From:
Pam Sessoms
Date: 2003-10-21 20:55:30 UTC
Subject: low RBC, high PCV - larger than normal red blood cells
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <Pine.A41.4.44+UNC.0310211652140.57786-100000@login7.isis.unc.edu>
My ferret Nana is generally tired; she's somewhere around 6-8 years old.
I'd be curious to hear what anyone thinks about her CBC. Chiefly, she has
a slightly low RBC but a slightly high PCV. My vet says this means her
red blood cells are larger than normal. I haven't heard a lot about this
particular abnormality, so I wanted to ask about it. The specifics are
below, with normals from the Fudge book and a couple of interpretative
comments from my vet:
RBC 6.65 mil/ul (normal 9.53 in males and 9.4 in females)
PCV 64% (40.5-53%)
MCV 96 (normal 48.8-54.5 with a mean of 50.28). So, her cells are bigger
than normal.
MCHC 27 (normal 30.8-32.9, mean 31.2). So, the concentration of
hemoglobin within her cells is less.
Hemoglobin 17.0 (normal 13.1-16.6 with a mean of 14.83).
Quote from my vet, "In short, she has larger than normal red cells with
the cells being less dense in hemoglobin. However she is not anemic, as
her PCV IS 64%."
Other abnormalities on the CBC:
Eosinophils 9% (0-5%)
WBC 2.0 thousand
Abnormalities on the chem panel:
Calcium 11.6 mg/dl (8-10)
Total protein 7.3 g/dl (5.0-7.0) (albumin 3.6, and globulin 3.7 g/dl)
Creatinine 0.2 mg/dl (0.4-0.7)
ATL 63 IU/L (82-289)
None of her abnormal values are dramatic...
Nana has very itchy skin with red/orange waxy deposits. We've biopsied,
cultured, scraped this skin over the years and the only thing we have ever
found is demodex. She's been treated (ivomec), and we do get negative
scrapes, yet the itching persists. We've also tried a couple of courses
of antibiotics (clavamox, then later bactrim). She has an enlarged
spleen. She's on Lupron and melatonin for a right adrenal and has a full,
lush coat and normal vulva - she nearly died after the left was removed so
I've opted for no more adrenal surgery for her - the right adrenal
actually measured smaller than normal during a recent ultrasound. Other
than the lethargy and skin problems, she is great - eats well (too well -
she is fat) and has perfect poop.
Any ideas, especially regarding this low RBC/high PCV thing?
Best wishes,
-Pam S.