Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Q&A 21

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This five-year-old, female Cocker Spaniel presented for evaluation of decreased appetite. PCV – 38%; TS – 6.8 gm/dl; ACT – 90 seconds; platelet count – 65,000/μl.

Question	Answer		Article
What abnormality is seen here?	Evidence of petechiae.		[[|Link to Article]]
Abnormalitites of which part of the coagulation system will result in these clinical signs?	The presence of petechiae suggests the presence of either a vascular or platelet abnormality (vasculitis, thrombocytopenia, thrombopathia).		[[|Link to Article]]
Is the platelet count low enough to result in clinical signs of spontaneous hemorrhage?	No. If the platelet count is less than 40,000/μl, the animal may have a bleeding tendency. Spontaneous hemorrhage, however, does not usually occur until the platelet count is less than 20,000/μl.		[[|Link to Article]]
Name four categories for the etiology of the coagulation abnormality. List one example for each cause.	Causes of thrombocytopenia are: decreased platelet production (myeloproliferative disease), consumption (DIC), sequestration (liver/spleen disease) destruction (immune-mediated disease)		[[ |Link to Article]]