OwnedBySummer Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 Hi! I'm a newbie member as well as being new to greyhounds. I had a full bloodwork done on my new baby (simply to establish a baseline, not because I suspected anything) and the vet is telling me some of the results are of concern. In particular, her creatnine is supposedly high. It is at "172", whereas "159" is the accepted top limit. Her HGB is flagged as high, too, at "20.6" whereas "12.0 to 18.0" is normal. The MCV is flagged as low, at "49.8" vs "60.0-77.0". I've (hopefully) included a copy with this posting. If anyone can help me, I'd really appreciate it. I know that greyhound bloodwork is different and I have various written reports on the subject. But they don't give clear and precise acceptable/normal ranges and, to make it more difficult, the measuring system is not the same. I am guessing that this may be because the Canadian and American labs use different systems. The vet wants to retest in 2 weeks, including a urinalysis. If these results are normal, though, there's no need. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytluck Posted June 15, 2010 Share Posted June 15, 2010 (edited) This is copy and pasted from another site. I think it's in different units then Summers blood work so it may be hard to do a direct comparison but it gives you an idea of what is typically higher in greyhounds and what isn't. I hope it helps anyways. What's in those Blood Tests? by Suzanne Stack, D.V.M. Blood Tests When your veterinarian sends your Greyhound’s blood to a lab she/he is most commonly asking the lab to run a CBC (Complete Blood Count). This common analysis covers these items: * RBC = Red Blood Cells * Hgb = Hemoglobin * PCV / HCT = Packed Cell Volume/Hematocrit * WBC = White Blood Cells * Platelets = Help to form blood clots to stop bleeding. For a more in-depth look, usually to determine kidney/liver functions, your veterinarian may also ask for a “Chem Panel”. This will give them information about: * T.P. = Total Protein Globulin * Creatinine = A waste product filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. * T4 = Thyroid level If you don’t understand what your veterinarian has ordered, ask for details! Greyhound blood work has enough differences from "other dog" blood work to sometimes make it deceivingly "normal" or "abnormal" if your veterinarian isn’t familiar with these differences. The salient differences are discussed below. Greyhounds: * RBC: 7.4 - 9.0 * Hgb: 19.0 - 21.5 * PCV: 55 - 65 Other Breeds: * RBC: 5.5 - 8.5 * Hgb: 12.0 - 18.0 * PCV: 37 - 55 Greyhounds have significantly more red blood cells than other dog breeds. This elevates parameters for RBC, Hgb (hemoglobin), and PCV/HCT, and is the reason Greyhounds are so desirable as blood donors. Most veterinarians are aware of this difference. Never accept a diagnosis of Polycythemia — a once-in-a-lifetime rare diagnosis of pathologic red blood cell overproduction — in a Greyhound. Conversely, never interpret a Greyhound PCV in the 30’s - 40’s as being normal just because it is for other dogs. A Greyhound with a PCV in the 30’s - 40’s is an anemic Greyhound. Generally, a Greyhound PCV less than 50 is a red flag to check for Ehrlichia. Top of Page WBC * Greyhound: 3.5 - 6.5 * Other dog: 6.0 - 17.0 Other Greyhound CBC changes are less well known. The Greyhound’s normally low WBC has caused more than one healthy Greyhound to undergo a bone marrow biopsy in search of “cancer” or some other cause of the “low WBC.” Platelets * Greyhound: 80,000 - 200,000 * Other dog: 150,000 - 400,000 Likewise, Greyhound platelet numbers are lower on average than other dog breeds, which might be mistakenly interpreted as a problem. It is thought that Greyhound WBCs, platelets, and total protein may be lower to physiologically “make room” in the bloodstream for the increased red cell load. Compounding these normally low WBC and platelet numbers is the fact that Ehrlichia, a common blood parasite of Greyhounds, can lower WBC and platelet counts. So if there is any doubt as to whether the WBC / platelet counts are normal, an Ehrlichia titer is always in order. The other classic changes with Ehrlichia are lowered PCV and elevated total protein. But bear in mind that every Greyhound will not have every change, and Ehrlichia Greyhounds can have normal CBCs. Top of Page T.P. & Globulin * Greyhound TP: 4.5 - 6.0 * Other dog TP: 5.4 - 7.8 * Greyhound Globulin: 2.1 - 3.2 * Other dog Globulin: 2.8 - 4.2 Greyhound total proteins tend to run on the low end of normal — T.P.s in the 5.0’s and 6.0’s are the norm. While the albumin fraction of T.P. is the same as other dogs, the globulin