Effects of Storage at Room and Refrigerator Temperatures on Dogs Blood Parameters

Blood should be analyzed immediately after collection. However the delay in its analysis may be unavoidable if the samples are taken from farms away from labs or, when samples are collected at the end of week. The purpose of this study consists in comparison of the CBC results in dogs and morphological changes observed in blood smears, stored at room temperature (22° C) and in refrigerator (4°C). The blood was collected with EDTA from 11 clinically healthy dogs, and was analyzed, immediately after collection and then after 6, 24, 48 and 72 hours by using hematologic analyzer BC -2800 Vet. The number of erythrocyte cells and the percentage of neutrophils and lymphocytes were stable for 24-48 hours at their respective storages temperatures. While the number of platelets and MCV were increased after 6 hours at both temperatures of storing, it also falls after 48 hours, while the concentration of hemoglobin was stable during the period of study. The morphological changes observed in blood were: smudge cells (unspecified forms), pyknotic leukocyte, ecinocite and sferoecinocyte.