Lizard Blood Values
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Baseline haematology and biochemistry values of 'normals' must be established per patient and per laboratory. It is very useful to establish normals for individual patients at the time of regular health checks before an animal is presented in ill health. Values may vary depending on season, breeding condition and diet. The following values have been taken from various sources and reflect the laboratory methods as well as the individual species. Caution is advised when using these values for the interpretation of your own patients' blood results.
Normal haematology & plasma biochemistry values in the green iguana (Iguana iguana)
Ten wild caught iguanas were blood sampled as part of a health assessment prior to introduction to an existing group. The iguanas were manually restrained by holding the forelimbs laterally against their chest and the hindlimbs against the tail. Blood was collected from the ventral tail vein and placed in lithium heparin. A fresh blood smear was made at the time of collection. Urea, creatinine and LDH were considered poor diagnostic parameters.
| Haematology | Values | Biochemistry | Values | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total RBC count (x 10^12/l) | 1.0-1.9 | Total protein (g/l) | 50-78 | |
| PCV (l/l) | 0.25-0.38 | Albumin (g/l) | 21-28 | |
| Hb (g/dl) | 6.0-10.0 | Globulin (g/l) | 25-43 | |
| MCV (fl) | 165-305 | Uric acid (mmol/l) | 70-140 | |
| MCH (pg) | 48-78 | ALP (iu/l) | 50-290 | |
| MCHC (g/dl) | 20-38 | ALT (iu/l) | 5-68 | |
| Total WBC count (x 10^9/l) | 3-10 | AST (iu/l) | 5-52 | |
| Heterophils (x 10^9/l) | 0.35-5.2 | GGT (iu/l) | 0-3 | |
| Azurophils (x 10^9/l) | 0.0-1.7 | Cholesterol (mmol/l) | 2.7-8.6 | |
| Lymphocytes (x 10^9/l) | 0.5-5.5 | Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 0.6-7.8 | |
| Eosinophils (x 10^9/l) | 0.0-0.3 | Glucose (mmol/l) | 9.4-16.0 | |
| Monocytes (x 10^9/l) | 0.0-0.1 | Calcium (mmol/l) | 2.2-3.5 | |
| Basophils (x 10^9/l) | 0.0-0.5 | Phosphorus (mmol/l) | 1.5-3.0 |
References
- Divers, S. (1996). Normal haematology & plasma biochemistry values in the green iguana. British Veterinary Zoological Society, Summer newsletter 1996:5-6.
Haematology and biochemistry of selected lizards (American units)
| Prehensile-tailed skink (Corucia sp.) | Green iguana (Iguana iguana) | Iguanid lizard (Dipsosaurus dorsalis) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haematology | |||
| PCV (%) | 35 (24-60) | 45-52 | |
| RBC(10^12/l) | 1.5 (0.8-1.4) | 3.5-5.8 | |
| Hb (g/dl) | 9.6 (7.4-11.6) | 7.1 | |
| MCV (fl) | 263 (152-600) | 78-149 | |
| MCH (pg) | 69 (42-111) | 12-20 | |
| MCHC (g/dl) | 28 (17-56) | 14-16 | |
| WBC (x 10^9/l) | 12.4 (3.9-22.4) | 9 (4.3-15.0) | |
| Heterophils (%) | 37 (16-58) | 5-55 | |
| Azurophils (%) | 22 (8-42) | ||
| Lymphocytes (%) | 22 (2-40) | 35-55 | |
| Eosinophils (%) | 4(0-18) | 2 | |
| Monocytes (%) | 0.6 (0-6) | <4 | |
| Basophils (%) | 15 (4-26) | rare | |
| Biochemistry | |||
| ALT (iu/l) | 35-90 | 13 (3-38) | |
| AP (iu/l) | 30-95 | 14 (4-30) | |
| AST (iu/l) | 19 (<4-76) | 20-65 | 179 (34-400) |
| Bilirubin total (mg/dl) | 0.4-1.0 | 0.2 (0.1-0.5) | |
| BUN (mg/dl) | 6-15 | 2 (1-5) | |
| Calcium (mg/dl) | 13 (11-21) | 9-13 | 11 (8-30) |
| Chloride (mEq/l) | 124 (123-129) | 102-125 | 120 (12-155) |
| Cholesterol (mg/dl) | 144 (11-252) | 210 (110-250) | 243 (100-399) |
| Creatine kinase (iu/l) | 210 (27-940) | 90-300 | 4500 (700-14.240) |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) | 0.1-0.7 | 0.5 (0.2-1.8) | |
| GGT (iu/l) | |||
| Glucose (mg/dl) | 100 (70-122) | 197-280 | 355 (255-575) |
| LDH (iu/l) | 150-400 | 789 (145-2915) | |
| Magnesium (mEq/l) | 0.9 | ||
| Phosphorus (mg/dl) | 3.7 (2.8-6.7) | 3.5-6.0 | 5.5 (2.8-10.0) |
| Potassium (mEq/l) | 3.6 (1.4-5.0) | 3.6-5.2 | 2.6 (0.4-7.0) |
| Protein total (g/dl) | 6.5 (5-8) | 2.8-5.0 | 3.8 (2.4-5.4) |
| Albumin (g/dl) | 1.0-1.6 | 2.3 (1.6-3.0) | |
| Globulin (g/l) | 1.5 (0.8-2.4) | ||
| a:g ratio | 1.7 (1.0-2.3) | ||
| Sodium (mEq/l) | 158 (145-167) | 140-158 | 164 (137-245) |
| Thyroxine (ìg/dl) | 1.5-4.6 | ||
| Uric acid (mg/dl) | 1.6 (<0.3-3.1) | 2.8-6.0 | 5.6 (2.4-13.3) |
=References
- Wright, K.M. & Skeba, S. (1992). Hematology and plasma chemistries of captive prehensile-tailed skinks (Corucia zebrata). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 23:429-432.=
- Carpenter, J.W., Mashima, T.Y. & Rupiper, D.J. (1996). Exotic Animal Formulary. Greystone Publications, Kansas. Pp. 74-76.
