Increased thirst and urination coupled with anemia and elevated wbc

Question
Hello,

My 2 year old holland lop had recently started drinking and urinating excessively ( about 4 days ago) , but was otherwise acting normally. Some days she would drink 2+ cups of water on tops of eating 4 big leaves of romaine lettuce. I took her to the vet that I am interning with right away (to keep down on cost) and we drew some blood. She seems better now and is not drinking or urinating nearly as much. However, when we read the results about 4 days later ( with the added expertise of a vet through antec) we found that her wbc's were elevated and her rbc's were low. The vet at antec seemed highly concerned. She mentioned that wbc increase in rabbits is rare and very important to treat when caught. She also had a low hematocrit, but that is to be expected with the anemia. She proscribed 40 mgs per kg Baytril q 12 hrs for 2 weeks along with a probiotic. She also recommended an injection of both iron and vitamin B along with a supplement called pet-trinic. My vet wants to hold off on the injections and pet-trinic until she gets the antibiotic, in the hopes of not overloading her system. My baytril suspension is on order, since we don't carry the right dose or a liquid form, but should be here by the end of the week. I really like the vets i'm with, and trust both them and the vet at antec but would like to get a second view on the ordeal. Any information you have would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Allie

Answer
Dear Allie,

PU/PD (polyuria/polydypsia, or excessive urination and excessive drinking) can be a warning sign of renal disease.  Coupled with anemia, it's even more alarming, as failing kidneys cannot produce erythropoetin, which is necessary for the generation of red blood cells.  

It appears that the blood draw was done only for a cell count, from your message.  But I would think it's very important to do a complete blood chemistry to check her B.U.N., creatinine and other values.  It will help to get a specific gravity of her urine, and the coupled information will tell the vet about the state of her kidneys.

If this happened very suddenly, it's possible that a kidney infection or even environmental insult could trigger acute renal failure.  In many cases, this is treatable with quick, aggressive action (as suggested by the vet who wisely put her on Baytril).  Subcutaneous fluid therapy for a few rounds can also help flush out toxins that are causing the kidneys to shut down.

Chronic renal failure is more dire, and not really treatable except with palliative care.  She's pretty young to have failing kidneys unless she has been exposed to something that would do this, but it's something to consider.  

The high white blood count suggests and infection that might be responsible for what *sounds* like kidney problems.  But it would require blood work and (preferably) urinalysis to really know what's going on.

I hope your girl will be fine soon.

Dana