Skin Impression Smear Cytology
Skin impression smear cytology checks a stained sample pressed from the skin surface for bacteria, yeast and inflammatory cells. It helps a vet understand red, itchy, greasy or crusty skin in dogs and cats.
- Sample
- Skin impression smear
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Bacteria on the skin surface, such as the round cocci often seen in skin infections
- Yeast, a fungus that can overgrow on greasy, itchy or smelly skin
- Inflammatory cells that show how strongly the skin is reacting
When your vet may advise it
- Red, itchy skin, spots, pustules (small pus bumps) or crusts
- Greasy, smelly skin, or redness between the toes and in skin folds
- Moist sores (hot spots) or skin problems that keep returning
- Follow-up checks your vet uses to see whether the skin is settling
About this test
An impression smear is made by pressing a clean glass slide or clear tape onto the skin, a sore or a moist patch. The sample is stained so the lab can look for bacteria, yeast and inflammatory cells, which show how the skin is reacting. This helps tell a surface bacterial infection from a yeast overgrowth, which can look alike. The test is gentle and usually needs no sedation. Mites that live deep in the hair roots, such as Demodex, are usually checked with a skin scraping instead. The findings guide a registered veterinarian, who also weighs the pattern of the skin problem and your pet's history.
How to prepare
Avoid bathing your pet or putting creams or sprays on the area before the visit, unless your vet says otherwise. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Questions about Skin Impression Smear Cytology
Can skin cytology show why my dog keeps scratching?
Is a skin impression smear the same as a skin scraping?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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Skin Impression Smear Cytology: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
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