Dog Coombs Test - Information on Canine Coombs Test and Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA)
Dogs are one of the most popular pets all over the world and despite the fact that they are widely known to be able to perform a wide number of roles, probably the most essential and cherished trait is the fact that they make such good companions.
One of the biggest problems when housing a dog, however, comes from the fact that they are known to suffer through most kinds of pain – meaning that the owner should take it upon him or herself to make sure that they identify the times when the animal does not seem to be physically very active or suffering from some kind of illness.
It is usually the strong bond that develops between the master and the pet that allows the master to see the change in the dog’s activeness – thereby making the owner see that the animal isn’t feeling very well.
Coombs Test For Dogs
Just as with humans, dogs suffer from a number of illnesses and there are a wide range of medical tests that have been designed to help with the diagnoses.
A dog coomb’s test is performed in order to detect the presence of immunoglobulins on the surface of red blood cells. These immunoglobulin’s are primarily proteins that are made up of white blood cells and the dog coombs test that is used to detect these will help identify whether the animal is suffering from any kind of immune mediated hemolytic anemia.
Also known as IMHA, immune mediated hemolytic anemia is a very common condition amongst dogs and is characterized by the red blood cells becoming coated with immunoglobulin’s and leading to the premature destruction of these red blood cells within the animals body. In the event that the Coombs test for dogs returns a positive result, there are two main types of the condition. The first type is known as primary immune mediated hemolytic anemia and the factors that lead to he production of antibodies withint eh animals own system remains unknown. The second type of the condition – known as secondary immune mediated hemolytic anemia is the result of the antibodies being produced as a result of some other underlying medical condition such as an infection, allergy, inflammation or even neoplasma.
A negative result of a canine coombs test means that the dog does not have Immune mediated hemolytic anemia and studies show that almost 10% to 30% of all dog coombs test may provide a false negative despite the fact that the animal may be suffering from the condition.
|
