Question to figure out labwork

I was reading two of Speedboats lab results. His bloodwork showed low wbc 2.0 and low blood platelets 48. At the bottom of the page is printed out :
FD PLT Poor RBC/PLT separation, see user manual section 5
Anyone have any idea what that means.

RBC is Red Blood Count.
PLT is Platelets.
I am trying to figure the other part out.

Originally Posted by blueyedgirl5946

I was reading two of Speedboats lab results. His bloodwork showed low wbc 2.0 and low blood platelets 48. At the bottom of the page is printed out :
FD PLT Poor RBC/PLT separation, see user manual section 5
Anyone have any idea what that means.

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I'm wondering if "poor RBC (red blood cell)/PLT (platelet) separation is synonymous with the term "clumping." I'd mentioned to you once, that a common cause of very low platelets in a cat is "clumping."

This is so common that on 2 of my older cats, almost every time they had bloodwork done (I always kept copies of their results in a file here at home), the tech who ran the sample would indicate on the report beside the PLT result "clump" or "clumping".

Here's an exerpt that speaks to this:

Cats have notoriously reactive platelets, which clump readily on sample collection. Therefore, obtaining a platelet count can be difficult in a cat.
Each platelet seen in a microscope field with the 100x oil immersion objective, in the monolayer of the smear, is roughly equivalent to 15,000 platelets/µl. Therefore, if there are more than 10 to 15 platelets per field on average, the platelet count is within or above the reference range.
Assessment of platelet number is part of the routine examination of blood smears; severe thrombocytopenia should be readily recognized by examination of a blood smear.

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From this site: http://diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/clinp...ags/platno.htm

Here, also, is a response from a Vet on some type of Vet Forum where someone has posted about their cat's bloodwork showing low platelets. Here is the Vet's response, that again speaks to "clumping" that contributes to the appears of a LOW PLT count:

A low platelet count is actually a very common finding in catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s bloodwork results. It is usually not a cause for concern, unless your 15 yr old kitty is showing symptoms of illness. The only reason to be worried is if the doctor saw any bizarre platelet formation. But if the laboratory did not report any findings, I wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be concerned. Both platelet clumping and low automated counts are extremely common in feline bloodwork results and in fact, it can be very tough to get an accurate count. So unless your cat is showing any signs of illness, be very glad that your catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s baseline results appears normal for your happy cat. Thanks for being such a conscientious mom.

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http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Pocket-...e/show/1030624

Here also is a question posted by a cat owner who was concerned about their cat's low PLT count, and here is the Vet's response that speaks about clumping which can, again, give a false appearance of low platelets when in reality, they aren't really low - just stuck together so when counted under the microscope, appear to be less:

Depending on how the platelets were counted, it could effect the accuracy of the results. This does NOT mean your vet did anything wrong. Cat platelets are notoriously "sticky" and like to clump together on the glass slide. If they were counted with a machine, the platelets can clump together and the count can seem low because the machine thinks a clump of platelets are just one big platelet. The other thing that doesn't quite fit is that low platelets don't cause anorexia and weight loss. Platelets clot the blood. Animals won't have problems until they start bleeding. You will usually start to see small tiny bruises on the skin, blood in the urine, bleeding gums, etc.

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http://www.justanswer.com/questions/...-platlet-count

And like I mentioned in my original response to you, in your post where you posted about your kitty's elevated BUN/Creat and low WBC and PLT, I have, through the years, seen my older cats to have very low WBC count but no symptoms of anything. The next time bloodwork done (maybe next year), WBC normal.

Like I'd asked you before; when your Vet did bloodwork, did he run it "in-house" or does he send blood off to a Vet lab for analysis? I much prefer samples being sent off to a Vet lab than in-house testing. I feel there's more room for human error with the latter, which could be the case for you?

You may consider inquiring about this; if there's a Vet Lab in your area/city, have blood drawn again and request it be sent to Lab for analysis. this is your right to request this. I've done this many times when I feel the situation is critical or 'in-house' results seem 'off' to me.

Originally Posted by mews2much

She can not have tests done again because her cat was pts.

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I'm sorry to hear that. I obviously wouldn't have known this, based only on the info in her post here.

That being said, impossible for any of us to know what the excerpt she posted means, particularly without knowing what 'info in section 5 of manual' says.