My dog's blood test results are in. Is it cancer or another illness?

Based on those bloodwork findings here are some possibilities: kidney disease, infection, immune mediated hemolytic anemia, bone marrow disease, prostatic benign hyperplasia, prostatic cancer or a prostatic infection. I would follow up with an abdominal ultrasound to evaluate the prostate even further and possibly get samples from it to see if it is infection, cancer or benign tumor and then starting treatment for the anemia (if severe). If Tyger has been diagnosed with IMHA, steroid and antibiotic therapy should have already been initiated by your veterinarian. If you wish to discuss Tyger’s case in more detail feel free to request a consultation request. We will be able to review the entire bloodwork and exam findings (if you have the medical records), to perhaps narrow down some of the possible causes for his illness. Best wishes moving forward with Tyger’s care.

Hello. Those blood results indicate that there is a low red cell count, low white cell count and low platelets. This COULD indicate leukemia as all three cell lines are low, however it could also be due to a systemic infection and the platelets being low could be due to clumping. The first next step would be to send the blood away to an external lab to look for regeneration, as well as platelet clumps. If your dog is acting sick your vet may want to start on antibiotics in case of a systemtic infection. I suggest you go back to your vet and discuss these results, and discuss what the pathologist comments were if the blood was sent away externally. If bone marrow disease is suspected they can do a bone marrow biopsy.

I can see the results, but I'm unable to see the reference ranges for each value which can vary based on the machine so it's a little difficult to say for certain what these changes could mean. It looks to me like the monocytes and lymphocytes (specific types of white blood cells) are a little low - this could be a stress response which is very normal for a dog having it's blood drawn in the hospital. Some dogs simply lie on the lower end of the reference range as well. I can't think of any disease where low lymphocytes and monocytes in the absence of other changes would be significant, and this would not raise a flag for possible cancer in my mind. Red cell distribution width (RDW) gives an idea of the average size of a red blood cell and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCH) tells how much hemoglobin is present in each cell - these parameters are really only significant when there is also anemia or low hematocrit. If you have other concerns you should definitely follow up with your vet - it's always easiest for the doctor who has examined the animal and is familiar with the case to interpret lab results!

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. : )

I am sorry Fluffy has not been feeling well. It is possible that patients can have normal blood work and still have cancer. Sometimes cancer does not show up in blood work. Typically cancers that are locally invasive like the nose do not show up in blood work. The best option is to try and take skull x-rays or have a CT/MRI completed to look at the swelling to help determine the cause. Fluffy might have an infection causing facial swelling or infection around a mass. Unfortunately with out more information we cannot tell if Fluffy has cancer. I hope he feels better soon

These results do not test for infectious agents but do indicate an elevated white blood count which may be due to infection as well as damage to kidneys and liver. There are many infections which can cause similar results and you should monitor your other dog closely and ensure she is up to date with parasite prevention (especially tick prevention) and her vaccines as a general precaution, A blood test to rule out any eary indicators of disease may also be considered if you are worried

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).