Lab Configuration

VetCarePress includes a laboratory system for recording and tracking diagnostic test results, built around three parallel subsystems (blood, urine, stool), each with panels and markers.

Three Lab Subsystems

VetCarePress ships with three independent lab systems, each dedicated to a specific type of diagnostic test: Bloodwork, Urine, and Stool. Each system is fully self-contained with its own admin pages and default data.

Panels and Markers

The lab configuration uses a two-level hierarchy:

Panels group related markers into logical test sets (e.g., a "Complete Blood Count" panel contains WBC, RBC, and Hemoglobin markers).
Markers represent individual measurable values within a panel. Each marker defines a unit of measurement and a normal reference range (min/max).

Species-Specific Configuration

Both panels and markers are assigned to a species. This means all lab configuration is inherently species-specific:

A "CBC" panel for Canine is a separate post from a "CBC" panel for Feline.
Each species can have its own reference ranges for the same type of marker.
When staff enter lab results, the system loads panels and markers that match the patient’s species.

For details on how reference ranges work, see Species Reference Ranges.

Default Marker Seeding

On first activation, VetCarePress seeds a standard set of panels and markers for each species:

Bloodwork: CBC, Chemistry Panel, and more.
Urine: Urinalysis panel.
Stool: Fecal Examination panel.

Default data is only seeded if no panels exist for that type — existing configurations are never overwritten on plugin reactivation.

Accessing Lab Configuration

Lab configuration is available exclusively through WP-Admin (not the Staff Dashboard). Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results to access submenu pages for each panel and marker type.

Blood Panels

Blood Panels & Markers

Bloodwork panels and markers form the core of the VetCarePress laboratory system. Panels group related blood tests together, while markers define individual measurable values with species-specific reference ranges.

Panels (`vcp_lab_panel`)

Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results > Bloodwork Panels to manage blood panels.

Creating a Panel

Click Add New and enter a panel name (e.g., "Complete Blood Count").
Select a Species from the vcp_species taxonomy. This field is required — every panel must belong to exactly one species.
Save the panel.

Panel Metabox

The panel edit screen includes a metabox that displays a sortable list of all child markers belonging to the panel. Drag markers to reorder them. This order determines the display sequence when entering or viewing lab results.

Markers (`vcp_lab_marker`)

Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results > Bloodwork Markers to manage individual markers.

Creating a Marker

Click Add New and enter a marker name (e.g., "WBC – White Blood Cells").
The marker metabox provides the following fields:
- Species — Auto-inherited from the parent panel.
- Unit — Select from standardized units (e.g., g/dL, mg/dL, U/L, mmol/L, x10^3/uL).
- Reference Range — Enter minimum and maximum normal values for the selected species.
Markers are linked to a panel via post_parent.

Admin Columns

The marker list table displays the following columns:

Column	Description
Title	Marker name
Species	Filterable dropdown
Panel	Parent panel name
Unit	Unit of measurement
Reference Range	Min–Max display
Date	Post date

Columns are sortable by species and panel for easy navigation.

Filtering

The marker list includes dropdown filters for both Species and Panel. Use these to quickly narrow down markers when working with a large number of configured tests.

Default Seeding

On first activation, VetCarePress creates default bloodwork panels with appropriate markers for each registered species. Common defaults include:

Complete Blood Count (CBC) — WBC, RBC, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit, Platelets, and differential counts.
Chemistry Panel — BUN, Creatinine, Glucose, Total Protein, Albumin, and electrolytes.

Seeding only occurs if no bloodwork panels exist. It is idempotent and will not overwrite manually created panels.

Example Workflow

Navigate to Lab Results > Bloodwork Panels and click Add New.
Enter the name "Liver Function" and select Canine as the species.
Save the panel.
Navigate to Lab Results > Bloodwork Markers and click Add New.
Create the following markers, each assigned to the "Liver Function" panel:

Marker	Unit	Reference Min	Reference Max
ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase)	U/L	10	125
AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase)	U/L	50
ALP (Alkaline Phosphatase)	U/L	23	212
Bilirubin (Total)	mg/dL	0.1	0.5

Urine Panels

Urine Panels & Markers

The urinalysis lab system follows the same architecture as bloodwork but is dedicated to urine diagnostic tests. It uses its own CPT pair and admin pages.

Panels (`vcp_urine_panel`)

Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results > Urine Panels to manage urinalysis panels.

Creating a Panel

Click Add New and enter a panel name (e.g., "Urinalysis").
Select a Species from the vcp_species taxonomy. Every panel must belong to exactly one species.
Save the panel.

Panel Metabox

The panel edit screen includes a metabox displaying a sortable list of all child markers. Drag markers to reorder them. This order determines the display sequence when entering or viewing urine lab results.

Markers (`vcp_urine_marker`)

Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results > Urine Markers to manage individual urinalysis markers.

Creating a Marker

Click Add New and enter a marker name (e.g., "pH").
The marker metabox provides the following fields:
- Species — Auto-inherited from the parent panel.
- Unit — Select from standardized units appropriate for urinalysis.
- Reference Range — Enter minimum and maximum normal values for the selected species.
Markers are linked to a panel via post_parent.

Admin Columns

The marker list table displays the following columns:

Column	Description
Title	Marker name
Species	Filterable dropdown
Panel	Parent panel name
Unit	Unit of measurement
Reference Range	Min–Max display
Date	Post date

Columns are sortable by species and panel.

Filtering

Dropdown filters for Species and Panel are available in the marker list to narrow results when managing a large number of configured tests.

