Know the symptoms of thrombocytopenia

Q: My dog's stool is black, and I noticed when I was grooming him that his body was covered in bruises. My veterinarian did bloodwork right away and says it's something called thrombocytopenia. What can you tell me about this condition?

A: Thrombocytopenia is what we call it when the body has an abnormally low number of blood platelets (thrombocytes). Normal platelet counts are 180,000 to 200,000.

Anytime platelet counts are less than 40,000, spontaneous bleeding can occur in the gastrointestinal tract (which is why you saw black stools and bruising on the body) or in the urinary tract, brain or lungs. Internal bleeding can cause dogs to die quickly if they don't receive a blood transfusion.

To figure out the cause of the low platelet count, veterinarians do a process of elimination called a differential diagnosis. Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is the destruction of the platelets by the dog's own immune system. We don't necessarily know why this happens, but this life-threatening condition can usually be treated with corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs to stop the body from attacking itself.

In a best-case scenario, dogs usually respond to treatment within three to five days. The condition can be managed, but not cured. Dogs need lifetime medication to control the disease.