Haematopoietic - Feline Anaemia

Question 1

What is the red blood cell lifespan in cats?

Answer 1

70 days

Question 2

Why are cats more prone to becoming anaemic?

Answer 2

they have a lower red blood cell mass

Question 3

What are the clinical signs of anaemia?

Answer 3

• pale or yellow mucous membranes
• lethargic, weak
• hyperdynamic pulses
• tachycardia
• heart murmur
• tachypnoea
• enlarged lymph nodes and spleen
• pica

Question 4

Why causes haemic murmurs?

Answer 4

reduced viscoty of blood

Question 5

What is the word for enlarged lymph node?

Answer 5

lymphadenopathy

Question 6

What is the word for enlarged spleen?

Answer 6

splenomegaly

Question 7

What is the first thing to do when investigating anaemia?

Answer 7

spin a PCV

Question 8

What will a PCV look like if equal amounts of red bloods cells and plasma has been lost?

Answer 8

it will look normal

Question 9

What does mild anaemia look like on PCV for cats?

Answer 9

20-24%

Question 10

What does moderate anaemia look like on PCV for cats?

Answer 10

14-19%

Question 11

What does severe anaemia look like on PCV for cats?

Answer 11

10-13%

Question 12

What does very severe anaemia look like on PCV for cats?

Answer 12

less than 10%

Question 13

What does mild anaemia look like on PCV for dogs?

Answer 13

30-37%

Question 14

What does moderate anaemia look like on PCV for dogs?

Answer 14

20-29%

Question 15

What does severe anaemia look like on PCV for dogs?

Answer 15

13-19%

Question 16

What does very severe anaemia look like on PCV for dogs?

Answer 16

less than 13%

Question 17

What is the priority in investigation of anaemia?

Answer 17

haematological examination

Question 18

What types of anaemia are there?

Answer 18

regenerative and non-regenerative

Question 19

What features are involved in regenerative anaemia?

Answer 19

increased mean cell volume, presence of significant anisocytosis and polychromasia and an increased reticulocyte count

Question 20

What is a reticulocyte?

Answer 20

immature red blood cell

Question 21

What is an aggregate form of reticulocyte?

Answer 21

the type that matures into a punctate

Question 22

What is a punctate reticulocyte?

Answer 22

found in cats

Question 23

What is involved in regernerative anaemia?

Answer 23

reticulocytes >50x10*9/l
anisocytosis
polychromasia
MCV increased
Mean cell haemoglobin concentration decreased

Question 24

What is seen with non-regenerative anaemia?

Answer 24

reticulocytes <50x10*9/l
normocytic
- normochromic
MCV normal
mean cell haemoglobin count normal

Question 25

What is anisocytosis?

Answer 25

variation in reb blood cell size

Question 26

What is polychromasia?

Answer 26

variation in red blood cell density of colour

Question 27

What is hypochromic?

Answer 27

pale

Question 28

What is neuuleated red blood cell?

Answer 28

earlier release from bone marrow

Question 29

What does normocytic mean?

Answer 29

normal size

Question 30

What does microcytic mean?

Answer 30

small red blood cells

Question 31

What does macrocytic mean?

Answer 31

large red blood cells

Question 32

What does aggregate mean?

Answer 32

actively regenerating

Question 33

How do you calculate absolute reticulocyte count?

Answer 33

absolute retiulocyte count = observed% retics c red blood cell count (x10*12/l) x 10

Question 34

What do reticulocyte counts help us determine?

Answer 34

if anaemia is regenerative or not

Question 35

How do regenerative anaemias arise?

Answer 35

due to blood loss or haemoloysis

Question 36

How long does it take for reticulocytes to be released from bone marrow in regenerative anaemia?

Answer 36

3-5 days

Question 37

What concurrent diseases can affect marrow response to anaemia?

Answer 37

FeLV and inflammatory diseases

Question 38

What can concurrent diseases do to marrow reposne to regenerative anaemia?

Answer 38

reduce it causing it to appear as non-regenerative

Question 39

How can haemorrhage cause regenrative anaemia?

Answer 39

trauma, coagulopathies, chronic blood loss from flea infestations, chronic blood loss from infected tumours, chronic blood loss from gastro-intestinal tract

Question 40

What poison can cause regenerative anaemia?

Answer 40

anti-coagulant rodenticide poisoning

Question 41

What factors may suggest an underlying haemolytic anaemia?

Answer 41

infections, immune-mediated. heinz body anaemia, severe hypophosphataemia, incompatible blood transfusions, neonatal isoerythrolysis, inherited defects

Question 42

What do Heinz bodies represent?

Answer 42

irreversibly denatured oxidised haemoglobin

Question 43

What conditions can increased number of Heinz bodies?

Answer 43

conditions associated with oxidative damage such as paracetamol toxicity, feeding onion containing baby foods, lymphoma and diabetic ketoacidosis

Question 44

What can cats with low blood phosphate get?

Answer 44

haemolysis

Question 45

What is neonatal isoerythroloysis also known as?

Answer 45

fading kitten syndrome

Question 46

What does incompatible blood transfusions cause?

Answer 46

antibodies in either the donor or recipient plasma attacks naturally ocurring antigens on the red blood cells

Question 47

What is neonatal isoerythrolysis?

Answer 47

when kittens nurse and drink milk high in anti A antibodies, A kittens born to B kittnes

Question 48

What breed of cat are often affected by neonatal isoerythrolysis?

Answer 48

brachcephalic breeds such as persians, brimans, british shorthairs

Question 49

What can happen with cats with refeeding syndrome?

Answer 49

when they feed their phosphate can drop

Question 50

What is feline infectious anaemia caused by?

Answer 50

mycoplasma organisms

Question 51

How is feline infectious anaemia spread?

Answer 51

blood sucking arthropods (fleas)

Question 52

What are the signs of feline infectious anaemia?

Answer 52

pallor, lethargy, anorexia,weight loss, pyrexia, dehydration, sometimes jaundice

Question 53

How do you treat feline infectious anaemia?

Answer 53

doxycycline antibiotic pilling followed immediately with food or syringed water to encourage movement to the stomach

Question 54

How does non-regenerative anaemia occur?

Answer 54

secondary to other systemic disease

Question 55

What are non-regenerative anaemias?

Answer 55

conditions caused when the bone barrow fails to respond adequately to anaemia and does not produce adequate red blood cells

Question 56

What secondary systemic diseases cause non-regenerative anaemias?

Answer 56

neoplasia, FeLV, FIV, FIP, bacterial infections, chronic kidney disease and chronic inflammation

Question 57

What doeschronic kindey disease cause?

Answer 57

induces anaemia through a variety of mechanisms e.g reduced red blood cell lifespan, blood loss, impaired iron utilisation and an erythropoietin deficiency

Question 58

What cases might a blood transfusion be necessary in?

Answer 58

feline infectious anaemia and non-regenerative anaemias

Question 59

What are used as the first line treatment for bone marrow failure?

Answer 59

anabolic steroids

Question 60

What do anabolic steroids do?

Answer 60

stimulate erythroid precursors in the bone marrow via an effect on erythropoietin activation

Question 61

What anabolic steroid can be used for bone marrow stimulation?

Answer 61

prednisolone