# Just got back from the vet.



## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

Ok, so Kane had his dental this afternoon. I get a call from them saying everything went well but the blood work shows a low white blood cell count. Firstly I don't have much confidence in Banfield in general because every vet I've encountered knew zero about nutrition and they always try to throw in additional services which doesn't seem necessary.

So anyway what generally causes a low WBC count? I did a little research and Kane doesn't seem to show any symptoms, on the contrary ever since I altered his diet, he's never been more vibrant but I could just be fooling myself. 

Is it caused by nutritional deficiencies? Kane eats mostly red meat with poultry RMBs', eggs, beef organs and I give him vitamin B50, vitamin C and CoQ10 supplements. Any input would certainly be appreciated. Cheers!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I think the most common cause is an infection somewhere in the body. Very simple infections can cause it.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Just how low was it? Low end of normal? Below normal range values? To be honest you can't tell much from just one set of bloodwork. Rechecking values in a few months will tell you more because you'll start to see trends.

Why was he having a dental done?


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

RawFedDogs said:


> I think the most common cause is an infection somewhere in the body. Very simple infections can cause it.


I noticed that during my online search but I haven't seen any change in his behavior so it makes it a rather perplexing diagnose. I'm going to be more observant for the next several days to see if I notice any hiccups in his daily routines.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

DaneMama said:


> Just how low was it? Low end of normal? Below normal range values? To be honest you can't tell much from just one set of bloodwork. Rechecking values in a few months will tell you more because you'll start to see trends.
> 
> Why was he having a dental done?


They simply said that it was low and asked me if I wanted to have the bloodwork sent to a lab (for an additional charge of course) for analysis. Kane was getting his annual dental cleaning because it's included in his Health Care plan but I'm discontinuing it because I simply don't like Banfield's practices.


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## Sunyoung (Feb 18, 2011)

My dog had the same problem when she came back from the vet (also Banfield:tsk last month. The thing that bothers me is that I was just informed that she had a low WBC count - and then was told that Frankie has always had this. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Banfield has a website for those who use their wellness plan - it's pretty useful sometimes and allows you to see information about your pet or pets medical history (this includes complete lab results).

I just looked up Frankie's lab results from our last visit and found out that by "low" they meant:


> Lab Test	Lab Result	Evaluation	Lab Range
> WBC	3.770 10^3/µl	Below Normal	6.000 - 17.000 10^3/µl


. Is this way below normal? What was your dog's?


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

Sunyoung said:


> My dog had the same problem when she came back from the vet (also Banfield:tsk last month. The thing that bothers me is that I was just informed that she had a low WBC count - and then was told that Frankie has always had this. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Banfield has a website for those who use their wellness plan - it's pretty useful sometimes and allows you to see information about your pet or pets medical history (this includes complete lab results).
> 
> I just looked up Frankie's lab results from our last visit and found out that by "low" they meant: . Is this way below normal? What was your dog's?


How do I look up Kane's medical info on the website? I registered but don't know specifically how to access the info.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

If you both are worried about it, I would have a full panel done in a month or so from a different, less corporate vet service.


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## Sunyoung (Feb 18, 2011)

SamWu1 said:


> How do I look up Kane's medical info on the website? I registered but don't know specifically how to access the info.


Go to www.mybanfield.net. If you've made an account already, sign in. At the left side, it should say your pet's name, click on the name. In the left column, click on "medical information" and it will take you to a page that includes (top to bottom): Microchips and Rabies Tag, Current Vaccine History (there is a drop-down menu in here that allows you to look at previous years since you've been with Banfield), and Lab Results (as with Current Vaccine History, there is a drop-down menu that allows you to see previous years). I hope this helps! 



DaneMama said:


> If you both are worried about it, I would have a full panel done in a month or so from a different, less corporate vet service.


I really would love to do this, but I don't have very much money right now in order to be able to do this.


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## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

I took Louis to Banfield too, the one in Columbia actually. I wasn't super impressed and although most of the doctors were nice, they always seemed in such a rush to get us out. I also had a bunch of extra services shoved my way. After he turned a year old and got all his shots and services through the puppy plan, I stopped going there. Tomorrow I'm taking him for his first visit at a holistic vet, we'll see how that goes. I heard he knows a lot about nutrition but he is expensive. I also hear good things about the Cat & Dog hospital of Columbia, though when I called them up they didn't seem to answer my questions very well....


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

This is why I don't like corporate vet hospitals like Banfield.


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## candiceb (Jan 22, 2010)

A friend of mine worked for Banfield for a few weeks between semesters once. She intended to work for a couple months, but said she had to quit because she didn't like their practices. She said they were instructed to try and get people to accept extra services for every pet that came in, whether there was something wrong with them or not.

