Charlotte, if they were not hand counted, they are probably not low. I doubt very seriously if a lab hand counted them. What to be on the lookout for are petichia (sp?). They are small red spots that would indicate internal bleeding. The danger of low platelets, of course, is of the dog bleeding to death on the inside, and you would have no idea until it's too late.
Cavaliers can have giant platelets that are clumping, and the count is inaccurate unless they are hand-counted. Your vet can hand count them herself very easily. Also, the blood is supposed to be drawn with a wide bore needle. I would probably have it done again, making sure your vet hand counts them, but I would not be worried at this point. The initial treatment is with prednisone, and I would imagine many Cavaliers have needlessly been on prednisone due to inaccurate platelet counts. Carol Richards [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.geocities.com/carolscavaliers/ "My little dog, a heartbeat at my feet." Edith Wharton ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
