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My senior dog had a seizure and low red blood cells. How to raise?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Small (up to 22lb) | Male | neutered | 18 lbs

hello My dog had a first seizure and we took him to vet. His x rays all came back clean and blood work was excellent except for his red blood cell count was at 26. is there anything I can do to raise it and what advice to give. he is 13

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 22nd, 2018

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The red blood cells could be decreased from an immune mediated condition (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia) or chronic infection. I would discuss confirming an immune mediated cause with the veterinarian so that the most appropriate treatment can be recommended. With the seizure and anemia, this could be due to a chronic infection or two complete separate problems that are unrelated. The seizure could be due to idiopathic epilepsy and just because one seizure occurred does not necessarily mean that he needs to be on anti-seizure medications. This does warrant further investigation though. A CT / MRI scan of his brain may help rule out a brain tumor as a cause for the seizure. I would recommend discussing further investigation / treatment options with your veterinarian. Valentine may need to be on immunosuppressants to treat the anemia. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

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