I have a problem with corporate medicine in general. Someone making money off of someone else's health just doesn't seem right to me.


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## _Trish (Jan 31, 2011)

I'm shocked at the number of people that use Banfield. I have heard nothing but bad things about them, we use 3 different vets for our dogs, we have a traditional vet, a holistic vet, and a specialist.. Louie had to see a specialist in December because he had tumors in his ear canal, that kept growing, so he had to have a CT scan, and then undergo surgery to remove the tumors, and then had them sent off to be biopsied. Thankfully they were benign -- it was a wonderful facility though, with a great staff of caring, and knowledgeable doctors. Instead of having Banfield and their "Pet Wellness" plan, it's better to find a good vet you can trust, and invest in pet insurance like Trupanion, they offer 90/10 coverage, and pay for 90% of the bill for non-routine visits (they will not pay for spay/neuter, or vaccines) and their insurance also covers congenital or breed specific issues, but will not cover pre-existing conditions. If you enroll before you pet is 1 year old, for a small extra monthly fee you can also have hip dysplasia coverage.


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## richie (Jan 30, 2011)

I found it surprising that a low WBC count was indicative of infection. In humans at least, infections almost invariably result in a *HIGH* WBC count.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Back in the day, I used to work for Petsmart that had a Banfield. I would always walk by there and could hear the receptionists pushing their services to the clients. I've also been back to their treatment area, and I didn't like what I saw. The techs are always in a rush and very ignorant.


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## KlaMarie (Dec 30, 2010)

richie said:


> I found it surprising that a low WBC count was indicative of infection. In humans at least, infections almost invariably result in a *HIGH* WBC count.


 That's exactly what I was thinking. But then, even in humans, a low white count can sometimes mean a viral infection. It can also mean overwhelming infection (sepsis), because your marrow can't keep up with the body's demands for WBCs. But sepsis would come with other symptoms as well. 

Was the dog running a high temp? But I'm assuming a dog symptoms would be different....


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## tracydr (Feb 25, 2011)

Low WBC can mean virus, toxins, sepsis, or can even be hereditary. Without having previous blood results from the dog it's hard to say if it's normal for your dog. I would recommend that you find a good internist and just go in for a check-up. Is he a Doberman? If he's over two years old, he needs annual holter monitor and echocardiogram, anyway. The internist could probably help with that. And ditch Banfield. They are worthless. They over vaccinate and waste your money on the unnecessary stuff while not recommending what you really need.
Most bigger cities will have a clinic with internal medicine, cardiology, opthamology. Often all in one clinic. Even better would be a vet school, if you have one nearby.
I was just at my vet for a urine check on my dobe. I happened to mention my chihuahua, who had liver failure two years ago and is fine now at 12 or 13 years old. I asked him if he thought it was ok to stop vaccinating him. He said highly recommended due to his history, just don't let him bite anyone since he would have to be quarantined. I also told him we were feeding raw and he noted the extremely shiny coat, great muscle tone on my dobe. He is very quick to recommend the internist when needed ( who recommended raw and natural supplements when the little guy had liver failure!) so I'm very happy with this vet. And, he has dobermans!
Anyway, dobermans have some very special health issues so I would recommend a good specialist to double check your guy.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

SamWu1 said:


> Ok, so Kane had his dental this afternoon. I get a call from them saying everything went well but the blood work shows a low white blood cell count. Firstly I don't have much confidence in Banfield in general because every vet I've encountered knew zero about nutrition and they always try to throw in additional services which doesn't seem necessary.
> 
> So anyway what generally causes a low WBC count? I did a little research and Kane doesn't seem to show any symptoms, on the contrary ever since I altered his diet, he's never been more vibrant but I could just be fooling myself.
> 
> Is it caused by nutritional deficiencies? Kane eats mostly red meat with poultry RMBs', eggs, beef organs and I give him vitamin B50, vitamin C and CoQ10 supplements. Any input would certainly be appreciated. Cheers!


a high white blood count generally indicates inflammation or an infectious process.

a low white blood count can mean many things, from ticks to cancers, genetics, a weakened immune system, chemical, and a host of other things...some serious, some not. it also depends on which part of the white count is low. is it the total white count? neutrophils? lymphocytes? eosinophils, basophils? etc...

having said that, i would recommend running, not walking to a real vet, not banfield, they are the worst.

have a senior panel drawn and create a relationship with a real vet.

because you feed raw, unless there is another problem, i'd like to ask why you had kane's teeth cleaned.


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