component is lower. Top of Page Creatinine * Greyhound: 0.8 - 1.6 * Other dogs: 0.0 - 1.0 Greyhound creatinines run higher than other breeds as a function of their large lean muscle mass. A study at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine found that 80% of retired racing Greyhounds they sampled had creatinine values above the standard reference range for “other dogs.” As a lone finding, an “elevated creatinine” is not indicative of impending kidney failure. If the BUN and urinalysis are normal, so is the “elevated” creatinine. Top of Page T4 (Thyroid) * Greyhound: 0.5 - 3.6 (mean 1.47 +/- 0.63) * Other dogs: 1.52 - 3.60 These figures are from a University of Florida study of thyroid function in 221 Greyhounds — 97 racers, 99 broods, and 25 studs — so it included both racers and “retired.” While Greyhound thyroid levels are a whole chapter unto themselves, a good rule of thumb is that Greyhound T4s run about half that of other breeds. Urinalysis And lastly, the good news — Greyhound urinalysis levels are the same as other dog breeds. It is normal for males to have small to moderate amounts of bilirubin in the urine. Medical Sources: M.R. Herron, DVM, ACVS, 'Clinical Pathology of the Racing Greyhound', 1991. C. Guillermo Couto, DVM, ACVIM, 'Managing Thrombocytopenia in Dogs & Cats', Veterinary Medicine, May 1999. J.Steiss, DVM, W. Brewer, DVM, E.Welles, DVM, J. Wright, DVM, 'Hematologic & Serum Biochemical Reference Values in Retired Greyhounds', Compendium on Continuing Education, March 2000. M. Bloomberg, DVM, MS, 'Thyroid Function of the Racing Greyhound', University of Florida, 1987. D. Bruyette, DVM, ACVIM, Veterinary Information Network, 2001. Print this information out for your veterinarian and yourself! Edited June 15, 2010 by greytluck Quote Hobbes-Ricard Hatch09/23/99-12/21/09 Always loved, never forgotten. Wally TNJ Boy Howdy, GLS Genuinerisk Corinna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greytluv Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 Send the results to Dr. Dodds at Hemopet. Blood's her thing. I wouldn't trust anyone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joejoesmom Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 (edited) The testing that was done appears to be slightly different than is typically done in the US. I will do my best to interpret and tell you what is normal in the tests I am familiar with. RBC -- this is the number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. 8.5 million is the max for a typical dog, greyhounds can be as high as 9 million. Your dogs value of 8.5 is normal for a greyhound. My blood donor greyhound (who has been fully tested and declared "normal") has a value of 7.8. HCT (hematocrit (same as PCV, packed cell volume) -- normal for a greyhound is 55 to 65. My dog is 57. Yours is 42, considerably low for a greyhound. This indicates that your hound has lower portion of their blood filled with red blood cells than other greyhounds. HGB -- this measures the amount of oxygen carrying protein in the blood. This is also higher for a greyhound than other dogs. Normal for a greyhound is 19 to 21.5. Your value of 20.6 would be totally normal. My dog is 19.9. MCV is a measurement of the average size of the red blood cells. Your dog's is 49.8, lower than the normal 60 to 77. This means that the red blood cells are smaller than normal. My hound is 73. I could not find any reference to this in greyhound health articles. So it appears that this is low in your dog. If he were a human, I believe this might indicate an iron deficiency such as anemia. Since your dog has a normal number of red blood cells (RBC test) but they are smaller than normal (this MCV test), it makes sense that the HCT is lower than normal. MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration)-- Your dog's was out of reportable range. My dog's is 35.1, within the range of normal (30 to 37.5). I could not find any reference to this in greyhound health articles. So it appears that this may be a problem in your dog. In a human, iron deficiency anemia (see above) would typically cause a lower value for MCHC. I found one mention that MCHC is calculated by dividing the hemoglobin by the hematocrit. Doing this for my dog gives a value of 34.9 -- pretty close to the lab reported value of 35.1. Doing this for your dog gives a value of 48.9 (but keep in mind that I don't know if this is a valid way to estimate MCHC). One of the uses of MCHC in a human is to determine the type of anemia. It is usually low in an anemic person however. This appears to be abnormal in your dog. White Blood Cells -- these are typically low in a greyhound. Your hound shows