My dog's blood work is normal. Could it still be stage 4 lymphoma?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Pit Bull Terrier | Female | spayed
Do normal blood levels (platelet and white blood counts), rule out stage 4 lymphoma cancer?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on November 7th, 2016
Usually more than elevated number you can find atypical blood cells (lymphocytes) in peripheral blood. Atypical means that their shape is unusual and suggestive of possible cancer. If no atypical cells are present and liver and spleen are not involved stage IV is ruled out. Stage V features include involvement of blood, bone marrow, central nervous system, or other organs (other than spleen or liver).
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on October 6th, 2017
Routine bloodwork is not sufficient to diagnose lymphoma. Sometimes it can show changes in white blood cell levels that would clue us in to look for cancer, but it is not a "cancer test". I would recommend that you discuss lymph node biopsy with your vet as the next diagnostic step.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma based on all lymph nodes being grossly enlarged as well as her spleen. My vet did blood work but the tests all came back normal. Does this mean she doesn't have lymphoma or did we just catch it in an early
Routine bloodwork is not sufficient to diagnose lymphoma. Sometimes it can show changes in white blood cell levels that would clue us in to look for cancer, but it is not a "cancer test". I would recommend that you discuss lymph node biopsy with your vet as the next diagnostic step.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 8 year old Labrador had a vet appointment today. Her doctor did a CBC and said everything looked good. However when I got home I saw the lab work report and a couple things (lymphocytes, monocytes, RDW) were listed abnormal. It also said they were
I can see the results, but I'm unable to see the reference ranges for each value which can vary based on the machine so it's a little difficult to say for certain what these changes could mean. It looks to me like the monocytes and lymphocytes (specific types of white blood cells) are a little low - this could be a stress response which is very normal for a dog having it's blood drawn in the hospital. Some dogs simply lie on the lower end of the reference range as well. I can't think of any disease where low lymphocytes and monocytes in the absence of other changes would be significant, and this would not raise a flag for possible cancer in my mind. Red cell distribution width (RDW) gives an idea of the average size of a red blood cell and mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCH) tells how much hemoglobin is present in each cell - these parameters are really only significant when there is also anemia or low hematocrit. If you have other concerns you should definitely follow up with you
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I'm attaching the Blood test reports Is it cancer or just something else
It may be cancer but it could also be an autoimmune disrase. More testing is going to be needed. Are the lymph nodes enlarged? If so, your vet needs to do an aspirate of the lymph nodes. That will give you a better idea of what’s going on.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi trixie was just diagnosed with small cell lymphoma and we’ve met with an oncologist for a treatment plan. Why is it that lymphoma never showed up in the bloodwork that we’ve taken several times in the last couple months? .. It could only be confir
These are great questions. Contrary to popular belief, most cancer patients in veterinary medicine have completely unremarkable bloodwork. Just because there are many extra lymphocytes in the walls of the intestines, does not mean there are extra lymphocytes in the blood stream - where our sample comes from. We can be suspicious of it from an ultrasound but cannot truly diagnose it without the biopsy. As for the second part, small cell lymphoma is a disease that affects large sections of or almost the entire small bowel. It is not a single mass that can be removed. Luckily for you, small cell lymphoma responds well to chemotherapy in most cases. Best wishes to you and Trixie.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was just diagnosed with lymphoma All of her lymph nodes are swollen She is acting like there is nothing wrong with her. What stage of lymphoma would she be considered to have
I'm so sorry you and Fendi are going through this. Please consider a referral to a veterinary oncologist for a consultation to see what options are available for Fendi's treatment. There are chemotherapy protocols for canine lymphoma treatment/management that may be good options for Fendi, but they need to be started asap. Fendi may be acting normal now, but if left untreated, lymphoma in dogs can be fatal in a matter of weeks. The good news is that in dogs where lymphoma is treated with chemotherapy protocols and goes into remission, the dogs usually feel good, and often seem to be back to “normal” while in remission. The oncologist and your regular veterinarian can work with you to find the best plan for you and Fendi based on Fendi’s overall health and response to treatment. Please see the following links for more information and to learn more about staging: https://caninelymphoma.com/ https://caninelymphoma.com/canine-lymphoma-stages/ https://vet.purdue.edu/pcop/canine-lymphoma
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
So yesterday the vet said fluffy had nasal cancer but good news today call and said that fluffys blood work came back that he didn't find cancer in his blood but his white blood cells were a little high that he said he believes he can have a infectio
I am sorry Fluffy has not been feeling well. It is possible that patients can have normal blood work and still have cancer. Sometimes cancer does not show up in blood work. Typically cancers that are locally invasive like the nose do not show up in blood work. The best option is to try and take skull x-rays or have a CT/MRI completed to look at the swelling to help determine the cause. Fluffy might have an infection causing facial swelling or infection around a mass. Unfortunately with out more information we cannot tell if Fluffy has cancer. I hope he feels better soon
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has multiple enlarged lymph nodes but biopsy and blood tests show no cancer only WBC is 38000 and he doesn’t act sick, what to do next?
If there is no detectable cancer, then the best thing to do here is treat it like an inflammatory condition with steroids +/- antibiotics through your vet. I would also consider an abdominal ultrasound just to be thorough. Elevated WBC's either means infection or inflammation in most cases, especially if cancer is ruled out. I hope that this helps and best of luck moving forward with your pet Chub. Take care. : )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
is this blood test results normal? anything serious? any infections? jelly got her blood test results from her annual checkup. also checked for heartworms but negative. thanks
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jelly. She has some mild changes such as an elevation in her lymphocytes. These are white blood cells. While this can indicate an infection or inflammation in the body, it may also be an insignificant finding for her. If she is acting normally, then I would not be concerned. If she is sick, however, then she may need this result repeated based on her recovery. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has a swollen lymph node causing breathing issues. After some tests (ultrasound of abdomen - with swollen nodes - and chest x-ray), the vet thinks its lymphoma, despite the cytology coming back as lymphoid hyperplasia. Her only other symptoms
I'm sorry Shiloh isn't doing well! Unfortunately cancer can be common in senior dogs, and I'm not surprised your vet suspects lymphoma. Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain what is her diagnosis, so I recommend taking her into another vet for a second opinion. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi I’m coming on here for help because in March I took my dog to her vet for some bloodwork they never told me if she was healthy or not and have been reaching out to them for months and finally got the copy that they couldn’t manage to send to me.
It appears that everything in that bloodwork is within normal range. It is not unusually for bloodwork to be normal when there is a lump. The best way to diagnose the type of lump is a needle aspirate or a biopsy. A needle aspirate is a simple procedure that your vet can do to determine if it should be removed. I’m not sure if the lump is getting bigger or changing but, if it is, then she should definitely be examined soon. If it turns out to be a benign lump then you may be able to just monitor it without removing at this time.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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