- Kopplin, R.P., Tarr, R.S. & Iverson, C.N.M. (1983). Serum profile of the iguanid lizard (Dipsosaurus dorsalis). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 14:30-32.
Haematology and biochemistry of chameleons
- 38 samples from 35 individuals – 8 institutions
- ISIS values
- International units
| Haematology | Values | Biochemistry | Values | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBC (x10^12) | 0.84-1.93 | Total protein (g/l) | 42 - 76 | |
| WBC (x10^9) | 7.68-19.99 | Albumin (g/l) | 13 - 33 | |
| PCV (l/l) | 0.19-0.40 | Urea (mmol/l) | 1.1-5.3 | |
| Haemaglobin (g/l) | 3.6-11.6 | ALK (iu/l) | 10-207 | |
| MCV (fl) | 145 - 353 | Cholesterol (mmol/l) | 3.09-6.53 | |
| MCH (pg) | 42.4 - 88.2 | Uric acid (umol/l) | 180 - 325 | |
| MCHC (g/dl) | 271-342 | Calcium (mmol/l) | 2.48-3.43 | |
| Heterophils (x 10^9) | 2.0-7.23 | AST (iu/l) | 15 - 247 | |
| Eosinophils (x 10^9) | 0.12-1.67 | GOT (iu/l) | 0-1 | |
| Lymphocytes (x 10^9) | 0.92-8.34 | LDH (iu/l) | 42-392 | |
| Monocytes (x 10^9) | 0.12 0.57 | Sodium (mmol/l) | 136 - 169 | |
| Basophils (x 10^9) | 0.00-26.3 | Potassium (mmol/l) | 3.1-5.1 | |
| Azurophils (x 10^9) | 0.40-3.23 | Chloride (mmol/l) | 114 - 130 | |
| Thrombocytes | Phosphorus (mmol/l) | 1.35-2.91 |
Bosc monitor blood values
Anecdotal information - International units
| CBC | Values | Biochemistry | Values | Electrolytes | Values | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCV | 20-35% | uric | 90-300 | sodium | 145-190 | ||
| WBC | 3-10 | Ca | 2.1-3.2 | K | 3.2-4.3 | ||
| PO | 1.1-2.5 | Cl | 142-155 | ||||
| AST | 20-140 | ||||||
| TP | 55-85 | ||||||
| Glu | 3.5-9.6 | ||||||
| Amylase | 150-700 | ||||||
| Chol | 2.5-7.5 | ||||||
| Trig | 1.0-4.5 |
Haematology and biochemistry of the inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
Haematology for 21 inland bearded dragons.
| Unit | Mean | SD | Range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WBC | 10^3/ul | 12.053 | 4.084 | 6.736-19.946 |
| Heterophils | % | 27 | 8 | 17-43 |
| 10^3/ul | 3.325 | 1.634 | 1.619-7.339 | |
| Lymphocytes | % | 59 | 7 | 47-69 |
| 10^3/ul | 7.053 | 2.410 | 4.012-12.033 | |
| Monocytes | % | 1 | 1 | 0-4 |
| 10^3/ul | 0.105 | 0.163 | 0-0.499 | |
| Basophils | % | 9 | 4 | 2-18 |
| 10^3/ul | 1.125 | 0.729 | 0.205-3.191 | |
| Azurophils | % | 4 | 2 | 0-9 |
| 10^3/ul | 0.414 | 0.288 | 0-1.085 | |
| Hematocrit | % | 27 | 7 | 17-50 |
| Total solids | g/dl | 6.6 | 1.2 | 4.5-9.5 |
| g/l | 66 | 12 | 45-95 |
Plasma chemistry values of inland bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).
- Sample size for the WBC and differential, TS, PCV glucose, uric acid, calcium, and phosphorus was 21; for cholesterol, sodium, chloride, potassium, BUN, ALT and AST, sample size was 20.
