A complete blood count most effectively tracks a dog’s response to illness.

by Randy Kidd, DVM, PhD

The complete blood count (CBC) is perhaps the most basic of all the diagnostic tools available. To do CBCs in-house, it takes only a few drops of blood from the patient, some specialized instruments that most veterinary clinics have on hand, and a modicum of practitioner skill.

These CBC results do not indicate signs of serious illness. Most of the dog’s values are within normal parameters. His “packed cell volume” (PCV)ûor hematocrit (HCT, as it is expressed here) and hemoglobin (HGB) indicate a mild anemia. Based on this, a clinician might explore the possibility of the dog having parasites or a mild nutritional imbalance.

I look at the CBC as the “great divider,” providing veterinarians with answers that help split our first impressions into either/or diagnostic scenarios. Sequential CBCs can often give us a handle on the progression of the disease and a reasonable assessment of prognosis. The CBC is also one of the easiest of the specialized diagnostic tools to interpret …

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