Intro Flashcards
3 reasons for anemia:
bone marrow malfunction, hemorrhaging, hemolysis
species w/ nucleated RBC
anything not a mammal- amphibians, for ex.
Most common reason to have low lymphocyte count?
Stress- corticosteroids (endogenous/exogenous)
What endocrine disorder cause lack of stress leukogram?
Addisons dz
What endocrine disorder causes stress leukogram?
Cushings dz
What stain can you demonstrate Heinz body and reticulocytes well?
Brilliant cresyl blue shows them better than wrights.
What is a Heinz body?
Denatured hemoglobin in RBC – more about Heinz body later
lecture
What is the only thing that can cause high albumin?
Dehydration
What are causes of high bilirubin concentration in blood?
RBC destruction, liver problems (cholestasis/hepatic destruction), diabetes
What is Tc02?
Pretty much demonstrates your bicarb. A decrease in T co2
demonstrates a metabolic acidosis.
• Anion gapà cations have to equal anions. (NA +K)- (Bicarb + Cl) =
anion gap. Roughly around 5-15
What could clumped platelets falsely lower?
- Lower the platelet count- look at blood film to confirm.
* in addition could artificially increase the RDW
What do large platelets on a blood film represent?
That immature platelets are being released (either destruction or consumption of platelets)
What is the difference between PCV and hematocrit?
PCV-> Manually performed. Hematocrit- computerized
What is common to see w/ hemangiosarcoma (cells, clinical signs)?
Acanthocytes, shistocytes, periods of intermittent weakness ,

What can an increase in MCV represent?
Mean cell volume- Regeneration of RBC (reticulocytes)—not the
only cause
What is the order of maturation of a white blood cell?
Myelobalst, progranulocyte, myelocyte, metamylocyte, band neutrophil, mature neutrophil.
What does the demonstration of metamyelocytes represent?
Severe inflammation—should not see them out in peripheral blood
What is common to see with dogs w/ IMHA?
They have inflammatory leukograms because
o 1. Cytokine increase, or 2. Animals have necrosis related to anemia or to small clot formation seconndary to DIC.
What is specific about puppies and their TP?
Pups have slightly lower PCV and protein
Most probable cause of microcytic anemia?
Fe def. anemia (99%)- other cause- inflammatory anemia
Why would 50% of patients w/ iron deficient anemia have increase platelets?
b/c megakaryocytes are responsive to EPO due to the increase in
EPO due to the anemia.
What are some causes of bone marrow to fail?
Infectious dz, chemicals, toxin, radiation.
What will you not suspect if platelet count is less than 100,000?
That the decrease in platelets is due to bleeding – there is another underlying reason behind it
Purple top
Purple top- contains EDTA w/ potassium salt- preserves cell morphology. (if you accidentally cross contaminate w/ a red tube you can have abnormal levels- (hyperkalemic value, and hypocalcemic)
Red top
contains nothing- allow for serum to be collected
Tiger top
Tiger top (red and black)- contains a density media for separation the serum
Green tube
Green tube- heparin- anticoag
blue top
blue top- contains citrate – coag tests
gray tube
gray tube- fluoride- inhibits glucose metabolism (every 1/2hour- there is a 10% drop in glucose in normal
when collecting blood how much should you use?
5ml for a CBC and biochem. Use a 20 G needle. Excess EDTA can
shrink cells and cause erroneous PCV and MCV
How quickly should you analyze a blood sample?
Analyze w/in 1 hr, make a blood film and refrigerate the
tube. Do not refrigerate blood film b/c it can cause cell lysis(condensation) and do not freeze. If blood out for +24 hrs- RBC swell and increase MCV
What species blood settles very quickly- making you need to mix well?
Horse blood.
What is the PCV?
Percentage of whole blood composed of RBC
What comprises the buffy coat?
Nucleated RBC, platelets, and Leukocytes
What does yellow pigmentation of plasma mean? White?
Icterus or carotene pigments in the diet. White means lipemia.
What can cause a red serum?
