How do I read blood test results?

[nbaragon]

I got a copy of my beardie's blood test results from a vet today. He told me everything looks good, and I do trust him, so I'm not worried, but I kind of want to know what each thing means, what's considered to be average, and where my beardie's result falls within the range, etc. I'm in no way an expert, and I know it takes years to learn this kind of stuff (otherwise we won't need a vet!), so I'm not trying to understand everything thoroughly or anything, but if anyone knows a good website or book I can look for a reference, please let me know!

It's like sitting in a lecture or reading a textbook with a series of technical jargon, and I kind of enjoy it. Weird.

The copy looks something like this (I'm just copying and pasting, without knowing any part of it...):

ALB: 3.4 g/dL
ALKP: 172 U/L
ALT: 2 U/L
AST: 12 U/L (Reference Range: 4 - 60)
Ca: 14.4 mg/dL (Reference Range: 9.6 - 14.7)
CHOL: 438 mg/dL
GLU: 226 mg/dL H (Reference Range: 60 - 183)
LDH: 332 IU/L
PHOS: 3.8 mg/dL
Potassium: 6.4 mEq/L
TP: 6.8 g/dL
Sodium: 146 mEq/L
URIC: 3.6 mg/dL (Reference Range: 1.3 - 7.6)
A/G Ratio: 1.0
GLOB: 3.4 g/dL
CK: 66 U/L

BASO: 0 % (Reference Range: 0 - 2)
BLOOD PARA
EOS: 2 % L (Reference Range: 0 - 1)
HCT: 38.0 %
HETERO: 21 % L (Reference Range: 26 - 50)
HETR BANDS: 0 %
LYMPHS: 62 % (Reference Range: 22 - 65)
MONOS: 15 % H (Reference Range: 0 - 2)
NEUT BANDS: 0 %
NEUT SEG: 0 %
PLASMA PRO: 8.0
THROMBO: ADEQUATE
WBC CNT: 8.4 THOUS. L (Reference Range: 16.0 - 23.0)
WBC (EST): 7-9 THOUS.
ABS BASO: 0 /uL
ABS EOS: 168 /uL
ABS HETR: 1764 /uL
ABS LYMPHS: 5208 /uL
ABS MONOS: 1260 /uL
ABS NEUTB: 0/uL
ABS NEUTS: 0 /uL

 

[puppytoes72]

Send Drache613 (Tracie) a private message,she will help you with that

 

[nbaragon]

Thank you very much! I will contact Tracie.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Naoko,

Do you have a male or a female dragon? How old is your dragon?
Has your dragon been ill recently?
I will interpret your results for you.

Complete Blood Count analysis:

The Albumin & Globulin levels are perfectly fine. They both signify slightly different things, so I was asking whether you had a male or female because the Albumin levels can be elevated during times of follicle production. The Albumin is slightly elevated, & so is the Globulin, but not much. The total protein levels are within range, thus the A:G ratio is good as well. That just shows that the two proteins are in balance with each other.

The ALKP is simply the alkaline phosphate which indicates the blood ph & it is within range, as well.

The ALT is known as Alanine amino-transferase & it is an enzyme put out by the liver which if elevated can indicate disease. That level however, is normal, & actually slightly low.

The AST is known as Aspartate Transaminase, which is also an enzyme put out by the liver & can indicate renal or hepatic dysfunction. This level is normal, as well.

The CA is the calcium & while it is normal, it is on the higher end of normal. In females that are producing eggs, calcium will be elevated too.

The CHOL is cholesterol & this reading is normal. This number can also be slightly higher right before brumation phases start.

The GLU is glucose & this reading is within range.

The LDH is known as Lactase or Lactic acid Dehydrogenase & is the indicator of tissue damage & possibly cancer too. This reading is normal, also.

The PHOS is the Phosphate/phosphorus. This level is within range. It is a pretty good level in comparison to the calcium. The desired calcium to phosphorus ranges are 2:1 or at most 3:1 so that is why I mentioned that the calcium levels were just a little high.

The Potassium levels are slightly elevated. If these levels are too high, that can indicate possible renal issues, or just dehydration problems.

The Sodium levels are within range & normal here.

The URIC is the Uric Acid which is renal function. These levels are fine here. That just means the kidneys are excreting the adequate amount of urea.

The CK is known as the CPK as well & is the Creatinine Phospho-Kinase. This enzyme is elevated in muscle trauma, stress or injury. This level is very low actually, so, the tail stick must not have stressed your dragon out to elevate the levels.

White Blood test analysis:

The BASO is the Basophils or a white blood cell count & this is well within range. These are the least common of the white blood cells & make up less than 1% of the white blood cell count. They just help fight infections by releasing histamine.

The EOS is the Eosinophils or a white blood cell count & this is well within the normal range, as well. This is a good indicator of protozoan or helminth infections, but there is no indication of that here.

The HETERO is the Heterophils or a white blood cell count. This is within range, too. These can indicate sepsis & necrosis & possible renal dysfunction as well.

The LYMPHS is also known as the Lymphocytes. This number is normal, too. They are responsible for fighting infection. May be elevated in viral infections.

The MONOS is known as the Monocytes. This value is pretty well within range. This can be elevated in chronic disease or immune system suppression.

The NEUT is the Neutrophils which are a white blood cell. They are within range, which are very low.

The THROMBO is just the Thrombocyte which are the cells responsible for blood clotting. They are fine, too.

The WBC total is simply the white blood count numbers or percentage. There are plenty of white blood cells but not high as to indicate infection.

The HCT is known as the Hematocrit. It is just a percentage of the Red blood cells & the size of the cells also. That is an adequate percentage represented.

The Plasma Pro is simply Plasma Protein in the blood which is the liquid portion of the blood represented. It assesses the hydration status as well.

I hope this helps make sense of all of those readings for you. Overall, the levels look good & there doesn't seem to be any problem areas that I can tell from these readings.

Tracie

 

[Drache613]

Moved by Moderator from General to Discussion

 

[nbaragon]

Wow, thank you soooooooooooooooooo much!!!!! I was just thinking it would be great if someone could suggest a few websites or books I could look through to find key elements to watch out for when trying to read these results. But look what I got -- full analysis!! I can't thank you enough! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

My beardie is female, and she is a little over 2 years old (2 years and 1 month, to be exact). She's never really been sick (no kidney or liver failure or anything), but she doesn't poop as often as I would like her to. Her poop schedule feels pretty random, but as an average, she probably poops once every 2 or 3 weeks. Her diet is mainly silk/horn/butter worms, and she never touches veggies or fruits, so I feed her mixture of "squash babyfood + pedialyte + Critical Care" almost every day for fiber, as well as to keep her hydrated.

I think this thread has suddenly become very helpful and educational for others too. Thank you sooooo much, Tracie!!