Complete Blood Count (CBC)

Indications for performing this test:  A CBC should be part of your initial data base in any diagnostic work up involving companion animals and horses.  A CBC provides valuable insight into the status of the hematopoietic system and can also give indications of infectious and/or inflammatory processes that are occurring.  In a food animal, it may be necessary to consider the perceived benefit of running a CBC in light of the cost of the test and economic value of the animal.

 

Included in a CBC:

  • Total count of all cells present broken down into:  white blood cells, red blood cells, band and segmented neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, and platelets.
  • Observations in cell morphology
  • A count of nucleated red blood cells if they are present.
  • Packed Cell Volume (PCV)
  • Hemoglobin concentration
  • Plasma Protein
  • Fibrinogen in a large animal CBC

 

Calculated from a CBC:        

  • Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV)
  • Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC)
  • Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH)


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