Moichor

03/29/2024

Wondering how computer vision and clinical pathologists can save you money, free up technicians, and provide complete diagnostics for any species? The Moichor Pathview provides in-clinic diagnostics with the power of a full reference lab behind it. From mammal slide reviews, direct fecals, skin and ear preps, and cytology to the first automated avian and reptile CBC experience the next level of diagnostics with the Moichor Pathview. Interested in learning more? https://www.moichor.com/services/pathview-device

07/24/2023

“Benji, a 15-year-old male cockatiel, presents to you for a mass on his wing. The owner first noted it a few months ago, but recently it has enlarged, and now he is picking at it. It is firmly attached to the underlying tissue and there are multifocal regions that appear cystic and possibly blood-filled.”

“Due to its highly accessible location, you consider getting a quick FNA, but in the past, you have attempted this technique and it’s been non-diagnostic. You think, what could I do differently this time?”

Learn how to approach avian cytology with a patient like Benji using three case studies that discuss this Cockatiel, an Amazon named Stanley, and a Leghorn named Meredith:

https://www.moichor.com/blog-post/avian-cytology-in-practice-use-and-considerations-with-three-cases

06/13/2023

We commemorate the profound connection we share with our beloved animal friends on World Pet Memorial Day.

As veterinarians and pathologists, our team has witnessed the immeasurable impact pets have on our lives, providing us with companionship and comfort.

And when those pets pass on to cross the Rainbow Bridge, it is an emotionally difficult journey that can leave us feeling the gap where they used to be.

One such place that honors our pets and the hole they leave behind is the Dog Chapel, nestled in the serene hills of St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

The non-denominational chapel offers a place of reflection and solace with captivating stained glass windows depicting lively canines and poignant quotes.

The Dog Chapel stands as a testament to the everlasting connection between humans and their furry companions, providing a sacred space for pet owners to find solace and honor the memories of their beloved friends.

The team at Moichor extends their thoughts to you on this day of pet remembrance, and we hope to continue to serve your families long into the future.

Pictured here is the Dog Chapel that Content Marketing Manager Antonio Iaccarino visited during the winter.

06/07/2023

Our computer vision team sees the best in Pet Appreciation Week with their adorable pups.

The work the team does may be tough, but how do their dogs take it?

Mostly lying down.

Autumn Knight’s dog Missy loves brick naps while her other canine friend Dobby just enjoys a good horizontal hug. Liam Cattell’s Sage passes out but is all ears for an adventure.

We love what we do in part because we love our pets, and that's why Moichor is a dog-friendly office.

Happy Pet Appreciation Week to you and your teams! 🐕

06/05/2023

The dazzling photo seen here is from the Moichor laboratory, and unfortunately, it’s the result of a less dazzling event.

This feline sample shows calcium oxalate crystalluria, one of the potential effects of ethylene glycol toxicosis. This occurs when animals drink antifreeze.

How would an animal get into antifreeze? If a dog, cat, or other mammal is thirsty, they might draw from puddles of it, and traditionally the liquid was sweet.

Companies have since made antifreeze more bitter in order to deter animals from drinking it, however, ingestion still happens frequently.

Cats are more than twice as sensitive to ethylene glycol toxicosis than dogs, and clinical signs are dose dependent.

Within the first 30 minutes to 12 hours of consuming antifreeze, animals will act inebriated, and crystalluria like the one in this photo can start to occur at this stage.

After 12 hours, central nervous system signs may resolve, but then metabolic acidosis and oliguric renal failure may be present.

When suspected cases present, performing a full diagnostic workup including a CBC, chemistry, urinalysis, and microscopic urine examination is important as azotemia, elevated anion gap, isosthenuria, and calcium oxalate crystalluria (as seen in this photo) are core aspects to making a diagnosis.

So what to do when an animal ingests antifreeze?

Immediately go to a veterinarian for evaluation and call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center as they will provide helpful information on the most up to date treatment options for veterinarians.

Prognosis is often guarded if therapy is delayed more than 6 hours from the time of ingestion.

Keep your eye out for potential antifreeze hazards, and let’s create a world where our furry companions can roam freely without the dangers of ethylene glycol toxicosis. 🌍

05/11/2023

The needs of native Virginia wildlife are in constant demand at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, and this means vets and techs need all the help they can get.

Time and money are valuable resources for this teaching hospital, and optimizing both is where Moichor shines.

Director of Veterinary Services Dr. Karra Pierce, DVM, CWR has not only saved money using Moichor but has freed up time for vet techs to spend more of their rotations in patient-facing roles rather than in the back with diagnostics.

Big thanks to Dr. Pierce and Jessica Ransier, LVT, CWR for telling us their story which you can read here:

https://www.moichor.com/stories/how-dr-pierce-improved-vet-tech-productivity-while-saving-money-with-moichor

05/10/2023

Moichor’s Director of Clinical Pathology, Rand J. Wilson, BS, DVM, DACVP, MRCVS, RCVS brings over 35 years as a veterinarian and 23 years of experience in veterinary diagnostic clinical pathology with a specialization in exotic animal species.

