clotting Time
Over-long Activated Clotting Times (ACT) in cats and dogs can be life-saving indicators of diseases such as haemophilia, environmental dangers such as poisoning, and potential surgical risks from internal bleeding.
As an all-in-one diagnostic kit for over-long blood clotting times, in cats and dogs, the MegaCor ACT-VETube is the coagulation-time test of choice for commercial veterinary laboratories and practising vets both in the surgery and off-site.
Blood clots are a matrix of long, sticky proteins produced in response to damage to the veins, arteries and capillaries that carry the blood to and through tissues and organs. In healthy people and animals, blood clots form quickly to prevent both excessive blood loss from external injury and excessive swelling from internal tissue trauma.
Clotting time can be vital to life-saving treatment
If clotting takes too long, an animal might suffer a life-threatening loss of blood. Measuring whether or not an animal’s blood is taking an excessively long time to clot can be vital in diagnosing internal bleeds, genetic diseases like haemophilia and deficiencies such as a lack of vitamin K. It might also indicate a potential risk to the animal during surgery. Critically, a speedy assessment of a cat or dog’s clotting time can be vital to life-saving treatment in cases of suspected of rat poisoning, which kills by disrupting the natural clotting process.
ACT-VETube kits don’t need refrigerated storage and the test doesn’t need an incubator or any kind of mixing platform. So while most clotting-time tests might be carried out in the laboratory, the test is completely portable and could be carried out at any location where the patient can’t be transported to a vet practice or surgery. Holding the tube in the hand for a few minutes is normally sufficient to warm it to the required temperature of 37°C.
The clotting process
The ACT-VETube contains microscopic particles of silica. When 2ml of freshly drawn venous blood from the ailing dog or cat is added to the tube, these particles trigger the clotting process. Counting the seconds on a timer or stopwatch, while gently turning the sealed tube over and back until the first blood clots appear, gives the activated clotting time for the sample.
Combined with the knowledge and experience of the veterinary practitioner, MegaCor’s 10-test pack can prove a genuine life saver in cases of disease, genetic disorders, vitamin K deficiency, rodent poisoning and bleed-risk assessment prior to surgery.
Take a look at our range of veterinary diagnostic kits or contact us today.
