Canine Neutrophil Counts – Update on Clover

Canine Neutrophil Counts - A Quick Recap of Clover's Neutropenia

So, we originally found out that Clover had low canine neutrophil counts in February when we did routine bloodwork as part of her wellness exam. That bad news came as a shock because she seemed super healthy. As you can see, she still does!

We retested for a while to see if it was a fluke. It wasn't. We tested her for common infections that can cause canine neutrophil counts to drop (bladder infections, tick-borne diseases, and such), but those all came back negative. 

Ultimately, our primary care veterinarian referred us to a specialist. That's when we did a bone marrow biopsy to see what we could see. Other than Clover having low canine neutrophil counts across all 8 stages of neutrophil development, the veterinary pathologist did NOT see anything too scary -- like cancer or immune-mediated neutropenia. 

So, our plan is simply to monitor Clover's neutrophil counts every few months to see what happens:

• Will they improve?
• Will they decline?

Right now, I'm happy to report that Clover's canine neutrophil counts are improving, even over what we saw in August 2017 when they finally went above the low end of normal again after another dip in the late spring and early summer.

The yellow line in the graphic below marks the LOW END of normal for canine neutrophil counts. 

The red line marks where things get much more worrisome. As you can see, Clover NEVER went that low. Thank goodness!

Next Steps

We will recheck her CBC again in March - April 2018, and if her canine neutrophil counts continue to hold steady or improve, then we may start only rechecking it every 6 months. 

A Note About A Littermate

We did learn over the summer that one of Clover's littermates also once tested with a low neutrophil count of 2400, but the next year when they checked again, it was more normal.