Hemology

• date sample was taken, species, ID, initials
• optionally, age, history and symptoms of specimen

vaccutainer bolder with needle attachment or as large a needle as possible, gently put into tube

• breaking apart or destruction of RBCs caused by trauma.  Pink or red serum.  
• Can effect chemistry and hemology results.
• can be caused by alcohol

• diluted sample leads to falsely lower concentrations (PVC, RBC count, WBC count)
• higher levels of certain constituents (K+, ALP, enzymes, LDH, Ca, Mg, LD, AST, ALT, GGT, folate, iron.  
• interferes with lipase and bilirubin determinations

anticoagulated.  Lavender top, EDTA tube.

• RBC count
• WBC count
• platelet count
• PVC or hematocrit
• hemoglobin
• blood smear (differential, automated, give counts, morphology, platelet estimate, inclusion bodies and blood parasites)
• Total plasma protein
• erythrocyte indices (MVC, MCH, MCHC)

MCV, MCH, MCHC

• performed to check for degree/type of anemia
• COunt of reticulocytes (must be anticoagulated blood)

• purple top, used for CBCs. Anticoagulant.  
• Spun, plasma only used for cTnI (cardiac troponin I)

Green top.  Can be used for CBC, not great for WBC.  Used in exotics, plasma can be used for chemistries, so good when only a small amount of blood available.

• blue top.  Not used for CBCs.  
• Clotting factor tests.

grey top.  Rare in vet.  Used in glucose tolerance tests

nothing inside.  Coated with silicone to prevent sticking.  Yields serum after spinning.

(tiger top).  Serum separator.  Contains wax plug between serum and clot.  Yields serum, you can pour serum out without a pipette.

removable liquid part of a sample after centrifugation.

liquid part (supernatant) of anticoagulated blood

liquid part (supernatant) of clotted blood.

packed cell volume.  Made up of RBC, buffy coat and plasma.

told with plasma on a refractometer (scales for proteins and specific gravity)

• Count platelets in 10 oil immersion fields on stained blood smear, multiply by 15,000.  Platelets per microliter.  
• Look at feather edge for clots.

Automated counter counts nRBCs as WBCs, have to subtract for accuracy.

five lobes or more.  Can be from EDTA or old neutrophils, or disease/inherited condition

immature neutrophil.

VERY early neutrophil, marked left shift, usually seen with many band cells.  Cytoplasm darker.

Extremely immature neutrophil, younger than metamyelocyte, very rarely seen.

• Can be small or large.  Small has less cytoplasm and is smaller.  Cytoplasm is pale blue.
• a-typical, abnormal, reactive (granulation)

• signifies rapid reproduction, can be too much EDTA or old blood too.  
• Least to most severe is dohle bodies, cytoplasmic basophilia, vacuoles or foaminess, intensely stained primary granules (toxic granulation), change in nuclear size and shape (or change in nuclear cytoplasmic ratio).

basophilic staining (common in mature ruminants, sometimes in cats with anemia, lead poisoning in dogs)

• oxidative injury to RBCs.  5-10% normal in cats.  
• Nipple-like projection of denatured hemoglobin

nuclear remnants, stain blue.  More significant in dogs than cats (more common in cats)

megakaryocytes

everywhere, then monolayer

pointed projections around cell, caused by smear not being dry before fixing.

stacking (coins), normal in horse.

clumping of cells, immune mediated.  Can try saline agglutination test

blue tint to cell (usually macrocytic, reticulocytes)

decreased staining in cell due to decreased hemoglobin.

rod shaped pallor across cell.  no significance unless there are lots, then inherited.

variation in size of cell.  Microcytosis or macrocytosis.

change in shape, general term (must be qualified with specifics)

spur cells.  uneven blunt projections.  Hepatic lipidosis, hermangiosarcoma, dogs with liver diease

burr cells.  Spiculated cells with evenly spaced and sized projections.  Not blunt.

round, smaller than normal, darkened cells with no/little central pallor.  IMHA

thin, folded or distorted cells.  Target cells.  Too much EDTA or precursers to acanthocytes

fragmented cells.

incompletely fragmented cells

displacement of hemoglobin because opposing sides of the RBC membranes have fused due to oxidative injury.

bowl shaped erythrocytes, too much membrane flexibility

teardrop shaped erythrocytes seen in myelofibrosis.  Artifact if all tails point same directions

oval elliptical cells or elongated.

intervascular trauma

large teardrop shaped intracellular organisms, seen at feather edge.  Looks like a vacuole.  Tick-bourne.

short dark purple rods on periphery of cell.  Also mycoplasma haemofelis.

intracellular parasite in monocytes and neutrophils.  Looks like small clusters called morulae.

Fixative has water in it.

spin 2 microhematocrit tubes.  Read plasma protein on one, put the other in 56 degree C water for 5 minutes, then read again.  Fibrinogen has precipitated.

usually blue top.  Whole blood clotting time, activated clotting time, bleeding time

Natt and Herrick's solution or eosinophil method (indirect)

backward "S"

Differential and absolute count (percentage vs. absolute number)

lyme, heartworm, ehrlichia, anaplasmosis

• granulocyte nuclei are doughnut shaped.  
• Basophils may be confused with mast cells (appear with cardiocentesis)
• Hamsters, gerbils and chinchillas have same hematological features

larger RBC than other rodents.  Kurloff bodies.

• neutrophils have eosiniphilic granules and are called heterophils (used to be called pseudo-eosinophils).  Same function.  
• Eosinophils have larger granules.

Inhalant anesthetics decrease RBC and hematocrit, as much as 33%.

thin, elliptical erythrocytes.  Gives higher oxygen carrying capacity due to high altitude

• red: hemolysis (slight v. marked)
• yellow: icteric (normal in horse)
• white and cloudy: lipemic

• 1. Fixative
• 2. eosin stain for RBC, eosinophils and some parts of parasites
• 3. Wrights-Giemsa or hematoxylin stain for nuclei of WBC, inclusion bodies and parts of parasites

• No Lazy Monkeys Eat Bananas
• neutrophils, leukocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils

metarubrocyte.  immature RBC (before reticulocyte)

female sex indicator, little nodule off neutrophil nucleus

toxic change on a neutrophil, small light grey staining area in cytoplasm of neutrophil

write down all, but 5% significant

HUGE lymphocyte

looks like a lymph with more cytoplasm, peripheral nucleus, vacuoles called russell bodies

tri-lobed

HUGE basophil

large greyish (bluish?) body in lymphocyte.

guinea pigs

HUGE inclusion, pushing nucleus of lymph to side.  Sometimes in guinea pigs

Basophilic rubrocyte is bigger, has dark cytoplasm.  Throbocyte has very pale cytoplasm.

Small lymph is bigger

malaria.  Avian plasmodium.

extracellular, big leaf-shape.  Exotic

big darker vacuole inside of cell.  Exotic

in reptiles, like monocyte.  Same function.

an inclusion.  Don't classify unless you can tell.