My cat has IBD, high WBC count, and is in pain. What does it mean?

Many cats with IBD do not have diarrhea, so this doesn't necessarily mean that the diagnosis is wrong :) But if you're concerned and Wilson isn't improving with his current treatment, I would definitely recommend calling your veterinarian or taking him back in for a recheck. It sounds like he may need some additional testing to help figure out why he isn't getting better, as well as some changes to his current treatment plan.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. We do not typically see prednisolone cause an elevation of white blood cells, as this is an corticosteroid which is anti-inflammatory at most doses, and even immunosuppressive at higher doses. Elevated white blood cell counts can be due to inflammation alone, such as that from irritable or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Long term use of steroids can cause liver damage, which may result in inflammation and increased white blood cell counts. Generally cats with IBD will have thickened intestines on an abdominal ultrasound, but this can be subtle and hard to detect without a veterinary radiologist performing the ultrasound. I hope this is helpful - best of luck managing Trixie's IBD!

If Pudding has been normal and the veterinarian did not find any abnormalities on her physical exam, then try not to stress. The blood cells are cyclic in nature and sometimes we catch them at a low point. Stress can also impact the counts. Retesting in 3 weeks is the best route to go so that you can see what the trend is and then make an appropriate assessment. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

A GI panel looks for signs of pancreatitis and/or pancreatic insufficiency and also tests cobalamin and folate levels. Since pancreatitis can cause elevated white blood cells it could be related, but any stress or illness can cause a mild increase in the white blood count. Cobalamin and folate can be abnormal with any small intestinal disease, and often cobalamin (Vitamin B12) needs to be supplemented. It sounds like Trixie is getting a thorough workup and hopefully you will determine what has caused her decreased appetite soon.

This is only a CBC test result. The white count is low and it is mostly low from not enough lymphocytes. My suspicion would be a virus or cancer. Viral infections are the most common cause of a low white blood cell count in cats. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) are two such viruses. These viruses invade the white blood cells and use them to make copies of themselves, increasing the virus’ strength and reducing the number of white blood cells. Other possibilities include: * Bacterial infections. These infections can range from abscesses to respiratory infections to sepsis. Essentially, any infection or inflammation causes a drop in white blood cells, particularly neutrophils. HER DROP IS LYMPHOCYTES, not neutrophils so I think this is less likely. * Bone marrow diseases, or the panleukopenia virus, which destroys the marrow where white blood cells are produced. * Pancreatitis. The inflammation of the pancreas will draw white blood cells from the bloodstream, lowering their count. * Certain medications. Corticosteroids can actually suppress the production of white blood cells. THIS IS WHY I DON'T AGREE WITH THE STEROID ADMINISTRATION AT THIS TIME. Antibiotics, yes. Steroids, no. Just my opinion though. I can't really say your vet is wrong. This is just not what I would do especially since she is not responding. More testing needs to be done: * repeat the CBC to see where the white count is now * chemistry panel to check liver, kidneys, etc * FeLV/FIV testing * FIP (corona virus) testing * pancreatitis test Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Well, a high white blood cell count in the absence of anything else is not always significant. Often times, particularly at a veterinary office, the white blood cell count (the neutrophils in particular) can increase above normal from stress. Also, there is some variation from cat to cat, where small elevations above normal may not always have any significance. If the white blood cell elevation is real and significant, it is an indication of some type of inflammation occurring somewhere inside of the body. This is usually due to some type of bacterial/viral/fungal/parasitic infection or bodily injury. In other cases, we can also see it with certain toxins and even cancers. Without more information regarding your cat, it would be hard to say if this is a significant finding. If your cat is completely healthy and your vet has determined this, the white blood cell count is probably insignificant at this time.