What causes pallor?
Pallor may be caused by anemia or by circulatory problems such as cardiac disease. How can we determine the cause of pallor in my dog? A history and thorough physical examination may give us some ’clues’ regarding the cause of pallor in your dog. For example, cardiac disease may be suggested by abnormal heart or lung sounds, while abdominal palpation may reveal the presence of a mass within the abdomen that could be the source of anemia through chronic blood loss. Often no specific cause of pallor is found on initial examination. We must then undertake a series of screening tests to try to determine its underlying cause. What screening tests are suggested? The following screening tests are suggested when the underlying cause of pallor is not readily apparent following the history and physical examination. These tests include a complete blood count (CBC), a serum biochemistry profile, and a urinalysis. If specific problems such as cardiac disease are identified on physical examination,
