From:
"Sue Liszewski"
Date: 2003-10-22 05:08:29 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] low RBC, high PCV - larger than normal red blood cells
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <LAW12-F29sjCGvseE4D0000129f@hotmail.com>
Sounds like the WBC count is low too? Could be dealing with changes
secondary to chronic disease and occassionally some of the meds might
trigger her changes. Her Calcium bothers me though, because increases in
calcium can be related to cancer. I would keep an eye on it as well. I
would consider trying medicated baths and oatmeal rinse to see if it would
help the skin and maybe Baytril foe at least 3 weeks. You could also try
diphenhydramine too. I would also consider rechecking the labwork to see if
it is consistent since it depends on where and who runs it. Good Luck and
enjoy your kid it sound like he has a great life and a long one.
Sue Liszewski DVM
>From: Pam Sessoms <pjdutche@email.unc.edu>
>Reply-To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
>Subject: [ferrethealth] low RBC, high PCV - larger than normal red blood
>cells
>Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 16:55:30 -0400 (EDT)
>
>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.
>
>
>
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>
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