values within normal limits but on the low side for an average dog. It is high for a typical greyhound (7.72 vs a typical high for a greyhound of 6.5). My dog is 4.2. I don't know if this has any significance. Platelets -- these are typically low in a greyhound. Your hound shows a value of 191. The typical greyhound is 80 to 200. My dog is 137. So your hound is totally normal. Urea (also known as BUN, Blood Urea Nitrogen) -- greyhounds can have high normal or slightly elevated BUN. My dog's is 18 mG/dL. Note that these are different units than your test results. Your results are high normal so this is normal for a greyhound. Creatinine -- the measurements are different on your test than a typical US test. For a US test typical for a dog is 0 to 1.0. Typical for a greyhound is .8 to 1.6. My hound is 1.7. So a greyhound can test 60 percent higher than a typical dog. Your test showed 172 whereas a typical dog is 159. Applying the same 60 percent higher factor would mean that a value up to 254 would be typical for a greyhound. So it appears that this test is also within normal limits. If your dog wasn't a greyhound, this could indicate kidney disease. If this is a concern, have your vet do a urinalysis. The specific gravity of the urine should be above 1.03 (1.012 according to another source). TBIL (total bilirubin) -- this is a measure of liver function. The liver is responsible for cleaning the blood of bilirubin. If it is not doing so properly, you will see evidence of jaundice. Your dog is high normal. As far as I know, the reference range for a typical dog is the same as for a greyhound. So, in summary: Compared to the typical greyhound, your dog's HCT is low, MCV is low, MCHC may be high but this value may not be valid, and total white blood cells is slightly high. Kidney values are normal for a greyhound. Bilirubin is within normal limits but on the high side. If you are concerned, you might want to email the test results to OSU. The greyhound experts there could review it and give you their opinion. Here is the official way to contact them: Greyhound Health and Wellness Program Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine 601 Vernon Tharp Street Columbus, Ohio 43210 Phone: (614) 247-6757 or (614) 247-8490 Email: greyosu@osu.edu Website: http://www.vet.ohio-state.edu/GHWP.htm (registration and fee now required to get full access to this site) This email goes to the team. If Dr. Couto is traveling, you may get a quicker answer from one of his team members. Drs. Marin and Zaldivar typically respond to greyhound owners. The consult is free but if you can afford to support the program please do so. You can sign up for full access to the website ($99 per calendar year) or donate through the giving page on the website. If you decide to donate, you can double your money by giving through the Greyhound Project. Just go to this website and scroll down to the appropriate donation button: http://www.adopt-a-greyhound.org/donate.shtml. They will match the funds that you donate. The Team: Dr. Couto, Department Head, Greyhound Medicine, Oncology and Hematology Dr. Lili Marin, Greyhound Health and Oncology Dr. Sara Zaldivar, Greyhound Health and Oncology Dr. William Kisselberth, Oncology Dr. Cheryl London, Oncology Dr. Cristina Iazbik, Blood Bank Director and Hematologist Dr. Bridget Urie, Oncology Resident Dr. Matt Sherger, Oncology Resident Dawn Hudson, Vet Tech Ashley DeFelice, Vet Tech Stacey Gallant, Vet Tech Drs Marin and Zaldivar are originally from Spanish speaking countries. If you have trouble understanding them over the phone, you might ask for one of the other vets or vet techs to translate. Dr. Couto's direct email is: couto.1@osu.edu His phone number is also 614-247-6757. If he is in town, he typically returns emails in the early hours of the morning. You should know that (in my humble opinion) they need more staff. Unfortunately finances do not permit it at this time. They do 20 to 30 greyhound consults a day along with all of their "in canine" patients. Depending on their workload there may be a wait for the consultation. If you are contacting them on an emergency basis, please let them know. The main number for the veterinary hospital is 614-292-3551 If you don't hear back through the normal channels, you could try contacting the hematologist, Dr. Iazbik at Iazbik.1@osu.edu Jane Edited June 16, 2010 by joejoesmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joejoesmom Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 Change to my previous post: I just saw an abstract that indicates that greyhounds can have a higher MVC and MCHC than other dogs (Journal of the American Veterinary Association, Sept 15, 2004). Your dog has low MVC and high MCHC, so not sure what this tells us. I also found an article in the same Journal from 1974 that indicates that greyhounds can have a higher bilirubin (TBIL) than an average dog. It is 4 in the morning and I am finally getting sleepy (I hate my insomnia) so I am going to call it a night. Hope all this helped. