HEMATOLOGY nucleus size decreases until it becomes pyknotic and dies.

Before it is  Administration of Tylenol, eating certain plants, onions,

released from bone marrow nucleus is extruded from the cell. (baby foods contain onion powder) and disease like
Slide preparation:  The cytoplasm in rubriblast is basophilic as it matures RNA is hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and lymphoma Cause oxidative
 Push smear technique replaced by hemoglobin and cytoplasm becomes eosinophilic damage to the RBC and produce Heinz bodies.
 Quick drying to reduce artifacts or orange color.  New methylene blue stain is used to identify Heinz bodies
 Staining  Variation in size of RBC is ANISOKARYOSIS which stain dark blue.
 Spherocytes: seen in IMHA
Hematology stains: o Projections found on RBC which are of the same size and Howell-jolly bodies:
 Diff quick stain (routinely used evenly distributed is CRENATION (artifact due to  DIF quick stain.
 New methylene blue for reticulocytes and Heinz bodies depleting ATP).  Nuclear remnants locked in the RBC when the nucleus is
o Irregular projections which are unevenly distributed, varying in extruded in bone marrow. These cells come into circulation
Procedure for blood film evaluation: size and shape are ACANTHOCYTES (True pathologic and are found in peripheral blood and the spleen removes it
 Scan slide at 20X magnification condition). It is a true pathologic change due to disease. quickly so we hardly find them in peripheral blood.
o Predominant leukocyte (neutrophil in dogs and lymphocyte in They result from abnormal phospholipids and cholesterol  Increased Howell jolly bodies may be due to regenerative
ruminants) content in RBC membrane seen in patients with liver response to anemia or may be a defect in spleen.
o Erythrocyte arrangements disease and also seen in certain tumors like
o Platelet clumps hemangiosarcoma. Nucleated RBC are seen in regenerative anemia
o Abnormal cells  Reticulocytes are immature RBC with distorted central palor,
 Nucleated red blood cells excessive red cell membrane, no disc shape. Hemoparasites:
 Reactive left shifted, neoplastic  Pig RBC tends to crenate frequently and easily. H.felis: seen on erythrocyte membrane. Very small and we
 Schistocytes are very small RBC which results from fragmentation have to see very carefully.
 Erythrocyte morphology (100X)
of RBC associated with thromboembolic disease or DIC. Fibrin They indent the RBC. They can be individual or in chains.
 Platelet numbers and morphology (100X)
strands form in RBC which cut the RBC forming schistocytes. Howell jolly bodies are darker and larger but H.felis is lighter
 Leukocyte numbers and morphology (100X) and smaller
Erythrocyte evaluation 100X oil magnification: Changes in color of RBC:
 Immature RBC are more basophilic in color called polychromatic Cytauxzoon felis is protozoan blood parasite. It has a nucleus
 Erythrocyte morphology and cytoplasm and a signet ring. very high mortality.
o changes in size, shape or color cells or reticulocytes seen in regenerative anemia. They are
stained with new methylene blue stain. Some RBC have small Treatment with imidocarb. Seen mostly in Florida. Found in
 Evaluation for presence of hemoparasites wild cats.
blue specks on them. These are the reticulocytes. They should
 In a normal canine blood smear RBC are evenly distributed Tick transmitted. Transmits to domestic cats.
be more than 1% of the total no of red blood cells in order to
throughout the smear and are of same size and shape and
make sure it is regenerative anemia.
color with a central palor with no hemoglobin which is one H. canis: always forms chains. doesn’t cause clinical disease
 Aggregate (clumps of blue staining material) and punctuate
third of the diameter of the cell. in all animals. only in spleenectamised or immunosuppressed
(dispersed specks of blue stain) reticulocytes in cats. We count
 In feline blood, rouleaux is common and not cells all have central animals but, H.felis causes disease in a normal cat.
the aggregate reticulocytes in cats.
palor which are the spherocytes
 Reticulocyte correction =
 Normal equine blood also has rouleaux and also some do not Babesia canis: protozoa. Has nucleus and cytoplasm. causes
have central palor disease in puppies. Tick transmitted
patients PCV
o Rouleaux: coin like stacking of RBC. Excess rouleaux is due In adult dogs inapparent infections are seen.
--------------- * % of reticulocytes
to increased amount of protein in the blood.ex: Increased normal PCV
fibrinogen Platelet evaluation:
o Agglutination: clumping of RBC due antibodies against RBC Hypochromasia: when the central pallor is more than half the  Scan slide for platelet clumps.
in immune mediated diseases. diameter of the cell with decreased hemoglobin seen in animals with  Estimation of platelet numbers
o SALINE TEST is used to distinguish between agglutination iron deficiency (Chronic Anemia). o Dogs (#per 100X field)* (15,000 cells/ul)
and rouleaux. Take a drop of blood and 1/2ml of saline o Cats (# per 100X field)* (20,000 cells/ul)
and look under microscope. if the cells are dispersed then Inclusions in RBC:  Platelet size:
it is rouleaux and if it is true agglutination the clumps Heinz bodies: o Mega platelets- increased demand for platelets in
remain.  Knob like protrusions on the cell surface or pale spots inside the peripheral blood
RBC. These are denatured hemoglobin molecules caused by
Erythrocyte development: oxidative damage. Thrombocytopenia: no platelets in blood. There is bleeding
 Rubriblast is the most immature form found only in bone marrow  Cat blood is highly susceptible to Heinz body formation because of spontaneously. Also develop hypochromasia.From chronic
with a big nucleus and basophilic cytoplasm. Not seen in peripheral large no of sulfhydral groups present on the hemoglobin molecules blood loss
blood. As the cell matures the size of the cell decreases and also the (8 groups which is more than other species). If we have platelets larger than RBCs we have magaplateletes

