Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Persistent nonregenerative anemia in a 4-year-old cat.
- Journal:
- Veterinary clinical pathology
- Year:
- 2020
- Authors:
- Long, Mackenzie E et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences · United States
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was taken to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine because he had been losing weight, seemed very tired, and had anemia (a low red blood cell count) for the past two months. Tests showed he had severe anemia that wasn't improving, high levels of waste in his blood, and issues with his urine, including protein. A sample from his bone marrow showed it was not producing enough blood cells and had a lot of a jelly-like substance. Unfortunately, despite receiving several blood transfusions and other supportive treatments, the cat passed away. The autopsy revealed that his anemia was likely caused by a combination of chronic kidney disease, the jelly-like transformation in his bone marrow, and bleeding in his gastrointestinal tract.
Abstract
A 4-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine for a 2-month history of severe weight loss, lethargy, anemia, and bilaterally hyperechoic kidneys with loss of corticomedullary distinction as reported by the referring veterinarian. Relevant initial laboratory results included severe non-regenerative normocytic hypochromic anemia, increased blood urea nitrogen, minimally concentrated urine, proteinuria, and an increased urine protein:creatinine ratio. Cytologic evaluation of a bone marrow aspirate revealed a markedly hypocellular marrow with abundant mucinous material. Gelatinous marrow transformation (GMT) was confirmed histologically by the presence of mucinous material in the bone marrow that stained positive for Alcian blue but negative for periodic acid-Schiff. The cat died despite repeated blood transfusions and supportive care. Gelatinous marrow transformation, immune complex-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage were observed on autopsy and histology. It is likely that the development of GMT was secondary to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and that CKD, GMT, and gastrointestinal hemorrhage contributed to the cat's non-regenerative anemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32201969/