…smear, which provides relative proportions (percentages) of WBC normally found in blood. This can be converted to an absolute count (thousands/uL) by multiplying the percentage by the total WBC count. The following leukocytes are counted in a 100 differential cell count: neutrophil (mature segmented forms), bands (immature neutrophils, band forms are the most common), lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils.At Cornell University, we al…
…s drug therapy. The term dysplasia is often used inter-changeably with that of “atypia”, which adds to confusion. However, some pathologists use the term atypia for features that encompass reactive changes, e.g. in response to irritation or inflammation, and neoplasms. Cytologic atypia can be quite marked in reactive conditions; mesothelial cell hyperplasia in idiopathic pericardial effusions is prime example of this atypia in the abs…
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…lting in low variation in an individual animal (Ruaux et al 2012, Hokamp and Nabity review 2016). An additional and relatively minor source is creatinine ingested during consumption of muscle tissue and absorbed from the intestines. Creatinine is filtered freely through the glomerulus and is not reabsorbed in the tubules (except in goats). Therefore, creatinine is considered a more reliable measure of GFR, compared to urea nitrogen, in most speci…
…will not return pH to normal in a primary metabolic acidosis. This requires cessation of the originating cause and medical or surgical intervention, as required, followed by renal correction. The following can be used as a guide to estimate the expected respiratory compensatory response to primary metabolic acid-base disturbances in dogs (it is unclear if this formula works for other species, but it is all we have): pCO2 (expected) = pCO2 (norma…
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…morphology is species-dependent. There are also changes that occur in red blood cells that can give us clues as to underlying diseases. Some of these changes can be pathologic in one context (or in one species) or physiologic in another. For example, small Heinz bodies are commonly seen in the blood of cats without causing anemia. However, Heinz bodies in dog blood are always abnormal and indicate an oxidant-induced hemolytic anemia. In addition,…
…seen in urine including leukocytes, erythrocytes, various types of epithelial cells and sperm. Cell quick guide: A table compilation of the cells seen in urine and the features used to differentiate between them. Crystals: These include commonly seen crystals, such as struvite, bilirubin, calcium carbonate, ‘amorphous’ crystals, calcium oxalate dihydrate, and uncommonly seen crystals, such as the picket fence form of&n…
…lic acidosis. This can be a primary disorder from loss or consumption of bicarbonate or a secondary disorder in compensation for a primary respiratory alkalosis. These can be distinguished by measuring the partial pressure of carbon dioxide on a blood gas analysis, evaluating the animal for a respiratory disorder or cause of metabolic acidosis (see below) and examining the anion gap and corrected chloride concentration. Titration or consumption…
…n of cats, we only count aggregate reticulocytes when assessing whether the bone marrow is currently responding to an anemia in this species. Nowadays, the blood smear technique for enumerating reticulocytes has been supplanted by automated methods, which uses lasers and absorption or fluorescence to detect nucleic acid-binding dyes. For example, with the hematology analyzer used in Clinical Pathology (ADVIA 2120), reticulocytes are counted by st…
…unit volume. Conversely, the MCV and MCH will track low in animals with smaller RBCs. The low MCH could be due to cells that have lower volume/smaller size than normal and a normal hemoglobin content (MCHC would be normal) or cells that of normal volume but have a lower hemoglobin content (MCHC would be low) or both. There are instances where the MCH does not track with the MCV. For example, with in vitro RBC swelling with storage, the MCV…
…amounts of erythropoietin are produced in other sites including the liver (likely explaining secondary erythrocytosis due to some hepatic tumors, like hepatoblastoma [Lennox et al 2000, Axon et al 2008, Gold et al 2008]), testes, brain and spleen, however these sites cannot substitute for lack of renal production. The main stimulus for erythropoiesis is hypoxia or decreased tissue oxygen tension. This results in stabilization of the transcription…
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