Hematology 1
Ehrlichia platys infect platelets and cause thrombocytopenia and is Ehrlichia canis is seen in monocytes.
tick transmitted (in Miami) Hepatozoon canis: protozoa

Leukocyte evaluation: Reactive lymphocyte: indicate immune stimulation from bacterial,

 Estimation of leukocyte numbers virus, parasite, aplastic conditions or immune mediated conditions.
o (# per 100X field) * (10,000 cells/ul) Reactive changes occur in lymphocytes and monocytes.
 Differential cell count The cytoplasm is intensely basophilic in lymphocytes.
 Morphologic changes in leucocytes Inflammation increases fibrinogen which causes the RBC to stick
o Toxicity together so rouleaux formation increases in such case.
o Reactivity
o Neoplastic changes Reactive monocyte: intensely basophilic cytoplasm, cytoplasmic
vacuolation.
Neutrophils: have dark segmented nucleus and clear cytoplasm
Neoplastic cells:
Monocytes: cytoplasm is slightly basophilic with bigger lobulated
 Non hemopoeitic cells in circulation
nucleus and a paler staining chromatin pattern
o mast cells
Lymphocyte: round slightly indented nucleus with scant cytoplasm
Basophil and eosinophil are granulocytes  Hemopoeitic ells
o 3 or more times the size of erythrocytes
In feline blood, eosinophil has small more densely populated o Increased cytoplasmic basophils
granules and more eosinophilic o Diffuse chromatin pattern in nuclei
In equine blood, eosinophil has raspberry like granules o Other anaplastic features (nucleoli)

Leukocyte development: Summary:

Myeloblastmyelocyte metamyelocyteband neutrophil  The systematic evaluation of a blood film is the most important
segmented neutrophil. part of the hemogram
Round nucleus becomes segmented  Estimates of complete blood count can be quickly obtained form
the blood film
Pelger huet anomaly: in this anomaly all the leukocytes are  The morphological evaluation of blood cells can yield clinically
immature. Maturation stops at the band. These neutrophils function important information that cannot be obtained by any other
normally. Congenital anomaly. laboratory testing

Toxicity is a cytoplasmic change seen only in neutrophils. It shows

that the animal has been exposed to some systemic toxin like
bacterial infection. The degree of toxicity depends on the extent of
infection.
 A patient with mild 1+ toxicity has Doehle bodies. The
cytoplasm is no longer completely clear; it has small irregular
granules which are doehle bodies.
 With 2 +toxicity the cytoplasm has basophilia and Doehle
bodies.
 3+ Doehle bodies, basophilia and cytoplasmic vacuolation.

Hyper segmented neutrophil: nucleus with more than 5 segments. It

is an aged neutrophil. Cause of hyper segmentation is administration
of corticosteroids. Steroids inhibit migration of neutrophils out of
blood vessels. The half life if neutrophil is only 10 hrs, so the
neutrophils get aged within the blood vessels as steroids prevent the
migration of neutrophils.

Barr body: extension nuclear material on a stalk only seen in female

animals in neutrophil.it is associated with X chromosome .

Ehrlichia equi is seen in neutrophil in horses.

Hematology 2