From:
dr_bruce_williams
Date: 2002-01-10 08:45:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Anemia
--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., katharine <katharine@n...> wrote:
> I need a little help here. I don't really know
> where to start my research. Cedes had bloodwork
> on
> Monday and Doc called me last night to say that he
> is anemic (low RBC count). He wants to draw
> some more blood to try to determine the cause of
> the anemia, which would, in turn, point us in the
> right direction for treatment. I am attaching his
> bloodwork (I hope it's readable; I scanned it into
> a Word document). I assume the Globulin is the
> culprit but it is showing in the "high" range ???
>
Dear Katharine:
The blood values that you posted are chemistry values, and while
useful as a general screen for several organ systems, tell nothing
about the anemia, its degree or possible cause. This information is
found on the complete blood count, which would be a separate page,
and is required before any evaluation can be performed.
Out of context, it is difficult to say why a globulin is elevated.
Most are elvated due to chronic inflammation, and older ferrets often
have long-standing GI disease - especially those with a history of
ECE. However, it should be correlated with the CBC results for other
signs of inflammatory disease, as well as the level of the anemia.
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM