Can pet blood tests show cancer? What if white blood cells are high?

It may be cancer but it could also be an autoimmune disrase. More testing is going to be needed. Are the lymph nodes enlarged? If so, your vet needs to do an aspirate of the lymph nodes. That will give you a better idea of what’s going on.

Thank you for sharing Millie's bloodwork results. She has VERY high white blood cell counts which may be indicative of a severe infection, autoimmune disease, or even cancer. I would have her evaluated for the underlying cause which may require radiographs, an ultrasound, and or a blood smear evaluation by a pathologist.

Hello, the elevations of the cells is very mild. It appears that she may have a mild infection, given that his eosinophils are high, the most likely cause may be associated with parasites. The medications should not cause the white blood cells to go up, instead, it should help decrease their number. Speak with your veterinarian about checking his stool for parasites and consider deworming him as well. Also check for heart worm disease. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Usually more than elevated number you can find atypical blood cells (lymphocytes) in peripheral blood. Atypical means that their shape is unusual and suggestive of possible cancer. If no atypical cells are present and liver and spleen are not involved stage IV is ruled out. Stage V features include involvement of blood, bone marrow, central nervous system, or other organs (other than spleen or liver).

If there is no detectable cancer, then the best thing to do here is treat it like an inflammatory condition with steroids +/- antibiotics through your vet. I would also consider an abdominal ultrasound just to be thorough. Elevated WBC's either means infection or inflammation in most cases, especially if cancer is ruled out. I hope that this helps and best of luck moving forward with your pet Chub. Take care. : )

With a white count that keeps getting higher despite antibiotics I would be concerned there is cancer hiding somewhere. An ultrasound would be my next test as it can look at the intestine, lymph nodes, liver and spleen. The spleen makes the red blood cells, and if it has a tumor then that can cause that count to drop. An immune disease can also cause a low red count.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If there is lymphoma, it is not going to show on bloodwork in any specific way. There are certainly values that may be abnormal if a patient is affected by lymphoma though they are not specific for lymphoma. Regardless, Artie does not have any of the things I would expect abnormal with lymphoma. This bloodwork is concerning for hyperthyroidism and renal disease. Both of these can cause anorexia and vomiting. It is very important to discuss with your veterinarian further treatment options based on these findings. They have more knowledge on the case and should be able to recommend accordingly. Best of luck!