anaemia - a condition where numbers of circulating red blood cells or haemoglobin are low. Usually assessed by measuring packed cell volume.
haematopoiesis - the process of making blood cells.
polycythaemia - too many red cells
Anaemia can be caused by a number of factors which come down to decreased RBC production caused by nutritional deficiencies or bone marrow abnormalities (non regenerative anaemias); and increased RBC removal caused by haemolysis or chronic bleeding (regenerative anaemias). In severe cases blood transfusion may be necessary but the definitive treatment depends on the cause of the condition. Autoimmune haemolytic anaemia is relatively common in small animals and is treated with immunosuppressive drugs.
| cause | species | treatment | |
| acute anaemia of unknown cause | all | whole blood (fresh) | |
| nutritional deficiencies | iron | piglets | iron preparations |
| vitamin B12 | dog & cat | parenteral B12 | |
| cobalt (required for B12 synthesis) | ruminants | oral cobalt | |
| folic acid | dog & cat | oral folates | |
| bone marrow abnormalities | chronic renal failure | dog & cat | anabolic steroids |
| (reduced erythropoetin production) | ? | erythropoetin | |
| aplastic anaemia | |||
| iatrogenic | |||
oestrogens |
dog & ferret |
|
|
| toxins | all | fluid therapy? | |
| infections | all | treat infection, fluid therapy? | |
| excessive RBC destruction | autoimmune haemolytic anaemia | dog & cat | immunosuppressives |
| drug reactions | all | withdraw drug | |
| infections | |||
parasites, eg Haemobartonella |
all |
treat infection |
This list is not exhaustive!!!