My 7-year-old Shih Tzu has high WBC and low platelets. Is it serious?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There can be multiple causes of low RBCs and WBCs. I would make sure that all possible infectious causes are ruled out such as tick borne diseases. A chronic infection can cause low RBCs and low WBCs as well. Bone marrow could still be diseased and be leading to the low RBC and WBC count and a bone marrow biopsy in this case would prove to be useful. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello, I am sorry to hear about Daisy. Based on the blood work abnormalities it is possible that Daisy has an infection secondary to tick borne disease or another organism. Many of these diseases cause destruction of the platelets. The white blood cells are part of the immune system and fight infection. It is possible that this value went up despite being on treatment secondary to fighting a severe infection. However, if Daisy is still not feeling well or these counts don’t improve it may be possible that Daisy’s platelets are low due to a different cause such as immune mediated disease. Your veterinarian can help assess for this kind of disease and determine if treatment is needed if Daisy’s blood counts do not improve or she is clinically ill. Hope this helps, good luck!

You are describing pancytopenia which is a low red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet count. We see this disease process secondary to infectious diseases carried by ticks, toxins such as hormones or even secondary to some medications such as anti-inflammatories, primary diseases of the bone marrow and cancer. Unfortunately, it is a problem because if left untreated his platelet count will continue to drop resulting in bleeding and his low white blood cell count predisposes him to infection. He needs to be tested for tick borne disease and possibly have a bone marrow aspirate. In the meantime, your veterinarian may recommend treating him with doxycycline and prednisone.

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.

In looking at the bloodwork you attached, I would not be concerned about the total White Blood Cell value being slightly lower than normal. After the total WBC value, the bloodwork breaks it down into individual white blood cells, like neutrophils and lymphocytes, none of which are too low. In fact, neutrophils, the body's first responders to infection or inflammation, are a little higher than the normal range. White blood cells are the fighters of the immune system, and it appears that Mary still has plenty in case she needs them. There is nothing you can do raise them other than keep her in good health. However, I do see that both BUN and Creatinine are also elevated. This can happen for many reasons, including severe dehydration, kidney insufficiency or failure, kidney infection, among others. These are the more concerning numbers that I see, and I am sure your vet has discussed a plan of action for these values.

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.

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.