Canine neutrophils have white cytoplasm that contains small pink specific or secondary granules. A band neutrophil in a dog is shown in the lower panel and differs from a mature neutrophil by lacking discernible indentation of the nucleus or segmentation. Feline neutrophils have cytoplasm that is white and lacks visible granules. They may contain 1-3 small rod or round blue granules in their cytoplasm. These are Döhle bodies and are actually whorls of rough endoplasmic reticulum on electron microscopy. Equine neutrophils have white or slightly pink cytoplasm with no visible granules. The nuclei of equine neutrophils typically are long, thin and “knobby” with clumps of condensed chromatin projecting from the sides; they may not have classic segmentation. Ruminant neutrophils have white cytoplasm with small pink granules; these impart an overall pink tint compared to the other species.