Dr. Wilson has also been board certified and accredited in Veterinary Clinical Pathology since 2008. He’s also had 10 years in practice with exotic animal specialty, as well as zoo and wildlife experience.

“I have taught veterinarians and students and created a residency program. I know the industry and the work inside and out.”

Pictured here with Dr. Wilson is Princess Henrietta, a 17-year old cat and one of several older felines that Dr. Wilson’s family has adopted from rescues to give them a happy home for their remaining years with good veterinary care. Also pictured is a friend of a different sort.

04/27/2023

It’s never too early to get the kids pumped for blood 🩸

Dr. Kaori Davis and special guest Liara judge the 2023 American Board of Veterinary Practitioners Blood Smear Competition.

Who’s got the best 🌈?

Check it out!

04/25/2023

This week is Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, and we want to take a moment to thank all of the lab staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure tests and results are accurate and timely.

Your dedication and hard work don't go unnoticed, and we appreciate everything you do to help Moichor's mission of serving animal health.

04/18/2023

Director of Laboratory Operations Ashley Cook ensures that the highest quality and most reliable animal diagnostic results are delivered with every sample sent to Moichor.

“I strongly believe that animal diagnostics deserve the same level of quality as human diagnostics, and I'm committed to achieving that vision at Moichor.”

But why did Ashley decide to bring her experience to the company?

“I decided to work at Moichor because of the company’s mission to provide the highest quality diagnostics for every animal using cutting-edge technology, including computer vision and AI.”

Other than innovative technology, what sets Moichor apart as an employer according to Ashley?

“The company’s commitment to providing exceptional service as well as their dedication to creating a pet-friendly work environment are two big motivators. As someone with a lifelong love of animals and now my own dog, Knuckles, I appreciate Moichor's understanding of the important role pets play in our lives.”

We look forward to Ashley’s leadership in helping to maintain and grow Moichor well into the future.

04/12/2023

Happy Belated National Pet Day, or for our team, just another day with family 🏠

Take a look at the Moichor pets we love ❤️

Julie poses with her pup Drake.
Carrera snuggles with Alice the cat.
Ashley takes a break with Knuckles the 125-lb lapdog.
Sarah lies down with Cassie the Clingy Cat

04/07/2023

Cytology of the day — these transparent square sheets are cholesterol crystals taken from the skin mass of a dog.

The crystals and hemosiderin, the bluer areas in the background, tell a story of hemorrhaging and previous cell breakdown.

Thousands and thousands of images like these are taken by our lab and used to train our artificial intelligence.

A photo can be worth a thousand words, but thousands of photomicrographs can help push veterinary medicine forward 🐕

04/05/2023

We’re making big moves — literally 📦

Moichor’s team has been growing, and that meant getting a bigger lab 🔬

We’re very excited as our new location will host not only more team members but also more capabilities and capacity 🧪

Big thanks to the veterinarians, techs, admin, and other supporters who have given us the opportunity to grow alongside them in this diagnostics journey 🫂

Below you’ll find photos our Director of Lab Operations Ashley Cook took of COO Matthew Chen and CTO Thanh Le helping to move out of the old lab and into the new 💪

03/10/2023

How does a blood smear champion become one in the first place?

Meet Dr. Julie Hill — an exotics veterinarian of For Pet's Sake - The Avian and Exotic Animal Hospital of Atlanta and our (Blood) Smear Campaign winner from WVC.

When asked about her blood slide journey, Dr. Hill says that it really began while interning at a wildlife center where the site’s technician checked her slides.

“She would tell me when my smears were bad, which was very useful.”

When asked if her DVM program taught prospective doctors to do blood smears, Dr. Hill responds saying…

“Schools are trying to shove so much knowledge into us, and they probably expect a lot of the time that vets will be working in practices or institutions where the technicians will be doing the blood smears.”

However, Dr. Hill now says she’s done thousands of blood smears throughout her career and generally carries out 10 to 15 smears a day at her clinic.

Here’s to the vet techs who help set veterinarians up for blood smear success, and congrats to Dr. Hill for being our (Blood) Smear Campaign winner!

03/01/2023

Kind reminder: Moichor doesn't charge for shipping 📦

Just ask our friends at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital and Goblin, the beautiful model in this photo.

Know of other clinics who can save on shipping costs? Let them know that shipping is included in every submission when they send samples through Moichor.

02/27/2023

What do rainbows and blood smears have in common?

Listen to Dr. Davis in Moichor's Blood Smear Campaign explain how the color red is only part of the larger picture 🩸🌈

02/15/2023

Do you ever get a twinge of imposter syndrome when working with reptile panels?

Scale up your knowledge with Moichor reptile specialist Mike Corcoran, DVM, DABVP (R/A), CertAqV, who explains in this DVM360.com article how to evaluate a reptile chemistry panel so you can clear the fear.

