Beckylpa Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 My two greyhounds recently had bloodwork because we were going to do dentals. The dentals haven't occurred yet because they both had low platelet counts. Jasmine is an 8 1/2 year old female. We've had her over 6 years and she has been in good health. Her platelet count was 51,000. The only comparison I have is from bloodwork in September 2011 the count was 116. I have not observed any bruising. She does seem to be drinking more water recently. The vet was concerned about the platelets so we did urinalysis. The first two urinalysis had a trace of blood. The third one did not. She also had a trace of protein. She was tested for Lymes in April and June and also received the Lymes vaccination. Sam is a 10 year old male. We've had him 7 years. His platelet count was 61,000. Urinalysis showed a trace of protein. Sam experienced some medical concerns shortly after we adopted him such as Lepto, diabetes inspididus, and more recently arthritis. He does very well on Desmopressin and Carprofen. I am stumped that both of my pups would have such low platelet counts. I am more worried about Jasmine at this time because of the increase in water and she is very restless at night now. I would appreciate any feedback. The vet was initially concerned about the low platelet counts but now is taking a wait and see approach. I am not comfortable with waiting. I scheduled for recheck of bloodwork for next week. A side note, we moved to the eastern shore of Maryland approximately two years ago. Unfortunately we haven't found a greyhound savvy vet here. The current vet does see a few greyhounds. Thank you. Becky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldrunners Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Where are you on the eastern shore? Within a drivable distance of southern Delaware? We have a grey-savvy vet here in Milford, and there are 2 grey savvy practices in Rehoboth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryJane Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 If they didn't turn the blood tube quickly enough, it may have formed some clots and as a result, causes the decrease in the platelet count. Also, you might want to ask if they can do a manual count - sometimes the machines do not count "clumped platelets" correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckylpa Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 I'm in Salisbury so I'm about an hour from Rehoboth. I am definitely considering a second vet checking them out. Can you give me names of the vets in Milford and Rehoboth? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldrunners Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Haven Lake Animal Hospital in Milford. There are 5 vets in the practice, but my dogs only see Dr. Coon (the owner), Dr. Francis and Dr. Adkins. Rehoboth Animal Hospital, in Rehoboth. One of the local adopters and a foster mom is a vet tech there. Savannah Animal Hospital enjoys an excellent reputation, is a 24 hour practice, but I have heard many times that they are pricey. I don't know that personally because I'm perfectly happy with Haven Lake. BTW, I can make it to Barnes and Noble from Milford in an hour and 10, so your trip to Rehoboth should be less than an hour... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) I agree with MaryJane. It might just be a lab issue. I'd recheck a CBC and consider doing a manual count on a blood smear before getting too worried. If the platelets are persistently low, I'd recommend doing a tick-borne disease panel, and maybe even just treat with a course of doxycycline. Ehrlichia can cause low platelet counts. Edited July 9, 2015 by JJNg Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Oh my. I'm learning more about platelets now that Kasey is going through chemo, both of your reported numbers are considerably lower than the "threshold". Typically their range is about 110-205 (thousands) or so. For example, Kasey's blood work last Friday said 53, but on Monday was 179. Reason for the increase? - he's eating. The most important thing is that they eat in order to try to create more platelets. So I would first ask, because you didn't mention - are they eating? Are they eating according to their usual routine? Are they eating enough? What are they eating? What is their weight? Do they seem lethargic? Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJNg Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Looking at a dog's overall health and clinical status is always a good idea, but I would have to say that platelet counts aren't directly affected by whether a dog is eating or not. Simply not eating will not cause a dog's platelet count to drop, although if they are sick, the same problem that's giving them a poor appetite could be causing the low platelets. And if there's a problem affecting the bone marrow's production of platelets, or increased consumption or destruction of platelets, eating won't make that count increase. Quote Jennifer & Willow (Wilma Waggle), Wiki (Wiki Hard Ten), Carter (Let's Get It On), Ollie (whippet), Gracie (whippet x), & Terra (whippet) + Just Saying + Just Alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 (edited) Platelets are produced by the bone marrow and are replaced approximately every 10 days. When a low platelet count is discovered it's either because the marrow is not producing platelets as it should or the body is destroying them. Another reason is from outside factors--they are being destroyed by disease processes (ticks borne disease) or by factors such as chemotherapy. There are a few foods that can inhibit platelet growth. Regarding blood draws proper venipuncture skills are very important. I have always said that platelets are like teenage kids that need to hang out together. This is why you hear the words clumping. ( interesting side bar--cats tend to have platelet clumping too). They will tend to clump making it impossible for the automatic readers to count the platelets properly. Creating a blood smear (which is exactly what it sounds like) will allow a proper count-a drop of blood is prepared on a microscope slide--then the technician or veterinarian will actually look through the microscope and visually count the amount of platelets they see under high power field (they are tiny little suckers). Greyhounds often have a decreased platelet count compared to other breeds. It can be normal to see a count of 80,000. Not to say you should accept this as a norm until other disease processes have been eliminated. Achieving baseline bloods when you first adopt your hound are so important as it will help determine the "norm" for your dog. Edited--JJNg we posted the same time! Edited July 9, 2015 by tbhounds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTRAWLD Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Looking at a dog's overall health and clinical status is always a good idea, but I would have to say that platelet counts aren't directly affected by whether a dog is eating or not. Simply not eating will not cause a dog's platelet count to drop, although if they are sick, the same problem that's giving them a poor appetite could be causing the low platelets. And if there's a problem affecting the bone marrow's production of platelets, or increased consumption or destruction of platelets, eating won't make that count increase. Correct, but not eating certainly won't help. I was simply trying to ask OP to identify or rule out from step one without needing to get into why. Quote Proudly owned by:10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 201012.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckylpa Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Thanks for all your feedback. I really appreciate it. Jasmine has always been excited about meal time, eating fast and licking the bowl clean. Within the past month she has slowed down while eating. On several occasions she left a few pieces of kibble in the bowl. What's interesting though is if I pick her food dish up and put it in the holder where Sam eats she will finish. She's been a little picky with treats. As of now she hasn't lost any weight. Jasmine hovers around 70 pounds so she is not petite. For several years I have been feeding them Blue, alternating between Fish and Sweet Potato and Chicken and Brown Rice. A few times I gave them Blue Wilderness Chicken or Salmon. Jasmines's activity level has slowed down a bit, but it wasn't a drastic change. I was thinking it was her age (8 1/2). She will sleep for hours during the day. However she does a daily walk with enthusiasm and runs quite fast in the yard at least once a day. She jumps up on furniture without any trouble. She has started being restless at bedtime. She used to lay down on a dog bed and sleep all night. Lately she has been laying on the floor moving about to different spots. She will nap on the dog beds during the day. She also gets up and goes out to the kitchen to get a drink, which is highly unusual for her. It has been hot here but we have central air on 24/7. So I think activity level and food are good things to monitor. Interesting about the blood draw, the vet needed two tubes because he struggled to get enough blood the first time from Jasmine. For Sam he used one tube. The vet tried to obtain the blood from a back leg first but my guys weren't having it so he went to the front leg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbhounds Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Next time your vet or the vet tech should use the jugular vein--go big or go home ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckylpa Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Next time your vet or the vet tech should use the jugular vein--go big or go home ;-) Ha I agree!! Thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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