How should pet owners interpret their pet's blood panel results?

Understanding Your Pet's Blood Panel Results: A Guide for Pet Owners

Blood panel testing is an essential diagnostic tool that helps veterinarians assess your pet's overall health, detect diseases early, and monitor ongoing conditions. Understanding these results can help you make informed decisions about your pet's healthcare.

Key Components of a Pet Blood Panel

Complete Blood Count (CBC)

• Red Blood Cells (RBCs): Carry oxygen throughout the body

  • Low counts may indicate anemia or blood loss
  • High counts may suggest dehydration or certain diseases

• White Blood Cells (WBCs): Fight infection and respond to inflammation

  • Neutrophils: Elevated during bacterial infections or stress
  • Lymphocytes: May increase with viral infections or decrease with stress
  • Monocytes: Often rise during chronic inflammation
  • Eosinophils: Elevated with parasitic infections or allergies
  • Basophils: Rarely elevated, may increase with certain inflammatory conditions

• Platelets: Essential for blood clotting

  • Low counts may indicate bleeding disorders or immune-mediated diseases
  • High counts can occur with inflammation or certain cancers

Blood Chemistry Panel

• Kidney Function:

  • BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) and Creatinine: Elevated values may indicate kidney disease
  • Phosphorus: Often increases with kidney disease

• Liver Function:

  • ALT, AST, ALP: Elevated enzymes suggest liver damage or disease
  • Bilirubin: Elevated levels may indicate liver disease or red blood cell destruction

• Electrolytes (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride):

  • Imbalances can indicate dehydration, kidney disease, or other conditions

• Glucose:

  • High levels may suggest diabetes
  • Low levels can indicate liver disease, insulin-producing tumors, or sepsis

• Proteins (Albumin, Globulin):

  • Low albumin may indicate liver disease, protein loss, or malnutrition
  • Altered globulin levels can suggest infection or immune-mediated disease

How to Interpret Results

1. Reference Ranges: Results are compared to species-specific normal ranges

   • Values outside these ranges may indicate a problem, but must be interpreted in context

2. Pattern Recognition: Multiple abnormal values often create patterns that point to specific conditions

   • Example: Elevated liver enzymes plus increased bilirubin strongly suggests liver disease

3. Consider the Whole Picture:

   • Age, breed, medications, and clinical signs all influence interpretation
   • Some breeds have naturally different values for certain parameters 1

Common Abnormalities and What They Mean

Elevated White Blood Cells

• Often indicates infection, inflammation, or stress
• Pattern of specific WBC types helps determine the cause (bacterial vs. viral vs. parasitic) 1

Anemia (Low Red Blood Cells)

• May indicate blood loss, red blood cell destruction, or decreased production
• The appearance of red blood cells on a blood film helps determine the cause 2

Elevated Liver Enzymes

• May indicate liver damage, but can also increase with certain medications
• Dogs over 8 years of age are more likely to have elevated liver values 3

Elevated Kidney Values

• Suggests kidney disease or dehydration
• Important to check before starting certain medications like NSAIDs 3

Special Considerations for Different Species

Cats

• Have unique red blood cell and platelet characteristics that affect interpretation 2
• More prone to stress-related changes during blood collection

Exotic Pets

• Require specialized collection techniques due to their small size
• Have vastly different normal ranges compared to dogs and cats 4

When to Be Concerned

• Multiple abnormal values that form a consistent pattern
• Significant deviations from normal ranges
• Changes that correlate with clinical signs
• Progressive worsening of values over time

Questions to Ask Your Veterinarian

1. Which values are abnormal and how significant are the abnormalities?
2. Do these results explain my pet's symptoms?
3. Are follow-up tests needed?
4. How might treatments affect these values?
5. When should we recheck these values?

Blood Donor Screening

If your pet is a blood donor, additional screening tests are performed to ensure blood safety:

• Infectious disease testing specific to your region
• More comprehensive health assessment 5

Remember that blood panels are just one tool your veterinarian uses to assess your pet's health. The results should always be interpreted in the context of your pet's overall condition, history, and clinical signs.