Book excerpt: Long-trusted and respected in the field, Diagnostic Cytology and Hematology of the Dog and Cat, 3rd Edition is a complete resource for developing and enriching the knowledge and skills needed for clinical laboratory diagnostics. Detailed illustrations and descriptions of cytologic and hematologic samples enable you to diagnose both common and uncommon diseases in dogs and cats. This concise source of microscopic evaluation techniques and interpretation guidelines for organ tissue, blood, and other body fluid specimens provides you with a basic understanding of sample collection and specimen preparation. Plus, helpful and easier-to-understand algorithms are generously distributed throughout the text, providing clear, easy-to-follow guidelines for diagnosis and treatment. Detailed instructions for in-house laboratory evaluation, as well as submission and transport of samples for commercial laboratory interpretation, are featured in tips and pitfalls throughout discussions on specimen preparation and diagnosis. Easier-to-follow algorithms, additional tables, and a user-friendly format allow quick and easy access to the most relevant information needed in a cytologic diagnosis. Over 1,000 high-quality illustrations help you identify normal versus abnormal cells, enabling you to make accurate diagnoses. Four new chapters—Cell Types and Criteria of Malignancy, Selected Infectious Agents, Round Cell Tumors, and The Pancreas—present detailed information on these topics and how they relate to disease. Highly-respected expert contributors share their expertise from both academia and commercial diagnostic laboratories to provide the best and most current information available. The Lung and Intrathoracic Structures, The Gastrointestinal Tract, and Effusions: Abdominal, Thoracic, and Pericardial chapters have been expanded for more complete and up-to-date coverage of these important topics.