Leukocytes in Dogs

Leukocytes, or white blood cells, are a major component of your dog's blood. Leukocytes defend against organisms that can make her sick, such as bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses. There are different types of leukocytes and each has its own function. By checking your pet's complete blood count, your veterinarian can monitor leukocytes and detect whether your pet has a health problem.

The Facts

Leukocytes help fight off diseases in the body. Your dog's body will manufacture lots of a particular type of white blood cell to attack a health problem. Therefore, if your pet is sick, his leukocyte count will most likely be elevated. It also can be high if your pet is excited or scared when blood is taken. A leukocyte count can be low if the animal is weak from a prolonged, debilitating disease or certain viral infections. The normal range of white blood cells in the blood is anywhere from 6,000 to 17,000 per microliter.

Neutrophils

Neutrophils are the most numerous of all leukocytes and are formed in the bone marrow. In a healthy dog, there are usually 3,000 to 11,500 of these cells per microliter of blood. When these numbers increase, it is usually indicative of a bacterial infection or some form of extreme stress. Viral infections usually cause the numbers to decrease. When needed, neutrophils move out of blood vessels into infected or inflamed tissue to ward off infection or injury.

Eosinophils

Elevated eosinophils are usually present with allergies, inflammation or parasitic infections. Also in the bone marrow, eosinophils have the ability to engulf foreign particles into their bodies. The normal range of these leukocytes is from 100 to 1,200 per microliter.

Lymphocytes

Lymphocytes are manufactured in bone marrow, the spleen, lymph nodes and other lymphatic tissues, and are divided into two groups -- B cells and T cells. B cells produce antibodies, which destroy invading organisms. T cells activate and help other cells attack viruses and other foreign material. A healthy dog has anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 cells per microliter of blood.

Monocytes

Monocytes circulate in the bloodstream until they are needed in inflamed or infected tissues. They are then stored in those tissues until they mature into cells called macrophages. Macrophages can engulf foreign material, such as infectious organisms, and can secrete protein molecules that help inflamed and irritated tissue. There are 150 to 1,350 cells per microliter of blood. A monocyte count typically only varies if there is a cancerous leukemia issue.

Basophils

Basophils are the rarest of the leukocytes and are commonly not found in blood counts. Their function is unknown, but they participate in the same reactions as eosinophils do. Finding them in the blood count is usually significant.

References

• Blood Cells and Complete Blood Counts
• Structure and Function of the Blood in Dogs