title: Hematological assessment in pet rabbits: blood sample collection and blood cell identification.
abstract: Pet rabbits are presented to veterinary clinics for routine care and treatment of clinical diseases. In addition to obtaining clinical history, additional diagnostic testing may be required, including hematological assessments. This article describes common blood collection methods, including venipuncture sites, volume of blood that can be safely collected, and handling of the blood. Hematological parameters for normal rabbits are provided for comparison with in-house or commercial test results. A description of the morphology of rabbit leukocytes is provided to assist in performing a differential count. Differential diagnoses are provided for abnormal values identified in the hemogram.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Tech, 300 Turner Street Northwest, Suite 4120 (0497), Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. Electronic address: moored@vt.edu.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology (0442), Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, 245 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology (0442), Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, 245 Duck Pond Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001772:Blood Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000166:cytology; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection / Q000662:veterinary*; D006405:Hematology / Q000379:methods; D057805:Pets / Q000097:blood*; D011817:Rabbits / Q000097:blood*
keywords: Blood collection; Differential count; Hematology; Hemogram; Rabbit; White blood cell count morphology