Morphology: relatively large, uniform red blood cells with central pallor. Lifespan: 110 – 120 days Other features: small numbers of polychromatophils, nucleated red blood cells, and Howell-Jolly bodies may be present… Read more Normal Canine Erythrocytes →
Morphology: red blood cells that stain very pale due to loss of hemoglobin through intravascular lysis. Commonly seen with: other features of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) including spherocytes, polychromatophils, and agglutination… Read more Ghost Cells →
Morphology: red blood cells that stain pain with increased central pallor and thin rim of hemoglobin (decreased hemoglobin content). Look alike: torocytes (increased central pallor with normal thick rim of hemoglobin). Commonly… Read more Hypochromasia →
Morphology: red blood cells with a spherical rather than biconcave shape. Spherocytes appear smaller than normal red blood cells, with loss of central pallor in dogs. Look alike: microcytes (may be… Read more Spherocytes →
Morphology: variation in red blood cell size due to the presence of red cells larger than normal (macrocytes and polychromatophils), red cells smaller than normal (microcytes and spherocytes), or both. Commonly… Read more Anisocytosis →
Morphology: red blood cells that are smaller than normal. May be hypochromic or normochromic. Central pallor is preserved (in dogs). Look alike: spherocytes (may be difficult to distinguish spherocytes from microcytes in… Read more Microcytes →
Morphology: red blood cells that are larger than normal, may be hypochromic or normochromic. Look alike: polychromatophils (also larger than normal but stain dark purple). Commonly seen with: other features of… Read more Macrocytes →
Morphology: leukocyte with a large round nucleus and numerous dark purple or blue cytoplasmic granules. Usually seen at the feathered edge of blood smear. Considerable variation in appearance of mast… Read more Mast Cells →
Cells and Smears 