Tempe’s latest CBC

[Rosemary Sanchez]

Just got Tempe’s latest CBC and her HCT is at 47, which is great. Her platelets are at 541. But, her WBC is at 43.5 (normal is 4.0-15). I recently started her on Soloxine for her thyroid. Do you think the high WBC is of concern? I’m thinking maybe she’s producing a lot more blood because of the soloxine, so maybe I should start lowering her pred and cyclo. She got a nasty bruise on the spot they drew blood from yesterday. What do you all think? Thanks!

[Patrice]

Rosemary,

That is great that Tempe’s HCT is 47! That is right smack dab in the middle of normal.

You probably should begin decreasing either the prednisone or the cylosporine (but not both at the same time) if your vet agrees that it is time.

The platelet count is a tiny bit high and that is usually due in most cases to a combination of dehydration when the sample is taken and stress excitement in the dog. If your vet did not say something then I wouldn’t worry.

Soloxine is a thyroid hormone, as you have probably figured out. The thyroid certainly plays a role in the making of blood, but it would not be directly responsible for the production of more white blood cells than are normal.

If your lab’s range for WBC is 4.0-15 and the value for WBC is 43.5 I would like to know what your vet said to you about this? I can tell you a few things, but I want to know what they said first. In other words, is this an aberration? If they didn’t say anything, then it would be good to call and ask.

my best, patrice

 

[Rosemary Sanchez]

Thank you Patrice. My regular vet who I go to locally for bloodwork said I should call the Internal Medicine specialist to ask what his opinion is on the high WBC. So I’ve put in a call to him, but probably will not hear back until tonight. Tempe is acting good, eating good, pooping good, and as far as I can tell does not have a fever or pain. I should be celebrating such a great HCT, and instead I’m obsessing about her WBC. I just can’t get a break.

[Patrice]

Well, the first thing I would want to know is if they think this value is correct or not. There is always a chance that things can be inaccurate on a test.

So the first thing I would do if this were me is look at the last 2-3 tests and compare those values with this one. Was there a gradual rise in the values over that period of time? Or was it perfectly normal or slightly elevated before and then suddenly out of the blue it is high? Did they perhaps use a new, different, lab this time?

So, let’s make sure this is an accurate value first.

my best, patrice

[Rosemary Sanchez]

Her last CBC was three weeks ago, and her WBC was 13.5, before that it was 10.7 and 7.6.  The other numbers on this current CBC that are strange are her neutrophils shot up to 39585 from 11475, and her lymphocytes went down to 2% from 9%. Everything else had stayed pretty close in numbers the last 3 CBCs. Maybe redo the test, even though I hate having to do that. I’ll see what the specialist says. Thanks Patrice! I’m so glad you maintained this board!

[Patrice]

Ok, so this is an abnormal value. Neutrophils are a type of white bloods cells that are in the greatest number in our body so when their value is high, the total WBC value will be high. When their value is high it generally indicates that the body is fighting an infection.

However, it is possible that immunosuppressive doses of prednisone can raise the WBC value.

In addition, when there is a state of high regeneration in the bone marrow, there can be a surge of the production of WBC.

Abnormally high levels of WBC, especially lymphocytes, can indicate a form of leukemia.

If this is a true value then the first thing that should be explored is to find out if there is an infection. In dogs, I would always think of a UTI urinary tract infection, especially female dogs. The use of high dose Prednisone can influence this.

Dogs can be very resilient and stoic about this kind of thing. I have a good friend who is blind and has used Seeing Eye Dogs for many years. Her guide dog developed a UTI that was quite serious and she was distraught that she didn’t know there was something wrong because she couldn’t see, but also because her dog was highly trained and would not neglect her duty.

So this might be a good question to start with your vet.

my best, patrice

[Rosemary Sanchez]

Thank you Patrice.  I’m still waiting for her Internal Medicine Dr. to call me, but this information has been most helpful.  I’m hoping it is a reaction to the meds she’s taking and that lowering them will help lower it. I’ll let you know when I hear from him.

[Vally]

Fingers crossed.