Iron deficiency in dogs and cats

  We have recently seen a number of cases of iron deficiency anaemia, both in cats and dogs.
In iron deficiency, red cells do not develop the normal complement of iron–containing haemoglobin and the cells that form in the bone marrow are small (microcytic, low MCV) and hypochromic (low MCH and MCHC). The process of red cell maturation becomes prolonged so young red cells no longer contain large amounts of RNA and therefore do not appear polychromatic. As a result the anaemia is non- regenerative, with inappropropriately low reticulocyte counts. There is often a marked increase in variation in red cell shape (poikilocytosis) and red cell fragments (schistocytes) are often seen, as above.
In cats, the red cells are often so small that platelets appear larger than red cells and this overlap in sizing can contribute to apparently very high platelet counts as some automated counters include some small red cells in the platelet count.
Iron deficiency anaemia reflects chronic external blood loss, either through the gut associated with bleeding tumours or ulcers or occasionally with severe flea burdens and parasitic blood loss.
Serum iron, iron panels (including serum iron, total iron binding capacity, transferrin and % saturation) and occasionally staining bone marrow for iron, can all be useful in investigating these cases in addition to a full blood count (which must include smear evaluation since not all cases have a low MCV and MCHC). Occult faecal blood testing, after a minimum of three days off all red meat, is useful to check for blood loss in cases where blood loss is not detectable grossly.
While most non-regenerative anaemias have a poorer outlook, iron deficiency responds excellently and quickly to treatment that is aimed at stopping the blood loss and providing oral iron supplementation. Our current crop of iron deficiency anaemia cases all appear to be doing well now that they are on treatment.
For more information on iron deficiency anaemia visit http://www.ctdslab.co.uk

About the Author

Nick graduated from Edinburgh Veterinary School in 1980 with an
Honours degree in Pathological Sciences and in 1982 as a Bachelor
of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery. In 2003 Nick became a diplomate
of the Royal college of Pathologists in veterinary clinical pathology.

 Nick Carmichael

More Articles 

Thinking of Getting a Lhasa Apso Dog? - Clint Leung
One of the cutest looking dogs around is the Lhasa Apso. The puppies especially are just irresistible but before one decides to purchase a Lhasa just because the kids are begging for one, there are some things that should be known about this...

BARF Diet For Dogs - Not As Gross As It Sounds! - Tara Pearce
Are you just starting to research the BARF diet for dogs – also known as “bones and raw food” or the RAW diet? It can be confusing – I remember asking TONS of questions when I first started. How do you know how much to feed? WHAT do you feed? Can...

Who's Pulling The Leash, You Or Your Dog? - Juanita Bellavance
Hopefully no one is pulling the leash. The ideal situation is that you and your dog are equally enjoying the walk and neither is pulling and tugging the other in any certain direction. If your dog tends to be pulling you off into its own direction...

4 Ways In Which You Can Show Your Dog How Much You Love Him - Mark Eckenrode
4 Ways In Which You Can Show Your Dog How Much You Love Him by Mark Eckenrode Do you have at least one framed photo of your dog somewhere in your house... or maybe in your wallet? Is your dog pretty darn close to being the very center of your...

Best Dog Accessories - Jack Russell
People need accessories to accentuate the beauty of a certain thing. Though, there are times that they buy accessories in order to protect the product against harmful elements in the environment. All of these concepts go the same way when...

A Look at Discount Dog Beds - Ken Marlborough
Many people want to make sure their family pet has just the right bed, but might not be willing to pay the (often quite hefty) price. It's actually more difficult to find designer and luxury dog beds especially for oversized pets than it is to find...

Dogs and Man - Debbie Ray PedigreedPups com
Most authorities agree that dogs were among the first, if not the first, animals domesticated by man. Cave paintings depict dog-like creatures hunting with early man though experts are still skeptical about the actual time this domestication took...

Click And Treat Is For The Dogs - Kirsten Hawkins
Becoming the first major improvement in dog training since choke chains and spiked collars, click and treat has quickly revolutionized itself in becoming a big hit on the training circuit. Currently, there are over 10,000 trainers who are using this...

Dog Breeding - Mark Woodcock
So you have a female pedigree dog with papers, you want to make some extra cash, so you think you'll go ahead and mate her with a stud so she'll breed and have some puppies. Not so easy! Proper breeding needs time, education, experience and of...

Give Your Dog a Sexy Makeover - Disney Pieces
How's your dog looking these days? Running through puddles, rolling in mud, and fighting off fleas can leave any dog looking drab. But it doesn't have to be that way. And you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a fabulous looking...