My dog's blood test shows high neutrophils and left shift. What's wrong?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Rocco. Neutrophils are the most common white blood cell in dogs. All dogs have them, and they are usually the first at the site of injury and infection to the dog. A left shift means there is the presence of immature neutrophils. Typically neutrophils are not released until they are fully mature, but can be released prematurely. This is usually done in response to an infection or inflammation. The bone marrow is producing more neutrophils and releasing them into the blood stream before they are mature. If he has a left shift, then there is an infection or inflammation present. His vet will have more information on what may be causing this left shift. I hope this explanation helps you!

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.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Based on this bloodwork I can see that she is anemic, has elevated inflammatory cells, has low chloride and sodium and perhaps a slightly elevated creatinine (which can signal kidney issues though I cannot read it well there). These are not indicative of any disease in particular. This can be due to an infection for sure though. Other possibilities include an inflammatory condition, among other possibilities. I highly recommend you contact the veterinarian that has been treating her to discuss this bloodwork and proceed with therapy accordingly as she has not improved completely. They know her case better and would be able to help further. Best of luck!

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, I’d need to see the CBC to know exactly what’s going on because each blood machine counts things a little differently. If this is the number of platelets then yes absolutely Tuffy needs treatment or he is at serious risk of uncontrolled bleeding. If that number is related to red or white blood cells, then that would depend on the reference ranges of that blood machine and how Tuffy is acting. If he is acting normal and eating great, maybe he does not need treatment. If he has been acting sick or not eating well, you should definitely treat him. Best wishes to you and Tuffy.

Blood results always have to be interpreted with the results of a hands-on exam and medical history in mind. Numbers alone cannot give a diagnosis. Your veterinarian should have explained those results to you as he also did a clinical exam and knows why you went to the vet with your dog. That said I can give you a general idea: The lab was looking for blod parasites, but did not find any. This can mean that your dog is blood parasite free or just that in the sample they had, there were no parasites visible. This is not proof that your dog is parasite free, it just means they did not find any. The PCV is high, that means your dog is likely somewhat dehydrated. He also has too many neutrophils and too few lymphocytes which is most often a sign of infection. Your veterinarian should explain to you what he suspects your dog is suffering from. The blood parameters alone are just a small part of diagnosis and in your dog's case not very specific.