Hematology 1

Question 1

Reticulocyte Count

Answer 1

1. Measurement of a regenerative response
2. Use methylene blue
3. Reticulocytes will have dark spots or lines in them
4. Count # reticulocytes/1000 RBC

Question 2

Cats have two types of reticulocytes

Answer 2

a. Punctate: 2-8 basophilic stipples
b. Aggregate: Basophilic lines – more of the typical reticulocytes
c. Only count the aggregate ones

Question 3

Nucleated Red Blood Cells

Answer 3

1. WBC Unopette lyses everything without a nucleus (mature RBC, platelets)
2. If the RBC has a nucleus, it is not lysed, therefore counted as a WBC (artificiallyelevating WBC count)
3. But, we don’t know we have N-RBCs until differential
4. If N-RBC are seen on the differential, keep track of how many, record as #N-RBC/100WBC
5. But then must correct the WBC count and absolute numbers on differential

Question 4

Fibrinogen Levels

Answer 4

1. Fibrinogen levels increase during inflammation
2. Especially useful in dairy cattle for the early signs of mastitis
3. Can measure fibrinogen levels by heating plasma 56ºC.
   At 56ºC, fibrinogen pellets out, but other plasma proteins stay suspended

Question 5

Fibrinogen Levels Procedure:

Answer 5

1. Spin two hematocrits, measure one TP
2. Incubate other hematocrit in 56ºC water bath for 5 min
3. Respin heated hematocrit, measure TP
4. Fibrinogen level is the difference between the two numbers. Record as mg/dl

Question 6

Crossmatching

Answer 6

1. Used to determine compatibility for blood transfusions
2. Major and minor crossmatch
3. Looking for agglutination (RBC clumping) – indicates
   Incompatibility
4. Can blood type cats via cards similar to humans. Dogs have 11 types of blood.

Question 7

Normal Values

Answer 7

A. Variable
1. Season, breed, sex, sample technique
2. Species, age, sample handling
B. Published normal values used as a guideline, but normal must be established for each lab.

Question 8

Enzyme Tests

Answer 8

measure different enzyme levels to test how well particular organs are working.

Question 9

. Kidney

Answer 9

1. Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)

2. Creatinine

Question 10

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)

Answer 10

a. Urea-product of amino acid breakdown in liver
1) Normally filtered out of plasma by renal glomerulii in kidney
2) Excreted through kidney and out urine
b. If kidney is not functioning properly, urea cannot be removed from plasma, therefore increased BUN levels in the plasma

Question 11

Creatinine

Answer 11

a. End product of creatine breakdown in muscle. Levels are fairly constant
b. Released into plasma, filtered by kidney
c. If kidneys are not functioning properly = increased levels in plasma
d. Creatine- Serum Creatine Kinase

Question 12

Creatine- Serum Creatine Kinase

Answer 12

1) Found in striated muscle including cardiac muscle, and in the brain
2) Catalyzes transfer of phosphate: ADP-ATP
3) Muscle damage will cause increased levels

Question 13

Liver Enzymes list

Answer 13

1. Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)
2. Aspartate Aminotransferase – AST
3. Bilirubin
4. GGT – gamma glutamyl transpeptidase
5. Alkaline phosphatase

Question 14

Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)

Answer 14

a. Formerly SGPT
b. Dogs, cats, humans, ferrets, rats – major source found in the hepatocytes = liver specific
c. In horses, ruminants, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs – not enough found in hepatocytes to Be considered liver specific
d. Also found in kidney, heart, skeletal muscle, and pancreas
e. Hemolysis and/or lipemia can elevate
f. High levels of ALT produced in liver of birds, but not necessarily elevated during liver disease

Question 15

Dogs, cats, humans, ferrets, rats – major source found in the hepatocytes = liver specific

Answer 15

1) In small animals used to evaluate liver tissue damage. ALT is released into the blood when hepatocytes are damaged or destroyed.
2) Screening test, cannot ID particular types of liver disease.
3) No correlation between blood levels and the severity of hepatic damage.

Question 16

Aspartate Aminotransferase – AST

Answer 16

a. Formerly SGOT
b. In both large and small animals – sources are heart, liver, muscle, kidney, and pancreas
c. Not an organ specific enzyme. Released due to cell damage
d. Common causes – hepatic disease, muscle inflammation/injury, hemolysis (in animal or in lab)
e. Used in large animals for liver disease.

Question 17

Bilirubin

Answer 17

a. Metabolite of hemoglobin
b. Processed from plasma through liver
c. Until liver = unconjugated = insoluble in water
d. After liver = conjugated = soluble
e. Both found in plasma at the same time
f. Conjugated called direct because tests directly measure amount
g. Unconjugated = indirect
Total bilirubin (-) direct = indirect

Question 18

Increased conjugated

Answer 18

hepatocellular damage or bile duct injury or obstruction. Cellular swelling can obstruct transfer of bilirubin to bile duct, regurgitating bilirubin into blood

Question 19

Increase unconjugated

Answer 19

excessive RBC destruction or defects in transportation of bilirubin into liver. May indicate early liver disease

Question 20

GGT – gamma glutamyl transpeptidase

Answer 20

a. Found in many tissues – liver, kidney, muscle
b. GGT in plasma primarily from liver
c. Function unknown
d. Increased in any liver disease, esp. obstructive liver disease
e. Can be increased by steroids
f. Colostrum in cows, sheep, and dogs are high in GGT

Question 21

Alkaline phosphatase

Answer 21

a. Present in almost all tissues
b. Particularly osteoblasts, chondroblasts, liver
c. Young animals, most AP from bone because of active bone development
d. Older animals most AP from liver
e. Increase AP with bone injury or obstructive liver disease. Steroids in dogs can also increase AP

Question 22

Acute pancreatitis

Answer 22

obese sedentary bitches

a. Activated pancreatic enzymes released into pancreas tissues. Autodigestion starts
b. Inflammation, hemorrhage, necrosis, peritonitis, death
c. Commonly occurs after dogs have consumed high fat meals, table scraps, etc.

Question 23

Chronic pancreatitis

Answer 23

can occur in any species with obstruction of pancreatic ducts.

a. Can be a result of chronic inflammation-dogs. Progressive destruction by repeated acute episodes causing exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.
b. Sometimes causes endocrine pancreatic insufficiency (diabetes mellitus)