My cat is anemic and has high reticulocytes. What does it mean?

The amount of time it takes for an animal to recover from anemia depends on the cause. There are multiple types of anemia and many causes of anemia. Infection, decreased production, destruction and hemorrhage. Diagnosis of anemia can sometimes be a bit tricky. However, that being said I would at least check for some of the most common infectious diseases that lead to anemia. There are infectious disease blood panels I can be sent out to the laboratory that test for a multitude of infectious organisms that can potentially cause anemia. If an abdominal ultrasound has not been performed, I would consider having this done as part of a full workup as well as a urinalysis. Without seeing her for an examination and not having the blood work in front of me, it is difficult to guide you in the exact direction that you should go. These are just some suggestions four cases that I commonly see. A reticulocyte count may also help in ruling out causes. A reticulocyte count tells us if the anemia is

Hi and thank you for your question on Boop by Petco! I am sorry Ickle is having these issues- sounds like there is a lot going on with him.. It is hard to say what exactly is causing Ickle's symptoms without examining him first, but these symptoms could point to advanced stage kidney disease which is very common in cats and can cause lethargy, anemia, and inappetence as toxins that should be normally filtered by the kidneys build up in the body. Kidneys make a substance that stimulated red blood cell production so when the kidney function in compromised, this substance is not made as much as can cause anemia. Another possibility may be liver disease or certain cancers. A simple blood test can be determine what organ(s) are not functioning well so the appropriate treatments can be given. Best of luck to you and Ickle!

Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Kitty! Anemia can cause an increased respiratory rate and effort as red blood cells are the carries of oxygen through the body. But if the breathing is loud in the nose then it is likely congestion in the nasal cavity or sinuses. An upper respiratory tract infection is usually viral in nature but we use the antibiotics to prevent secondary infections. If she is otherwise her normal self and eating I would watch her. If she isn't eating and is more lethargic then she should be rechecked right away by your vet to be sure her anemia isn't worse or that she hasn't developed pneumonia. She is a young kitten and thus very fragile. Do not wait too ling before having her examined. I wish you and Kitty the very best!

An RBC of 7 is seriously low. It will take quite some time (around three weeks to get a normal RBC count) for your kitty to make new blood, so it is important that it eats and drinks. I would actually feed it canned food only, and even add some minced beef (hamburger) to it to make sure it has enough iron and moisture to make new blood. He should get a little bit better every day. Such severe anemia weakened your kitty and that is why he is so lethargic.

Hi there. If Clyde's other CBC values were all in the normal range, then no - he would not be considered anemic, and I would not expect this to have any impact whatsoever on his anesthesia risk. :) Anemia has to do with the actual red blood cell count, or hematocrit (which are normally abbreviated RBC and HCT on lab reports, respectively). Reticulocytes are immature red blood cells released by the bone marrow, and it's completely normal to have a certain number of them in circulation at any given time. RETIC-HGB refers to the hemoglobin content of the reticulocytes, not the red blood cells as a whole. If we see an elevated reticulocyte count in a dog who IS anemic (low RBC or HCT), then this can give us some additional information about the types of things that might be causing the anemia. But in a dog who *isn't* anemic, it doesn't really mean much of anything or have any particular clinical significance. If you're concerned about it, you could always opt to have lab work r

Pets that are anemic have a decreased ability to oxygenate their body, since red blood cells carry oxygen. While some increased respiratory rate is expected, it has me very concerned. Oxygen therapy will help to make sure that every red blood cell is filled with as much oxygen as possible. I would recommend discussing this with the vet and inquire about oxygen therapy and continued hospitalization.

Hi there. Unfortunately, it's not likely that liver or any other food will make much difference in his red blood cell count. Anemia in chronic kidney disease is due to the body not producing erythropoietin, which is the hormone that drives the production of new red blood cells. This type of anemia can be treated with erythropoeitin injections, so I would recommend talking to your veterinarian about this option. I have had several kitties with chronic kidney problems and anemia who responded well to this treatment.

Much more information would be required in order to make any sense or use of blood results, a summary of what has been concerning you, her signs and symptoms and response to any previous treatment i would be required at a minimum. It is unusual to have a high RBC/HCT (more than normal red blood cells )and low MCH/MCHC (usually found when recovering from anaemia). This may indicate the red blood cell production process is gone wrong and an examination of the cells under a microscope by a specialist pathologist and possible bone marrow biopsy may be required. Occasionally accidental exposure to human medications used to promote blood production can produce similar results

GGT can be a liver indicator, but does not mean anything when it is the only liver enzyme elevated. It means that the sample was likely hemolyzed, giving a false reading. Mildly elevated HCT and HGB mean that your pet may have had mild dehydration when the sample was taken. The elevated RETIC means that your pet was regenerating his red blood cells which can be due to an underlying immune mediated disorder, blood loss, or decreased blood cell production. However there are no other markers seen (RBCs are normal) to corroborate any of these situations, so a blood smear evaluation can be done to try and find more clues about what the high RETIC count means, or if it is also a false reading. The mildly low EOS is not a significant finding when this is low, only when this value is high, which can indicate a parasitic problem. I hope this helps! Best wishes and take care.

Hi there! If your cat is clinically normal (not having any symptoms of a problem), this likely is not a problem and doesn't mean anything at all. Some animals may have RBC counts that are slightly out of the normal "average" ranges on lab work. Unless there are symptoms of a problem that can be correlated with these changes, they're not usually anything to worry about.