Default Seeding

On first activation, VetCarePress creates default urinalysis panels and markers for each registered species via the DefaultUrineMarkers seeder. Seeding only occurs if no urine panels exist and is idempotent.

Example Workflow

Navigate to Lab Results > Urine Panels and click Add New.
Enter the name "Urinalysis" and select Feline as the species.
Save the panel.
Navigate to Lab Results > Urine Markers and create the following markers assigned to the "Urinalysis" panel:

Marker	Unit	Reference Min	Reference Max
pH	—	6.0	7.0
Specific Gravity	—	1.035	1.060
Protein	mg/dL	30
Glucose	mg/dL

Stool Panels

Stool Panels & Markers

The fecal analysis lab system follows the same architecture as bloodwork and urinalysis but is dedicated to stool diagnostic tests. It uses its own CPT pair and admin pages.

Panels (`vcp_stool_panel`)

Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results > Stool Panels to manage fecal test panels.

Creating a Panel

Click Add New and enter a panel name (e.g., "Fecal Examination").
Select a Species from the vcp_species taxonomy. Every panel must belong to exactly one species.
Save the panel.

Panel Metabox

Markers (`vcp_stool_marker`)

Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results > Stool Markers to manage individual fecal test markers.

Creating a Marker

Click Add New and enter a marker name (e.g., "Roundworms").
The marker metabox provides the following fields:
- Species — Auto-inherited from the parent panel.
- Unit — Select from standardized units appropriate for fecal analysis.
- Reference Range — Enter minimum and maximum normal values for the selected species.
Markers are linked to a panel via post_parent.

Admin Columns

The marker list table displays the following columns:

Column	Description
Title	Marker name
Species	Filterable dropdown
Panel	Parent panel name
Unit	Unit of measurement
Reference Range	Min–Max display
Date	Post date

Columns are sortable by species and panel.

Filtering

Dropdown filters for Species and Panel are available in the marker list to narrow results when managing a large number of configured tests.

Default Seeding

On first activation, VetCarePress creates default stool panels and markers for each registered species via the DefaultStoolMarkers seeder. Common defaults include fecal flotation and direct smear panels with parasite markers. Seeding only occurs if no stool panels exist and is idempotent.

Example Workflow

Navigate to Lab Results > Stool Panels and click Add New.
Enter the name "Fecal Flotation" and select Canine as the species.
Save the panel.
Navigate to Lab Results > Stool Markers and create the following markers assigned to the "Fecal Flotation" panel:

Marker	Unit	Reference Min	Reference Max
Roundworms (Toxocara)	eggs/g
Hookworms (Ancylostoma)	eggs/g
Whipworms (Trichuris)	eggs/g
Coccidia (Isospora)	oocysts/g
Giardia	cysts/g

Species Reference Ranges

Every lab marker in VetCarePress carries a minimum and maximum reference range value. Because markers belong to species-specific panels, reference ranges are inherently per-species — the same type of test can have different normal ranges for different animal species.

How Per-Species Ranges Work

Each marker post is a child of a panel, and each panel is assigned to a single species via the vcp_species taxonomy. This means:

A "WBC" marker under a Canine CBC panel has its own reference range.
A "WBC" marker under a Feline CBC panel has a separate reference range.
The two are independent posts with independent min/max values.

Example: WBC Reference Ranges by Species

Species	Marker	Unit	Reference Min	Reference Max
Canine	WBC – White Blood Cells	x10^3/uL	6.0	17.0
Feline	WBC – White Blood Cells	x10^3/uL	5.5	19.5
Equine	WBC – White Blood Cells	x10^3/uL	5.4	14.3

Species-Aware Lab Entry

When staff enter lab results for a patient, the system automatically loads panels and markers that match the patient’s species. This ensures that:

Only relevant panels appear in the lab entry form.
Reference ranges displayed alongside input fields correspond to the correct species.
Staff do not need to manually select or verify the species during data entry.

Status Computation

VetCarePress computes a status for each recorded lab value based on the marker’s reference range:

Condition	Status
Value < minimum	Low
Minimum ≤ value ≤ maximum	Normal
Value > maximum	High
No reference range defined	Unknown

Abnormal values (Low or High) are visually highlighted in the frontend display, making it easy for staff and pet owners to identify results outside the normal range.

Standardized Units

Units of measurement are standardized through the LabMarkerUnits class. Common units include:

g/dL — grams per deciliter
mg/dL — milligrams per deciliter
U/L — units per liter
mmol/L — millimoles per liter
x10^3/uL — thousands per microliter
mEq/L — milliequivalents per liter
% — percentage

Units are selected from a predefined list when creating or editing a marker, ensuring consistency across all lab records.

Customizing Reference Ranges

To update reference ranges for an existing marker:

Navigate to WP-Admin > Lab Results > [Type] Markers (e.g., Bloodwork Markers).
Use the Species and Panel dropdown filters to locate the marker.
Click the marker to open the edit screen.
Update the Reference Min and/or Reference Max fields in the marker metabox.
Save the marker.

Changes take effect immediately for all new lab records. Existing records retain the values entered at the time of recording.

Adding a New Species

To add lab configuration for a species that does not yet have panels and markers:

Create a new species term in the vcp_species taxonomy (WP-Admin > Patients > Species).
Navigate to Lab Results > Bloodwork Panels (or Urine/Stool Panels) and click Add New.
Create panels for the new species, selecting the newly created species term.
Add markers to each panel with appropriate units and reference ranges.

Repeat for each lab system (bloodwork, urine, stool) as needed.

Lab Configuration