Reticulated platelet levels in whole blood and platelet-rich plasma of dogs with various platelet counts measured by flow cytometry.

Reticulated platelets (RP) are young platelets that contain residual RNA, and measurement of RP has been to assess thrombopoiesis. In the present study, flow cytometric counts of RP were compared using paired specimens elicited from dogs with various platelet counts by different RP collection procedures, the whole blood method (WBM) and platelet rich plasma method (PRPM). The flow cytometric counts of RP for the specimens collected by WBM showed good and stable agreement with those taken by PRPM from the same canine subjects. The result revealed that WBM, as well as PRPM, can be used clinically to determine RP levels in dogs with abnormal platelet counts.