Transcript Carolina Raptor Center Board Meeting Presentation

Hematology
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Why bother?
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Inexpensive
Fast
Easy to do
Provides are lot of good information
But, it requires training to be useful
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Indications
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To monitor
treatment
As part of intake
minimum database
To screen for
disease
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PCV\TP
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PCV should be between 40 – 45
 Deceased from
 Blood loss
 Chronic disease
 Emaciation
 Increased from dehydration
TP\TS should be around 2.5 - 4.5
 Decreased from
 Emaciation
 Increased from
 Dehydration
 Inflammation or infection
Making a smear
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Feathered edge
Use 2 slides
Blood smears
Too thick
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Blood smears
OK
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Cell types
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Erythrocytes
Thrombocytes
Heterophils – like neutrophils
Eosinophils – function not well
understood.
Lymphocytes
Monocytes
Basophils – rare, function unknown
Everything is nucleated!
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Erythrocyte
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Nucleated
Usually uniform
color\size
Immature forms
commonly seen
during a
regenerative
response
(rubriblasts,
rubricytes)
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Regenerative response
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Thrombocyte
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Nucleated
Ellipsoid
Clear cytoplasm
Differentiate from
lymphocytes based on
shape and cytoplasmic color.
Usually seen in clumps
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Heterophil
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Functions like mammalian neutrophil
Usually the most common white blood
cell type.
Normal – densely packed, red, rodshaped granules and a highly
segmented nucleus
Left-shift can produce:
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Bands – bean-shaped nucleus
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Toxic changes – blue, foamy
cytoplasm and dark red granule
cores. Need to differentiate from
degranulation
Rod-shaped granules
Toxic heterophils
Degranulated heterophils
Eosinophil
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Segemented nucleus like
heterophil
Densely packed spherical
granules.
Size and color of granules vary
with species
Function not well-understood:
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Parasitic infections?
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Eosinophil
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Granules
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Lymphocyte
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Large nuclear to cytoplasmic
ratio
Can have just a small
crescent of intensely
basophilic cytoplasm
Size varies – can be
confused with monocytes
Can have cytoplasmic blebs
when activated or reactive
Can mold to adjacent RBC’s
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Monocyte
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Usually large with a bean-shaped
nucleus
Can be confused with large
lymphocytes
A good indicator of chronic,
granulomatous disease
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Such as Aspergillosis in juvenile RTHA’s
MAC
Seen a lot when there is extensive
tissue trauma
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What do you see?
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What do you see?
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What do you see?
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What do you see?
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What do you see?
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Hemoparasites
Hemoproteus
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Transmitted by
Hippoboscid (flat)
flies
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Usually nonpathogenic
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Very common
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Not treated and
treatment is not
always effective.
Pathogenic in
Florida?
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Hemoparasites
Leukocytozoon
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Transmitted by
black fly
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Usually nonpathogenic
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Relatively common
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Not treated
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Hemoparasites
Plasmodium
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Transmitted by mosquitoes
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Can produce serious
disease
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“Jade green” mutes
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Treat with malaria drugs
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Insect vector control
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Interpretation
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A single CBC is usually not as helpful as serial
CBC’s that allow you see trends.
“Normal” ranges are variable, very wide, and not
well documented.
TREAT THE BIRD, NOT THE CBC
 For example, Merlins have low WBC counts
(<5000)
Don’t get hung up on exact numbers. Is it high,
low, or about normal?
Don’t get hung up on unidentifiable cells.
Do serial CBC’s to catch trends
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High, low, or normal?
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Interpretation
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Some rules of thumb:
 Stress can easily produce a WBC count from
20-25,000
 Owls routinely have “normal” counts as high
as 25,000 (Redig)
 H\L ratio is generally 1.5-2:1
 Absolute monocytosis (>1500) in juvenile
RTHA’s is something to keep and eye on.
 Abnormalities can sometimes be resolved
when rechecked in 7-10 days.
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Flow chart – part 1
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Yes
Rods
Heterophil
Spheres
Eosinophil
Hypersegmented nucleus, densely
packed with granules
1. Granules in
cytoplasm?
2. Hyper-segmented
nucleus?
Lymphocyte
Small, high N:C
ratio, small
crescent of
cytoplasm,
eccentric
nucleus
No
Monocyte
Thrombocyte
Large, beanshaped nucleus
Small, clumped,
clear cytoplasm,
nucleus is
centered
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Flow chart – part 2
Lymphocyte
Erythrocyte
Large lymphocyte
Cellular molding Reactive
Immature RBC
Monocyte
Small monocyte
Heterophil
Band
Large monocyte
Toxic
Degranulated
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References
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Questions?
Dave Scott, DVM
Carolina Raptor Center
P.O. Box 16443
Charlotte, NC 28297
704-875-6521
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