Dr. Corcoran is one of several deeply knowledgable specialists Moichor employs to give veterinarians clinical and pathology support, including parasitologists, dermatologists, oncologists, and avian, aquatic, and small mammal specialists.

https://www.dvm360.com/view/how-to-evaluate-a-reptile-chemistry-panel

Defeat imposter syndrome and treat lethargic reptile patients with confidence

01/30/2023

Identifying cancer and providing insights to veterinarians during treatment is now possible using Moichor’s new cytology service powered by our artificial intelligence and laboratory technology.

Any site — any species: our new cytology service will be fundamental in detecting disease for all animals while building a larger picture of patient health.

Thanks to everyone on the team for making this milestone happen, and much appreciation to the clinics who tested our cytology service before this release.

Interested in finding out more about our cytology services? Download the test menu here:

https://hubs.ly/Q01zH5-b0

01/19/2023

Over 140 blood smears were submitted in our Blood Smear Campaign this week at VMX 2023!

Dr. Davis reviewed all of them and selected a winner from each day to enter into the final round.

See her selection, and find out who won the Blood Smear Campaign!

01/17/2023

Day 2 and over 100 slides submitted in the Moichor Blood Smear Campaign 🔬

Check out the winners and even a sneaky little cytology smear that made its way into the pile 🥸

01/16/2023

Another day, another smear at the 2023 VMX in Florida!

We finished Round 1 of the Blood Smear Competition, and we’re choosing who makes it on to the finals.

Take a look, and happy smearing 🩸

12/19/2022

Meet Harry and Penny — two cats who had been left behind after their owner passed away.

Both cats were experiencing serious health issues when Feline Friends of Sammamish found them.

Getting accurate animal diagnostics quickly was important, so volunteer and Regional Diagnostics Sales Manager Carrera Halwachs worked with the cats’ veterinarian to secure an affordable feline wellness package.

Learn what surprise the team found using Moichor technology, and read on to see how Harry and Penny are doing now:

12/15/2022

Neutrophils are the most common white blood cells in many species, including in some of our common pet species like dogs and cats. Even people have them!

Usually, when pathologists evaluate neutrophil counts and how they look in a blood smear, we think about inflammation.

Inflammation can be caused by many things including infection, cancer, and other causes in tissue damage.

But did you know that neutrophils can tell us one more important thing?

Sometimes, we come across neutrophils with small, oval-shaped structures that are attached to nuclei, just like in the photos here.
These structures are called Barr bodies, and they’re composed of inactivated X-chromosomes.

Barr bodies are occasionally seen in some neutrophils of females, so if they appear in our computer vision readouts, we know that the patient is a female!

Developing Moichor's ability to automatically identify subtle morphologic changes such as Barr bodies and other objects is the result of lots of pathologist-verified data, and we couldn't be happier with our team!

12/13/2022

It’s National Horse Day, and while many are honoring the cultural, economic, and historical contributions of these beautiful animals, Director of Pathology Kaori Davis, DVM, PhD, DACVP celebrates the health promises our equine friends have for humanity.

While pursuing graduate studies at North Carolina State University, Dr. Davis studied the roles of innate immunity and a potential novel therapeutic target in equine asthma as a naturally occurring model of human non-allergic asthma.

“Equine asthma is very similar to some specific subcategories of severe asthma in people, and studying the mechanism of asthma in horses can also contribute to finding a better therapeutic target and management options for people that are suffering from these types of asthma.”

Whether you’re celebrating National Horse Day on the trail or in the lab, take a breather, and thank our four-legged friends for their presence in our lives.

12/07/2022

And the winner of the Fetch 2022 DVM360.com (Blood) Smear Campaign is…

Dr. Walter Cailleteau of Sierra Madre Animal Hospital! Enjoy your $250 Figs gift card!

We had over 60 submissions, so take a look at how Director of Pathology Dr. Kaori Davis chose the lucky winner out of all of the contestants.

Stay tuned for more blood smear competitions!

11/30/2022

Cool Stüssy S from your childhood doodling, or something more?

Cue the the basophil — one of the rarest types of blood cells in many species.

It’s called a basophil due to the granules it has within its cytoplasm which stain basophilic (i.e. blue) with routine stain that we use to evaluate blood smears.

Here we have images of our elusive basophils from a dog.

In dogs, basophils only make up 1% of white blood cells. Due to the low percentage of basophils in blood, they are quite elusive — in fact, a majority of blood smears from dogs do not contain any basophils.

So why is a basophil important to consider in this patient’s sample we recently received?

When a dog has increased basophils in the blood, some possibilities that veterinarians consider include allergic responses such as asthma, anaphylaxis caused by drug or insect bite, parasitism, or other inflammatory diseases.

Correctly identifying basophilia lets us know the possibility of serious disease, so we’re pleased that our artificial intelligence was able to locate this cool Stüssy S basophil.