Vet Ignores Greyhound Blood Values? Wants Tick Test

[Guest greytmiles]

Hi all!

I took Miles in to vet yesterday b/c he came back from overnight boarding with what turned out to be a couple pretty large and dark bruises on his belly. They were very nasty looking.

 

Vet diagnosed them as hematomas, possibly from trauma.

(Miles does play hard, but I've never seen anything like that before.)

She also checked his gums and ears and armpits - all clear.

His behavior and appetite all seem normal.

 

Since he was getting his annual heartworm test anyway, she checked his blood for coagulation and platelet count.

Heartworm came back negative, and coagulation came back with normal clotting time.

Platelets came in at 87. She cited the 'normal' range as 170-400 (instead of greyhound 80-200).

Now she wants to test for Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis.

 

Should he have the tests?

Thanks!!

Erin

[tbhounds]

Your vet should have run a snap 4dx test rather than a straight heartworm test -- most clinics have the test in the fridge. The tests checks for heartworm, Lyme, anaplasma and ehriichia---it's a 8 minute in hospital test. That being said- while 87,000 is low for other breeds it's not uncommon to see a hound that low. I wouldn't expect to see brusing with an 87,000 count. Run the snap for peace of mind.

[Guest KennelMom]

yeah, I'd ask if they can do a snap test....our vet doesn't always keep these on hand, so your's may not either.

[Guest Swifthounds]

Does your vet not use the Snap 4 HW test? (It's HW, Lyme, Erhlichia canis, and Anaplasma Phagocytophilium) It's usually not much more expensive than the other Snap HW tests and it's pretty commonly carried by vets, though in some practices you need to specifically ask for it.

 

Was anything else not WLN in the bloodwork? Were there changes from previous blood work? Has the hound been tested for TBD previously? Did you ask at the boarding place whether there was rough play or trauma that could have caused the bruises?

 

Elrichia in particular can present with normal blood values, so even if the platelets were normal it could still be a concern.

[MP_the4pack]

If the bruises are from playing too rough, platelets would have been used up in the clotting, so they very well could be low just from the bruising. (of course, it could be the other way around, he bruised because of low platelets)

Edited December 21, 2010 by MP_the4pack

[sweetdogs]

I'd run a snap if that's what the vet want to do (probably is). Bring a copy of the greyhound bloodwork guidelines (I'll find the linky in a minute) so she can get up to speed.

 

Did the boarding facility say what happened? That's the question I'd be asking....

 

eta: here's the linky: greyhound idiosyncrasies Huh - says that platelets under 100K could be a sign of TBD's. Maybe your vet already has this!

Edited December 21, 2010 by sweetdogs

[tbhounds]

One thing to remember that your vet did the auto platelet count--- numbers could vary greatly when a manual count is performed. You could always have the remaining blood sent to the lab for the man. count. I had a hound fighting pancytopenia-- her auto count came back 12,000 and when I requested a manual count it came back 37,000-- huge difference! The auto count has trouble because our hounds platelets love to clump making it very hard to get an accurate auto count.

[Burpdog]

I think every greyhound should have a tick panel done. Suggest Protatek. They have a greyhound rate and it's affordable.

 

I refuse to "allow" my guys to have low platelets. 150,000 is "my" cut off.

[tbhounds]

Just why did you choose the number 150?

[Burpdog]

A vet suggested it. I have had numerous discussions regarding platelet counts with vets. I personally believe this guideline was a result of "not good" breeding or chronically comprised greyhounds who had tick diseases. These guidelines were established in Texas as a result of a vet who was also a greyhound racing breeder.

 

It's a major issue with me. I have seen my greys have lower platelet counts and when put on doxy, see those platelets come up to reasonable levels. There is something we are not seeing or allowing for.

 

When you have a greyhound with lower platelets and brusing, that to me is a serious issue and I'd have them on doxy and do a tick panel.

 

I find it interested that many of the older greys I've had have higher platelet counts than the younger ones. Many of my older (meaning in the past and they were old) except for my first two greys, have had platelet counts of over 200,000.

[greyhead]

I also think every greyhound should be TBD tested. And my lack of faith in norms is getting to be well-known. It makes me very sad to see how confident people can be that nothing's wrong if the values are within normal range.

