Sending Samples to a Bhopal Vet Lab from Other MP Districts

You can send samples to the Bhopal lab from any district of Madhya Pradesh by courier, by bus parcel, or through your local veterinarian or clinic. Call or WhatsApp +91 88175 01118 before you send, so the team can tell you which sample to send and how to pack it.

Step 1: Call or WhatsApp first

Pashupatinath Vet Lab is in Bhopal. Free home collection is for Bhopal only, so for other districts the sample has to travel to the lab. A collection visit outside Bhopal cannot be promised. If you are in Bhopal, read Free Home Sample Collection in Bhopal: How It Works instead.

Before you send, tell the team:

• the animal: dog, cat, cow or buffalo, with age and name or tag number
• the signs you have seen, and for how long
• the tests you want, or what your vet has advised
• how you plan to send the sample, and on which day

The team will tell you which tubes or containers are needed. For PCR, ELISA, culture, histopathology (tissue examination) and other special tests, the reporting time is confirmed when you book.

Step 2: Choose the right sample

Each test needs a particular sample, and the lab will confirm this for your tests. These are the common ones:

• Whole blood in an EDTA tube. EDTA is a preservative that stops blood from clotting. It is used for blood counts such as the Complete Blood Count (CBC) and for blood smears. Turn the tube gently a few times. Do not shake it or freeze it.
• Serum. This is the clear liquid that separates from clotted blood. It is used for many chemistry, hormone and antibody tests. Your vet or clinic can separate it.
• Other blood tubes. A few tests need other tubes, for example one for blood sugar. The lab will tell you.
• Urine. Fresh, in a clean, leak-proof container. Some tests need a sterile container.
• Dung or stool. Fresh, a few spoonfuls, in a tightly closed container.
• Milk. Each quarter in its own clean bottle, with the quarter marked.
• Swabs. In a sterile tube or transport medium. Ask the lab or your clinic which one is needed.
• Blood smears (slides). Dry them fully, then pack each slide so that it cannot break or rub. Keep them away from formalin fumes.
• Tissue for a biopsy. Your vet puts it in formalin, a preservative liquid, for the Histopathology / Biopsy. Do not freeze it.

If you suspect foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), do not send samples on your own. Call your vet and the lab first, because FMD is a notifiable disease that needs special handling.

Step 3: Label and pack

• Write on each container: the owner's name, phone number, the animal's name or tag number, species, sample type, and the date and time of collection. Use a waterproof marker.
• Put a paper note in a separate sealed bag with the same details. Add the animal's age, the signs, how long it has been ill, recent medicines and vaccinations, and your vet's name and phone number.
• Close lids tightly. Wrap each container in absorbent paper, put it in a sealed plastic bag, and pack everything in a firm box so that nothing can leak or break.
• Wear gloves, and wash your hands afterwards. Some diseases, such as brucellosis, can spread to people. Read Brucellosis in Cattle and Buffalo: Why Herd Testing Matters.

Step 4: Keep it cool and fresh

Heat spoils samples. Most samples should travel cool, like inside a fridge, but not frozen, unless the lab tells you otherwise.

• Use an insulated box with sealed ice packs. Do not let the samples touch the ice directly.
• Keep the box out of the sun and out of hot vehicles.
• Send the sample on the day it is collected. Dung, urine and milk spoil quickly.
• Avoid sending late in the day or just before a holiday, so that the parcel does not wait for days.

A warm, leaking, unlabelled or very old sample may not be fit for testing, and a fresh sample may be needed.

Courier, bus parcel or vet clinic: which route?

• Courier. Check that the courier accepts veterinary lab samples, and tell them what is inside. Share the tracking number with the lab on WhatsApp.
• Bus parcel. Choose a direct bus. Keep the parcel receipt. Send the lab these details on WhatsApp: the bus name and number, the receipt number and the expected arrival time. The lab can then coordinate the handover in Bhopal.
• Local vet or clinic. Your vet can collect, label and pack samples correctly and knows the animal's history. Ask your vet to call or WhatsApp the lab before sending.

Travel time comes on top of the lab's reporting time. Routine tests are normally reported the same day or within 24 hours. Reports are shared on WhatsApp or email and appear in your account under My Reports, so you can show them to your vet.

When to talk to your vet

If your animal is very sick, do not wait for a sample to reach the lab. Call your vet at once. Your vet can also tell you which tests to ask for and how to collect the sample.

Lab results are interpreted by a registered veterinarian together with the animal's signs and history.