In vitro hemolysis
How do you measure plasma protein in practice?
w/ a refractometer
what can artificially increase the plasma protein?
lipemia, urea, cholesterol
What makes up your total plasma protein?
albumin, globulin, clotting factors
What does decreased TP and PCV decrease represent?
Blood loss
What 3 stains make up your diff quick?
alcohol (blue), eosin, (red) ethylene blue (dark blue/purple
What cells can be demonstrated at the feathered edge?
Higher density cells -> platelet clumps, microfilaria, large
neoplastic cells. (10 x objective)
Does the presence of nucleated RBC mean you have a regenerative anemia?
Presence of nucleated RBC does not demonstrate regenerative anemia- you want to see polychromatophilic cells
What virus in a pup has vomiting, diarrhea and low nucleated cell count?
Parvo
What is a normal platelet count on an oil immersion field?
6-10 platelets
what is the normal concentration of Hg compared to PCV?
1/3 of PCV is the Hg concentration.
Formulate to calculate the PCV? MCHC
- (MCVx RBC) / 10
* (hg/pcv %) x 100
what does an increase in MCHC represent?
• Increase always artificial -> hemolysis, lipemia or Heinz bodies
• Decreases- Fe def. but not unless very severe. (don’t dx based on
MCHC- look at the MCV)
What are your types of cell size/counting?
Light scatter measurement(flow) or electronic cell counting
impedence
What are your normal RBC sizes (fl)
Dog-60-72, cat, horse, cow- 38-52, sheep-25-35, llama 21-29, goat 15-25
What can cause the MCV to be high?
• Often w/ agglutination (counted as megaerythroroctyes)
• What does a small RDW and large RDW represent?
small- more alike your RBC are. larger- more variation the RBC are.
increase in your RDW- population of big cells and little cells
What color do reticulocytes stain? What do you use to stain
• Polychromatic w/ wrights- clump of RBC organelles.
• New methylene blue- causes organism growth so brilliant cresyl
blue is better.
What species do not release reticulocytes?
Horses.
How long does a reticulyte and a dog/ cat mature?
How long does a reticulyte and a dog/ cat mature? pg 27 in text.
• 24- 48 hr in dog.
• Cats- aggregate reticulocyte become punctate reticulocyte.
Aggregates become punctate in 12 hours. Punctate persist for 12 dayso polychromatophilic cells are demonstrated w/ wrights stain for aggregates.
o punctate and mature cells indistinguishable w/ wrights stain. o aggregate cells are counted in cats. .
What happens when a neutrophil ages?
Becomes denser/ pyknotic
what is the size of a lymphocyte in small animal?
Normal lympohcytes in small animal are slightly smaller than
neutrophil. If lympho bigger than a neutro- chance they are
neoplastic and you have a neoplasia of lymphoid tissue.
What is a lymphocyte w/ a nucleolus seen in its cytoplasm?
• lymphoblast.
• Large granular lymphocytes- have more cytoplasm.
• A larger lymphocyte w/ increase basophilia in cytoplasm referred to
as a reactive lymphocyte
What if you have LGLS?
• In large animal- common to see especially in ruminants.
• Not common in normal healthy dog. (possible seen you have
antigenic stimulation for ex) if seen in small animal or a leukemia
involving LGLS -> erlichiosis in dog can show w/ increase in LGL
What if you see howell jolly body?
It is what is left of the nucleus ->seen w/ increase in numbers. Normally they are removed by the spleen.
RBC inclusions:
• Basophilic stippling represents the spontaneous aggregation of
ribosomal RNA in the cytoplasm of erythrocytes. These aggregates stain, and hence are visible, with routine hematology stainà seen in regen. anemia, and lead poisoning (w/out anemia)
• Heinz body- degeneration of hemoglobin.
• howell jolly bodies- small fragments of non functiona nucleus not
extruded through RBC when it left the bone marrow. can mimic a parasite. found in normal cats and horses, regen anemia, poor splenic activity, erythroid dysplasia.