 

Anybody but me old enough to remember when normal human blood pressure was considered to be "140 plus your age"?!

[Guest ChasesMum]

having had a hound with ehrlichiosis crop up at least 7 yrs post tick bite (we had her for over 7 yrs in Canada where dog ticks don't exist) I would also start on doxy and run the tick panel. If it comes back positive they should be running a PCR (Polymerare chain reaction) to check for tick DNA in the blood which would indicate an active tick reaction.

 

my dog had some kind of diffuse cancer complicating things as well, but she didnt make it and we don't really know which disease came first. never again will I say "ticks don't exist up here, that can't be it" and not run a tick panel.

[tbhounds]

I do believe the vet initally should have run the snap test. If the test shows a positive result then further testing should be done such as a complete PCR test (such as Antech's Fast back panel). Personally, I would still request a manual platelet count if for no other reason to get an accurate true base line number. However, I would not start my hound on Doxy w/o complete diagnostics performed. I think that it's a stretch to think that a hound with a count of above 80,000 would have petechiae but, I do believe a follow up is warranted. The manual count may be grossly higher than what was already reported.

[Batmom]

What tbhounds said.

[greyhead]

A vet suggested it. I have had numerous discussions regarding platelet counts with vets. I personally believe this guideline was a result of "not good" breeding or chronically comprised greyhounds who had tick diseases. These guidelines were established in Texas as a result of a vet who was also a greyhound racing breeder.

 

It's a major issue with me. I have seen my greys have lower platelet counts and when put on doxy, see those platelets come up to reasonable levels. There is something we are not seeing or allowing for.

 

When you have a greyhound with lower platelets and brusing, that to me is a serious issue and I'd have them on doxy and do a tick panel.

 

I find it interested that many of the older greys I've had have higher platelet counts than the younger ones. Many of my older (meaning in the past and they were old) except for my first two greys, have had platelet counts of over 200,000.

What Burpdog said is very important.

[Guest greytmiles]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

The vet ran the 8-min. test in the office last night, and Miles came back negative for Lymes, Ana, Ehrlichia, and HW.

 

HOWEVER, she put him on Doxy 2x/day for the next 30 days... just in case? She said there were several different types of Ehrlichia, and since he's in a 'high-risk group' (a greyhound coming off a Southeastern track) she wanted to go ahead and start treatment.

I'm to bring him in in 10-15 days to check his platelet count again (last recorded was 87K, and I do believe it was based on a manual count, b/c she said the lab 'checked twice' to make sure the number was accurate).

 

He's had two doses so far with no tummy trouble... we'll see how it goes.

I'm going to read more on the forum now about the varying opinions on Doxy.

Wow, it's so hard to know what the best decisions are, both as 'new mom' and medical layperson!

Thanks for all the info, opinions, and advice.

Best,

Erin + Miles

 

Hi all!

I took Miles in to vet yesterday b/c he came back from overnight boarding with what turned out to be a couple pretty large and dark bruises on his belly. They were very nasty looking.

 

Vet diagnosed them as hematomas, possibly from trauma.

(Miles does play hard, but I've never seen anything like that before.)

She also checked his gums and ears and armpits - all clear.

His behavior and appetite all seem normal.

 

Since he was getting his annual heartworm test anyway, she checked his blood for coagulation and platelet count.

Heartworm came back negative, and coagulation came back with normal clotting time.

Platelets came in at 87. She cited the 'normal' range as 170-400 (instead of greyhound 80-200).

Now she wants to test for Ehrlichia and Anaplasmosis.

 

Should he have the tests?

Thanks!!

Erin

[kudzu]

His platelet count was WNL but at the low end for a Grey. There was what sounds like an abnormal amount of bruising. He could be healthy & fine, just unlucky enough to do something that cause the bruising. However, where possible tick diseases are concerned I am inclined to be cautious. I'd likely run the tick panel, stick with the doxy for the 30 days & then extend it or switch to a different drug depending on the test results. Remember though that diagnosing tick diseases is not straightforward. Also, though it is usually a pretty safe drug, doxy can cause problems for some dogs. Did your vet run a blood chem as well?