My dog's CBC results are low. Should I be worried or give supplements?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Why was the blood work done, is Harlow sick? If she is sick can you repost with her symptoms. Also it would be helpful to see the blood report as reference ranges are different. If Harlow just had routine blood work done and is normal then I wouldn't worry about the results and I would recheck the CBC in 1 month if she is still acting normal. Have a good day!

Blood work reflects a single snap shot in time. It can't predict any disease. Performing blood work days or weeks apart can help monitor disease progression or healing. On this lab machine, normal creatinine in dogs is under 1.1. This value can go up a bit if a dog is dehydrated, so that is why it is important to put the numbers together with the pet. The CBC isn't overly concerning. The red cell values are high, and the most common cause for that is dehydration. The total white cell values states high, but the individual values are within normal range. White cells increase with infection or inflammatory conditions. That supplement shouldn't cause increases in lab values.

Sure thing. All values appear to be within normal limits. There are some suspected nucleated rbc's, but this doesn't really mean much since all over values are normal. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and If you have further questions or would like to go over your pets case more in detail feel free to repost with additional information (i.e. symptoms) about your pet Bubble. Best wishes and take care.

We use blood tests in combination with clinical exams and thresults of the latter, and clinical signs in order to assess a condition. the result of this assessment then determines whether we need to treat. That said, if your dog has no relevant clinical signs of illness, these numbers are not concerning. The MCV and MCH are parameters which reflect the amount of hemoglobin in the red blood cells. His hematocrit is relatively normal. Normal values vary per laboratory, and his hemoglobin corresponds with the hematocrit as well as the MCV and MCH. Really, for an old dog like Spike , these results by themselves are not worrisome. And since your vet is not concerned, apparently there are no clinical signs of disease that would make these values significant.

It's difficult to interpret lab work without some information on what symptoms the pet is having, why the test was run, etc. Without more information, all I can really say is that this CBC shows an elevated red blood cell count, which may indicate that the pet is dehydrated or can be a variation of normal in some pets. The white blood cell counts are mildly decreased, which can indicate some type of infection or, again, may not have any particular clinical significance. Feel free to post again with more information about what your pet is doing that concerns you, if you wish.

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.

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.