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 Thanks so much! I will send an email to OSU and see what they say. Hemopet did reply and say that everything was fine... but I'm still nervous about it. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 If they say it's fine, I wouldn't worry much. This is a one time reading also. Greyhounds tend to run high in RBC, HCT and PCV and low in WBC and lower than others in PLT. Is your vet familar with greyhounds? Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 Apparently my vet is totally unfamiliar with greyhounds! This is a BIG problem in Canada, as there are so few greyhounds around. I believe I may very well have the only greyhound in this town! And everyone, thanks for all your invaluable input! I have taken your info plus other info I've located and am trying to compile a "chart" that I give the vet, with all the normal ranges. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 I would be alittle concerned with a 42% pcv. Let us know how OSU replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joejoesmom Posted June 16, 2010 Share Posted June 16, 2010 Apparently my vet is totally unfamiliar with greyhounds! This is a BIG problem in Canada, as there are so few greyhounds around. I believe I may very well have the only greyhound in this town! And everyone, thanks for all your invaluable input! I have taken your info plus other info I've located and am trying to compile a "chart" that I give the vet, with all the normal ranges. There are a number of sites that talk about differences between a greyhound and a "real dog ". Dr. Stack and Dr. Feeman have good sites. Dr. Feeman has a paper that you can easily print out and give to your vet. If your vet doesn't want to read it and learn, then you need to find a new vet. Your vet can also sign up for OSU's Greyhound website and gain access to the "greyhound gurus". There is a charge for this but 100 percent goes to the Greyhound Health and Wellness program to fund greyhound research and greyhound consults. Dr. Feemans article: http://www.animalmedicalcentreofmedina.com/files/vet/21/e369c6e9.pdf Grassmere's site: http://www.grassmere-animal-hospital.com/greyhounds.htm Dr. Stack's site: http://www.greythealth.com/ and OSU's site (you currently must pay to get access) https://greyhound.osu.edu/ I am glad that hemopet says things are okay, but it never hurts to get a second opinion. I would also be a little bit concerned about the HCT value. I will also second that this is just a one time reading. If OSU has any concerns, I would repeat the test in a month (or whatever they recommend) and see if things have changed. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted June 16, 2010 Author Share Posted June 16, 2010 It's weird how each site only mentions 5 or 6 results and not all the rest. I wonder if that means all the rest are the same as regular dogs... I am going to contact Dr. Grassmere's clinic and see what they say. Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 Okie dokie! Hemopet confirmed that the bloodwork is fine, including her PCV/HCT. OSU also confirmed that it's fine. But I did more research anyway on the potentially anemic result... and figured out that she probably has internal parasites. So off to my local vet I went with a stinky little package and sure enough, she has hookworm. I'm going over to pick up some medication for her right now (armed with my carefully researched list of acceptable products!). I also bought some Diatomacious Earth yesterday and she'll be on that for the next month. So my baby is fine other than her little invaders and I'll be getting rid of those suckers as fast as can be! Thanks, everyone, for your help! Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlies_Dad Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Good work on finding the hookworm! And way to go trying to understand the bloodwork. As for vets in small towns, I hear you, it can be tough. We are lucky to have a sighthound savvy vet close by but her hours are not so good. Quote Kyle with Stewie ('Super C Ledoux, Super C Sampson x Sing It Blondie) and forever missing my three angels, Jack ('Roy Jack', Greys Flambeau x Miss Cobblepot) and Charlie ('CTR Midas Touch', Leo's Midas x Hallo Argentina) and Shelby ('Shari's Hooty', Flying Viper x Shari Carusi) running free across the bridge. Gus an coinnich sinn a'rithist my boys and little girl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 (edited) Greyt work, keeping after it and finding the hookworm! Let me just add that since your vet isn't especially greyhound savvy, he/she may not know a lot about hookworm either. It may require more aggressive treatment than otherwise, given it's bad enough to affect the PCV. So I'd advise that you do an archive search on hookworm here on GT to see how others have dealt with hookworm in their pups. (Our Spencer has a permanent case of hookworm and the IBD to show for it.) And of course you can always start a new thread and just ask people for their hookworm experiences. Best of luck and, again, congratulations on getting to the bottom of this! Edited June 21, 2010 by greyhead Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Good for you!!! Glad you followed through with your research!!! You'll see that HCT climb back up in no time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kudzu Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 But I did more research anyway on the potentially anemic result... and figured out that she probably has internal parasites. So off to my local vet I went with a stinky little package and sure enough, she has hookworm. I'm going over to pick up some medication for her right now ... Good job, Lisa. Great detection work. Summer is a lucky pup! Wishing you both many years of health & happiness together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsy Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 But a terrible error has been made--we haven't seen any pictures of Summer! Quote Patsy and DH with the Humane Society specials, Linus & Jazz, in North Dakota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KennelMom Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 I'd get your vet a copy of Care of the Racing and Retired Greyhound for reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 I even had it diagnosed in my own head as specifically hookworm and when the poopy package was delivered, the vet was told to make sure the poop was checked for hookworm. LOL, I'm so proud of myself! ) And here's a pic of my beautiful Summer! In all her (somewhat wormy) good health! Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MZH Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 Okie dokie! Hemopet confirmed that the bloodwork is fine, including her PCV/HCT. OSU also confirmed that it's fine. But I did more research anyway on the potentially anemic result... and figured out that she probably has internal parasites. So off to my local vet I went with a stinky little package and sure enough, she has hookworm. I'm going over to pick up some medication for her right now (armed with my carefully researched list of acceptable products!). I also bought some Diatomacious Earth yesterday and she'll be on that for the next month. So my baby is fine other than her little invaders and I'll be getting rid of those suckers as fast as can be! Thanks, everyone, for your help! I'll be darned; great detective work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greyhead Posted June 21, 2010 Share Posted June 21, 2010 What a GORGEOUS girl! Quote Mary with Jumper Jack (2/17/11) and angels Shane (PA's Busta Rime, 12/10/02 - 10/14/16) and Spencer (Dutch Laser, 11/25/00 - 3/29/13). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 I'm biased but I think so, too! Which isn't to say she can't look retarded and ridiculous, LOL! Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EllenEveBaz Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 (edited) on the hookworm diagnostics. Which isn't to say she can't look retarded and ridiculous, But as we know, that's all part of that fabled greyhound charm. Edited June 22, 2010 by EllenEveBaz Quote Ellen, with brindle Milo and the blonde ballerina, Gelsey remembering Eve, Baz, Scout, Romie, Nutmeg, and Jeter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joejoesmom Posted June 22, 2010 Share Posted June 22, 2010 on the hookworm diagnostics. Which isn't to say she can't look retarded and ridiculous, But as we know, that's all part of that fabled greyhound charm. Kudo's from me too on the hookworms. I think perhaps your vet should hire you. Your baby is absolutely gorgeous! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 (edited) Awwww, you're all giving me the warm fuzzies! I feel so smart now, LOL -- but I hope I NEVER have to do this again! It was too scary. Edited June 22, 2010 by OwnedBySummer Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.