New Facility Allows for Faster Test Results, Cutting Wait Times by Days
BOSTON, Oct. 7, 2025 – Pet patients in Massachusetts now have access to state-of-the-art, lifesaving technology in testing at the new Pathology Laboratory at MSPCA-Angell in Boston, the organization announced today.
“The benefits to this new space are immeasurable,” said Dr. Patty Ewing, director of pathology at Angell Animal Medical Center. “We’re cutting down on wait times for many common tests, vastly improving our on-site community blood bank, and allowing staff to be more efficient through improved design.”
“We’re one of only a few veterinary hospitals in Massachusetts with this kind of technology, which will be lifesaving for our clients.”
The new Pathology Laboratory at MSPCA-Angell opened on September 29.
Bringing Veterinary Care on Par with Human Healthcare
One of the biggest improvements in the new Pathology Laboratory at MSPCA-Angell is the cutting-edge, in-house microbiology testing—something most veterinary hospitals and clinics are not able to offer.
“Microbiology cultures determine the cause of infections,” Dr. Ewing explained. “About six years ago, we had to stop processing most cultures in-house because the equipment needed to do it best wouldn’t fit in our space.”
“When you have to send those samples out, it can take up to 10 days to get results,” she elaborated. “In that time, our pets are usually treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic in the hopes that it will help while we wait, but their symptoms often persist and sometimes even get worse.”
Bringing microbiology back in-house will allow Angell’s pathology staff to identify the cause of an infection in as little as one day—and faster turnarounds are also possible in histology, which handles necropsies and biopsies.
“The new lab can usually process a mass taken from a pet in a day or two,” Dr. Ewing expounded. “But if a surgeon is in surgery and wants to know immediately if something is cancer to determine next steps in that surgery, they can request a special process that allows us to get results within half-an-hour.”
“It’s something that they can do in human hospitals, and now we too have that capability, which is really amazing.”
The Importance of a Humane Blood Bank
According to Dr. Ewing, one of the little-known challenges in veterinary medicine is ethically sourcing blood products for patients.
“Like humans, animals need a certain period of time to regenerate their blood to a normal level before they’re able to donate again, often months,” Dr. Ewing detailed. “By having our own community blood bank, we’re able to more closely monitor the health of pets whose owners volunteer them to donate and the period of time between donations, so we know that everything is safe.”
“That’s something veterinary hospitals can’t always guarantee when relying on national blood banks.”
The MSPCA-Angell re-established a blood bank at Angell Animal Medical Center in 2023 to help respond to shortages and cut down on wait times for patients in need of transfusions and other medical care.
“Between the wait times and the ethical concerns, we knew that building our own community blood bank would be a vital resource for our patients,” said Dr. Ewing. “Now, we’re really able to take it to a whole new level.”
The new laboratory has a state-of-the-art centrifuge that separates blood products in a way that will allow Angell hospitals to more fully use samples.
“Getting the most out of every sample will eventually mean we need fewer donors,” she added.
More information on the blood bank may be found at mspca.org/bloodbank.
Celebrating the Pathology Laboratory at MSPCA-Angell
The MSPCA-Angell is celebrating the opening of the new, state-of-the-art Pathology Laboratory with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, October 8, 2025:
Where: MSPCA Angell Animal Medical Center
350 S. Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02130
When: Wednesday, October 8, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Interview Opportunities: MSPCA-Angell President, Neal Litvack
Angell Animal Medical Center Chief of Staff, Dr. Ann Marie Greenleaf
Director of Pathology at Angell Animal Medical Center, Dr. Patty Ewing
Media are invited to attend and tour the new space. Please RSVP to Sara-Rose Brenner (sbrenner@mspca.org, 617-718-5490).
