Low Wbc Count

[Graciehound]

Good morning!

I usually lurk a lot in the medical forum and have learned a LOT over the years. Last year, Gracie had a stroke due to undiagnosed high blood pressure, and the support I received here was phenomenal. I'm back again looking for more suggestions, input, advice, etc.

 

Anyway, I had Gracie scheduled for a routine dental cleaning but canceled it because her pre-anesthetic blood work came back a little wonky. The only significant change was her white blood cell count. Here are the details:

- CBC in 2009 (shortly after her stroke) showed 8,300 for WBC

- Low end of normal range for WBC is 4,000

- CBC on 04/13 showed 2,700 for WBC

- We did a short course (5 days) of broad spectrum antibiotics, thinking she might be fighting something viral and that would help bump up her WBC

- Recheck of CBC on 4/20 showed 3,100 for WBC

- Count did go up, but is still below normal, and not as much of an increase as we expected

 

My vet (who I trust enormously) thinks she might be fighting something viral. He does not think she is septic because we don't see other signs. She has been a little more lethargic/depressed, but I think that is due to all of the changes in the household lately. I'm pregnant and my due date is 2 weeks away. We've been busy moving our toddler to his new room, getting baby's room ready, lots of doctors appointments, etc. I've made a point to spend time with her each day before Travis wakes up and after he goes to sleep, but I know she can sense an impending big change in the house. She's really in tune with me and might be picking up on my stress.

 

Anyway, I talked with my vet about some of my concerns (leukemia/lymphoma) and he doesn't think I need to worry down that road yet. He wants to wait until May 4 to repeat blood work again (two weeks after last draw) to see where we are at. He said that at that point, if she is still low, we could pursue an ultrasound specialist to look for signs of inflammation or infection, or possibly look at bone marrow. In my limited reading/research, I've also seen that TBD can be a cause of low WBC. Gracie has had the heartworm SNAP 4DX test every year, which I understand looks for Lyme's and one other TBD. However, I know there are others that could be the cause.

 

Oh, a little more medical background in case it is pertinent. Gracie had a stroke in June 2009 and also experienced hyperthermia at the time. The hyperthermia also caused some pretty severe seizures. She started to show signs of disseminated intravascular coagulation, but she recovered thanks to fresh-frozen plasma. She underwent a MRI which diagnosed the stroke in the mid-brain (I believe). She was completely laterally recumbent and blind for several weeks. She regained her vision, learned how to stand, walk, and run again. She has very minimal neurological deficits as a result of her stroke. Her blood pressure is well controlled on Enalapril and Amlodipine. She also takes levothyroxine for thyroid.

 

So, I guess my questions are:

- Are we barking up the right tree?

- Should we wait 2 weeks for a repeat CBC?

- Should we be testing for a specific TBD?

- Have others had this experience? If so, what was the cause/outcome?

 

Thanks in advance for any information people can supply. I love my little girlie so much and I hate to think that she might be ill and unable to communicate what is wrong. I honestly don't know how I mentally survived Gracie's ordeal last year. I am not mentally prepared for another medical drama, but I'll do whatever I can or need to help my bestest friend.

[Batmom]

Bit low is normal for a greyhound. I think feemandvm's greyhound health packet refers to that? I'll check and see.

 

Here you go: http://www.animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com/files/vet/21/92f103fa.pdf

[Burpdog]

What she said

 

Also, what is the RBC, HCT & PLT?

[Graciehound]

Thanks for the quick response. I will pass this information on to my vet to keep in Gracie's file.

 

As for the RBC, he did say it was a little higher, but in the normal range for a GH. I'm not sure of the hematocrit or platelet counts. When I go in again, I'll ask for a copy of the full panel done on 04/13 and the CBC on 04/20.

For now, this helps to settle my mind a little. I know that my stress level is up right now, and I think I'm just overreacting and nervous. After thinking we were going to lose Gracie last year and seeing her pull through so wonderfully, I am so aware that our time with her is limited, as it is with any pet.

[Batmom]

Hopefully it is just one big nothing.

 

Best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy! Stop in when you can -- it is good to hear Gracie is doing well, and we like *human* baby pictures, too, you know.

[MaryJane]

Do you know if they did a "differential" - that's where they make a slide and identify the types of White blood cells along with the percentages in the blood. This would rule out whether "immature" cells are being released from the bone marrow.

 

As your vet suggested, the WBC can run low if the dog is fighting an infection/inflammation but, at the same time .. greyhounds can run lower (which of course adds even more confusion into the mix). Your vet seems to have a logical course of action mapped out which is to repeat test and then discuss further testing with ultrasound if deemed necessary.

[Graciehound]

Do you know if they did a "differential" - that's where they make a slide and identify the types of White blood cells along with the percentages in the blood. This would rule out whether "immature" cells are being released from the bone marrow.

Yes, they did a CBC differential. Thanks for the reassurance. I'll talk with my vet on Monday and probably stay the course of a repeat in 2 weeks.

 

And Batmom - yes, it's great to see Gracie doing so well after her medical issues last year. She's known as the 'miracle dog' on the GPA-WI forum. Many people there were following her story and know her just from her ordeal. Today we had a heartworm clinic at a local vet, and one of the other owners there said "Oh, it's the famous Gracie!" Never met her before, but she knew my dog from her story.

 

I'll post an update after talking with my vet and also when the next round of bloodwork is run. that Gracie is worrying her momma just because.

[Graciehound]

04/28 Update!

My husband talked with our vet yesterday. Vet called to say he read the information I sent him (Thanks, Batmom!) and he thought it was very interesting. Since her WBC were trending up, he thought we'd wait a month since the last blood draw and check again. Gracie seems to have more energy lately and is not appearing depressed anymore. We're still on hold for the dental, since it is an elective procedure and we want to make sure everything is fine with our puppy dog.

 

Thanks again for your information!