- All values of ALT were < 3 iu/L, with the exception of one value of 5. NA = not applicable.
| Unit | Mean | SD | Range | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glucose | mmol/I | 11.7 | 2.2 | 7.72-16.2 |
| mg/dl | 210 | 40 | 139-291 | |
| BUN | mmol/l | 0.7 | 0.2 | <0.7-1.4 |
| mg/dl | 1 | 0.4 | <1-2 | |
| Uric acid | mmol/l | 310 | 150 | 95-678 |
| mg/dl | 5.2 | 2.6 | 1.6-11.4 | |
| Calcium | mmol/l | 2.95 | 0.95 | 2.2-6.8 |
| mg/dl | 11.8 | 3.8 | 8.6-27.2 | |
| Phosphorus | mmol/l | 1.9 | 0.61 | 1.1-3.2 |
| mg/dl | 5.9 | 1.9 | 3.5-9.8 | |
| Cholesterol | mmol/l | 17.4 | 5.92 | 8.07-31.7 |
| mg/dl | 671 | 229 | 312-1224 | |
| ALT | iu/l | < 3 | NA | < 3-5 |
| AST | iu/l | 13 | 9 | 4-40 |
| Sodium | mmol/l or mEq/l | 153 | 15 | 141-190 |
| Chloride | mmol/l or mEq/l | 123 | 13 | 80-140 |
| Potassium | mmol/l or mEq/l | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.0-6.5 |
| Calcium:Phosphorus | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.9-3.8 |
=References
- Eliman, M.M. (1997). Hematology and plasma chemistry of the inland bearded dragon, Pogona vitticeps. In Bulletin of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians 7(4).=
Prehensile-tailed skink (Corucia zebrata)
ISIS values, International units
Haematology
| WBC | RBC count | Hb | PCV | MCV | MCH | MCHC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean +/- s.d. | 13.68 - 6.333 | 1.50 - 0.26 | 89 - 19 | 0.333 - 0.073 | 249.0 - 104.0 | 70.1 - 18.7 | 279 - 71 |
| No. of samples (individuals) | 37 - 33 | 26 - 24 | 27 - 24 | 38 - 35 | 26 - 24 | 17 - 15 | 25 - 23 |
| Range: min - max | 3.930 - 31.60 | 0.84 - 1.93 | 36 - 116 | 0.190 - 0.600 | 152.0 - 600.0 | 42.4 - 110.7 |
Differential
| Heterophils | Lymphocytes | Monocytes | Eosinophils | Basophils | Azurophils | Thrombocytes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean +/- s.d. | 4.711 - 2.053 | 4.792 - 3.817 | 0.307 - 0.246 | 0.878 - 0.877 | 1.720 - 1.919 | 1.861 - 0.831 | |
| No. of samples (individuals) | 37 - 33 | 37 - 33 | 13 - 13 | 22 - 20 | 34 - 31 | 13 - 13 | |
| Range: min - max | 1.010 - 12.00 | 0.332 - 16.50 | 0.079 - 0.948 | 0.125 - 3.160 | 0.104 | 0.400 - 3.232 |
Chemistry
| Calcium | Phosphorus | Sodium | Potassium | Chloride | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean +/- s.d. | 3.03 - 0.4 | 1.23 - 0.32 | 161 - 8 | 4.1 - 1.0 | 124 - 6 | |
| No. of samples (individuals) | 35 - 32 | 31 - 29 | 35 - 31 | 35 - 31 | 25 - 23 | |
| Range: min - max | 2.48 - 4.15 | 0.78 - 2.13 | 138 - 178 | 2.6 - 7.3 | 114 - 140 |
| Magnesium | HCO3 | BUN | Creatinine | Uric Acid | Glucose | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean +/- s.d. | 22.3 - 7.2 | .0000 - .0000 | 27 - 18 | 0.124 - 0.071 | 6.215 - 1.485 | |
| No. of samples (individuals) | 4 - 2 | 10 - 8 | 19 - 17 | 34 - 31 | 35 - 31 | |
| Range: min - max | 13.1 - 30.7 | .0000 - .3570 | 0 - 62 | 0.018 - 0.325 | 3.850 - 10.95 |
| Cholesterol | Triglycerides | CK | LDH | ALP | ALT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean +/- s.d. | 3.094 - 1.534 | .9020 - .9020 | 226 - 212 | 149 - 122 | 126 - 32 | 7 - 3 |
| No. of samples (individuals) | 36 - 32 | 12 - 10 | 25 - 21 | 9 - 9 | 14 - 14 | 15 - 14 |
| Range: min - max | .7800 - 6.552 | .3080 - 3.509 | 27 - 940 | 42 - 392 | 90 - 207 | 2 - 12 |
| AST | GGT | Tot Bilirubin | D Bilirubin | Ind Bilirubin | Fibrinogen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean +/- s.d. | 18 - 18 | 0 - 0 | 2 -2 | |||
| No. of samples (individuals) | 30 - 27 | 8 - 8 | 18 - 16 | |||
| Range: min - max | 2 - 76 | 0 - 1 | 0 - 7 |
Electrophoresis
| Osmolarity | Globulin | Albumin | Total protein | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean +/- s.d. | 360 - 17 | 35 - 9 | 22 - 5 | 60 - 10 |
| No. of samples (individuals) | 4 - 2 | 14 -14 | 14 - 14 | 19 - 17 |
| Range: min - max | 335 - 373 | 19 - 54 | 13 - 33 | 42 - 76 |