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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Low WBC?
| Ren had her monthly blood work done yesterday. All looked good! PCV at 42! The only thing that was concerning was her WBC. It was very low, about 3.5. This was odd since last month her WBC was slightly high. Her Vet placed her on an antibiotic. I questioned the Vet about too much immune suppression. She said that low WBC can be a sign of infection. I would think it would be just the opposite, but what do I know...? Ren's medication regimen now is: Atopica, 25mg. once daily (Reduced this from 50mg daily, starting today) Pred 2.5 mg once daily Aza twice weekly Aspirin 2.7 mg. once daily Doxycycline 100 mg. once daily Carafate 1ml. twice daily The Cushings symptoms have kind of leveled out. Ren is regrowing some fur. She still has the pot bellied thing going on. She still suffers from terrible muscle wasting. And her activity level is very low. She has a great attitude and is always ready for a meal or a treat. One and a while she will pick up a toy or bark at a squirrel. We are thankful for each day that we have with her! Sue & Ren |
| Susie Delaware |
| Hi Susie, I found this info at http://www.canismajor.com/dog/diagtest.html The CBC also evaluates and counts the white blood cells – the body’s defense against infection. The ratio of one white blood cell for every 600-700 red blood cells is normal for dogs. An elevated white cell count indicates infection; a depressed white cell count indicates weakness from a long illness. Extreme stress can also impact the number of white blood cells. I dont know if this is helpful for you or not. If there is an infection then yes, the count should be high. I also found this:WBC is an abbreviation for white blood cell count. These cells help fight infection and respond when an area of the body becomes inflamed. Elevated white blood cell counts indicate infection, inflammation and some forms of cancer or leukemia. Low white blood cells counts can indicate viral infections, bone marrow abnormalities or overwhelming infections and sepsis (blood poisoning). In this situation, the white blood cells are concentrated in the area of infection and are not circulating in the blood, resulting in a low count. http://www.acreaturecomfort.com/caninebloodwork.htm So, there could be weakness from AIHA; stress; or infection lurking in there somewhere. It seems as if your vet is eliminating possibilities, thats good, but be sure to watch your pup carefully and recheck soon. If Ren gets extremely lethargic, or odd in other ways, call the vet. She should be getting some energy back if her red cells are up high again. YOu could try giving pet tinic to just help strengthen her even more. I'm no expert on bloodwork, but it doesnt sound critical at this point. Hopefully Patrice may have some words to say, and be sure to search the list here for 'low white blood cells' andsee what comes up. Woof, Christine |
| Christine Fl |
| Ccngatulations, Susie, on the good news about Ren's 42 PCV! |
| Leslie |
| HI Susie, When Keiko's WBC was down to 1 the vet reduced her AZA and a month later the WBC was at 5.7 She has no other issues though. She was diagnosed with IMHA in June 07 and her PCV is 59% and has held steady at that for many months now. Good luck with Ren :) Jess and Keiko |
| Jess BC Canada |
| That is wonderful news and we are so HAPPY for you and Ren. I think in time some the muscles weakness will improve too. Does she go for walks or is she too weak? Give Ren and extra treat from Ginger:) Cheryl & Ginger |
| Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA |
| Hi Susie, I don't know the answer, just happy little Ren is doing so well. melissa and tiggs |
| melissa slc |
| Sue, I have seen several AIHA/IMHA dogs with lower then normal white blood cells counts and most of time the cause of this lower WBC was azathioprine. Once this drug was lowered and/or discontinued in these other cases the WBC returned to the normal level. Just a thought for whatever it is worth. |
| Joanne MN |
| Susie, happy to hear that Ren is doing good. I was reading about this the other week when Tessy's WBC finally started to lower. Of coarse when something starts to move I'm on it like it's a problem. What everyone was saying above sounds about right. Especially the part about the azathioprine. An elevated white blood cell count will usually indicate an infection, inflammation and some forms of cancer or leukemia. A low white blood cell count can indicate the presence of a viral infection, bone marrow abnormalities (suppression) or overwhelming infections and sepsis (blood poisoning...which is probably unlikely at this point). It could also be that in your case, the white blood cells might be concentrated in an area of infection and are not circulating in the blood, resulting in a low count. Has she recently been on antibiotics for anything? Again...I may be wrong here but this is my understanding of causes of low wbc's. In any case the best thing to do is try not to worry. Ren would probably be able to pick up on that. 3.5 is low but I've read about them being much lower than this with the dog surviving. I'll continue to pray and hope for the best for Ren. Your a great doggy mom so keep up the good work. Hugs from Johnny & Tessy |
| Johnny |
This thread was discussed between 10/06/2009 and 11/06/2009
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