Anemia, Iron Deficiency in Dogs
When the body is deficient in iron, red cells do not develop as they should. The lack of iron causes the cells that are produced by the bone marrow to be too small, and too low in oxygen-carrying features. In adult dogs, this condition is usually caused by some kind of blood loss. It is important to recognize iron-deficiency anemia, because the underlying disease can be life-threatening.
The most common site of the blood loss is the gastrointestinal tract. It is fairly common in adult dogs.
The condition or disease described in this medical article can affect both dogs and cats. If you would like to learn more about how this disease affects cats, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.
Symptoms and Types
- Decreased growth rate
- Anorexia
- Weakness
- Lethargy
- Depression
- Rapid breathing
- Increased susceptibility to disease
- Dark-colored, tarry stools
Causes
- Any form of external blood loss
- Blood-sucking parasites (e.g., fleas, ticks, hookworms)
- Lymphoma
- Mass in stomach or intestine
- Urinary tract infection
Diagnosis
- Complete blood test (CBC)
- Packed cell volume test (PCV)
- Urinalysis
- Bone marrow aspirate
- Test for iron in the blood
- Fecal flotation to rule out hookworms
- Fecal examination for blood
gastrointestinal
The digestive tract containing the stomach and intestine
aspirate
a) inhaling b) getting out fluid or gas by the act of sucking.
anemia
A condition of the blood in which normal red blood cell counts or hemoglobin are lacking.
