Anemia in dogs

There are regenerative anemias (with sufficient bone marrow function), which develop after bleeding or hemolysis, and non-regenerative, or hypoplastic, with reduced or completely inhibited erythropoiesis, for example, as a result of bone marrow diseases.

Anemia is not a specific disease, but a symptom that occurs in dogs with a variety of pathologies.

Causes of Anemia in Dogs

What could be the causes of low red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit in dogs? A huge number of pathologies can lead to the development of anemia in dogs, here are the most common of them:

• the presence of bleeding as a result of trauma or ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract;

• unbalanced feeding (lack of iron or copper in the diet);

• insufficient production of the hormone erythropoietin, which stimulates the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow (for example, in chronic renal failure, hypothyroidism);

• intoxication (poisoning with heavy metals, food products such as onions and garlic);

• toxic damage to the bone marrow by certain drugs, such as anticancer drugs, phenylbutazone, chloramphenicol, etc.;

• infectious diseases (piroplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, parvovirus enteritis);

• as well as various other pathological processes in the bone marrow can cause anemia in dogs (myelodysplasia, myelo- and lymphoproliferative diseases, metastases).

Types of anemia

Regenerative anemia

Regenerative anemia usually develops as a result of blood loss or hemolysis (that is, the process of destruction of red blood cells). With blood loss (as a result of trauma, ulcers or other pathological processes), the number of red blood cells decreases, but their normal life expectancy is maintained. With hemolytic anemia in dogs, the life span of red blood cells decreases – they begin to break down ahead of time. Moreover, in hemolytic anemia, the ability of the bone marrow to recover is usually high, because during bleeding, iron is released from the body along with red blood cells, and during hemolysis, it enters the bloodstream and is used in the synthesis of hemoglobin. The most common example in our country is the development of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in dogs against the background of piroplasmosis (a disease transmitted through a tick bite).

Non-regenerative anemia

The main symptom of non-regenerative (hypoplastic) anemia is a sharp inhibition of erythropoiesis, that is, new red blood cells stop being produced. In this case, only a violation of erythropoiesis can be observed, when only the number of erythrocytes in the blood decreases, and a total lesion of the bone marrow, when the number of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets decreases in the blood (so-called pancytopenia).

Hypoplastic anemia is a secondary condition, so usually the symptoms of the underlying disease appear earlier than the actual signs of anemia. So, for example, in chronic renal failure, owners will first pay attention to increased thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and smell from the mouth, in the presence of neoplasms – the first sign will be cachexia (extreme exhaustion of the body), in the presence of endocrine pathologies in dogs – bilateral symmetrical loss coat, etc.

With non-regenerative anemia, symptoms often develop gradually, but a sharply worsening course of the underlying disease can cause an acute development of anemia (pallor, apathy, rapid heartbeat and breathing). For regenerative anemia, the sudden onset of symptoms is more characteristic.

Symptoms of Anemia in Dogs

Symptoms of anemia in dogs depend on the rate of blood loss, the body’s compensatory capabilities, and the severity of the process. In some cases, both with acute and chronic anemia, the owner may not pay attention to changes in the behavior of the pet.

As a rule, with acute blood loss, the symptoms are as follows:

• lethargy;

• pallor of mucous membranes;

• signs of shock;

• visible signs of bleeding (in the presence of internal bleeding, there may be black feces – a sign of digested blood).

With chronic blood loss, you can notice:

• pallor of mucous membranes;

• apathy, lethargy of the pet;

• decreased tolerance to physical activity;

• there may be fainting;

• perverted appetite is common.

But, despite the fact that the symptoms may clearly indicate the presence of anemia in a pet, it is imperative to conduct laboratory diagnostics – at least pass a general blood test – to identify the type of anemia, its cause and severity of the disease.

Diagnostics

To detect anemia and determine its type, as a rule, a general blood test, confirmed by a cytological examination of a blood smear, is sufficient.

With regenerative anemia, according to a general blood test, a decrease in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and the number of red blood cells is noted. In some cases, to make a diagnosis, it is enough just to study a drop of blood in dogs for hematocrit – it will be lowered. Sometimes there is a change in the shape and staining of erythrocytes – anisocytosis and polychromasia. The average volume of erythrocytes is increased or within the normal range, the average concentration of hemoglobin in the erythrocyte in dogs is reduced or within the normal range.

With hemolytic anemia, specific external changes in erythrocytes are found – spherocytosis or schizocytosis.

The main difference between regenerative and non-regenerative anemia is an increase in the number of immature (“young”) forms of red blood cells – reticulocytes (that is, reticulocytosis) and a decrease in hematocrit. But at an early stage of regenerative anemia, the number of reticulocytes (just like in hypoplastic anemia) can be reduced – in such a situation, a bone marrow puncture may be required to determine the type of anemia. With regenerative anemia, bone marrow hyperplasia is detected, and with hypoplastic it is absent.

If autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIGA in dogs) is suspected, a special direct antiglobulin test, the Coombs test, is performed. The presence of antibodies to erythrocytes, spherocytosis and polychromasia confirm the diagnosis.

A cytological examination of a blood smear is no less important than a general blood test performed by the analyzer – according to it, the laboratory doctor conducts a complete morphological analysis of the cellular composition of the blood, which helps to establish the type and cause of anemia.

Anemia in puppies

In puppies, anemia can occur as a result of unbalanced feeding, the presence of helminthic infestation, or a viral disease such as parvovirus enteritis. Unfortunately, despite widespread vaccination, parvovirus enteritis is a common and difficult to treat disease. But, fortunately, compensatory mechanisms in puppies are well developed, and when the underlying disease is stopped, anemia in puppies quickly disappears.

Treatment for Anemia in Dogs

Often, owners ask doctors such questions: “What should I do if the dog has low hemoglobin?” or “Does my dog ​​need a blood transfusion?” But, before treating anemia in a dog, you need to find out the cause that caused it.

First of all, a specific therapy for the disease is prescribed: for example, if a dog has a blood-parasitic disease, drugs that act on the parasite are used for treatment. If anemia in a dog is caused by chronic kidney disease, it is necessary to take the underlying disease under control and conduct a course of the hormone erythropoietin. If anemia was caused by inadequate feeding, then a veterinary nutritionist will answer the question of how to raise hemoglobin in a dog.

It is important to understand that the self-administration of iron, cyanocobalamin and folic acid supplements, most likely, will not bring any benefit to the pet, and lost time may adversely affect its health. In general, treatment tactics can differ dramatically from the severity of anemia and the manifestation of symptoms in dogs.

With the slow development of anemia in the body, compensatory mechanisms have time to form, and therefore moderate anemia (hematocrit more than 25%), as a rule, does not require maintenance treatment. In severe anemia (hematocrit below 15-20%), pronounced oxygen starvation develops, therefore, it is necessary to limit physical activity and blood transfusion.

Severe hypoplastic anemia, which may be associated with oncology and other serious conditions, is often associated with a poor prognosis and requires long-term treatment.

In case of severe anemia, the hematocrit and blood smear must be assessed once every 1-1 days, with a stable condition of the pet and a chronic course – every 2-1 weeks.

Acute regenerative anemia requires emergency care. With massive bleeding, shock and intoxication are possible, so it is necessary to deliver the pet to the clinic as soon as possible, where he will be helped. In the first three days, the pet will be shown infusion therapy, if necessary, a blood transfusion.

Iron preparations are often prescribed orally or intravenously for dogs. However, it is worth noting that it makes sense to use iron supplements in the presence of iron deficiency anemia, which is rare in dogs. This type of anemia develops with prolonged chronic blood loss and inadequate feeding; special diagnostics are required to confirm the diagnosis (measurement of the level of the hormone ferritin, assessment of iron-binding capacity, and other methods).

For hemolytic anemia in dogs, specific treatment is prescribed.

The effectiveness of treatment is assessed by a general blood test, at the initial stage – daily, with stabilization of the condition – every 3-5 days. Usually, with stopped acute blood loss, red blood counts are restored within 14 days.

Diet

Diet for anemia is a balanced and proper diet. When feeding dogs with specialized industrial feeds, anemia will not occur. But if you feed the dog from the table, vegetarian diets, then problems cannot be avoided. Canned baby food, so beloved by many owners, is especially dangerous for dogs – it often contains onion and garlic in the amounts allowed for children as a flavor enhancer, but in dogs they can cause hemolytic anemia. It is also strictly forbidden to add onions and garlic to food: eating onions or garlic in the amount of 5 g / kg of body weight is a toxic dose and can lead to severe anemia.

Prevention

Since anemia is not an independent disease, prevention consists in eliminating the causes that cause it.

First, it is a balanced diet for pets. If you do not wish to feed your dog prepared foods, be sure to seek the assistance of a veterinary nutritionist for assistance in formulating individual diets. For example, nutritionists in the Petstory mobile application will help you create such a diet. You can download it from the link.

Secondly, vaccination. Only timely vaccination according to schemes approved by veterinarians can protect pets from infection with severe viral diseases that can lead to anemia or even death.

Thirdly, we must not forget about the mandatory regular treatment of parasites – both internal (helminths) and external (fleas and ticks).

Fourth, no less important is the regular medical examination of pets to detect signs of the disease at an early stage. Older pets are shown at least once a year to take blood tests for prevention – general and biochemical.

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October 13 2020

Updated: February 13, 2021