Anemia is a disease commonly observed in veterinary medicine. This disease can be described as having a low amount of red blood cells and a reduced amount of hemoglobin in the circulating blood, which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. It develops as a result of loss, destruction or lack of production of red blood cells. Anemia is usually a secondary condition caused by another illness or health problem. There are three different types of anemia; regenerative, non-regenerative and relative. In regenerative anemia, the bone marrow responds to the anemia by increasing the production of erythrocytes or red blood cells. This means that there will be an increase in the number of immature red blood cells in the circulating blood. On a blood smear, one will likely notice nucleated red blood cells (nRBCs), polychromatophils, an increased number of reticulocytes as well as Howell-Jolly bodies (HJ bodies). The cause of this type of anemia is usually hemorrhage or hemolysis. Since the bone marrow responds, it is likely that the red blood cell mass will eventually return to normal once the bone marrow has produced enough red blood cells to compensate for the significant loss. Because the patient has lost a significant amount of blood, albumin and globulin levels usually decrease. The animal's mean corpuscular volume (MCV) will increase during this period because reticulocytes are larger than mature erythrocytes. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) will be decreased. This is decreased due to immature red blood cells, especially reticulocytes, as these are larger cells that contain less hemoglobin, as the bone marrow tries to produce cells as quickly as possible, but because of this,. .. .. middle of paper ...... the patient arrives at ten percent dehydration, he will have sunken eyes, dry mucous membranes, prolonged capillary refill time and delayed skin tenting. Any dehydration greater than ten percent is usually fatal, the animal will become unresponsive, go into shock and eventually die. Works Cited ASPCA. (2014). Dehydration. Accessed May 5, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dehydration.Hendrix, CM and Sirois, M. (2007). Laboratory procedures for veterinary technicians. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Summers, A. (2007). Common pet diseases. St. Louis, MO: Mosby. Veterinary medical clinic. Anemia, canine and feline. Accessed May 5, 2014. From http://www.vetmedclinic.com/?p=288. Voigt, GL and Swist, SL (2011). Hematology techniques and concepts for veterinary technicians. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.