Chinchilla - High level of alkaline phosphatase, low hemoglobin

Hello. I did a preventive examination of my 8-year-old chinchilla. He was very stressed during blood sampling so he was given inhalation anesthesia. Please interpret the results. Thank you in advance!

Hello- and I'm afraid that I'm going to disappoint you, but at least I'll explain why.   First, your vet knows the patient.  They have checked the patient's clinical perameters and understand the context in which they took the blood sample.  Secondly, they knew the blood machine and whether or not they checked the red blood cell count with a microscope smear, and whether they needed to.   Most blood machines made for dogs for example, may not differentiate the size of a hamster cell, so depending on the machine used, it might not be abnormal for red blood cell numbers to be poorly estimated in a hamster.

This is not to say that your vets sample isn't useful; just that a lot more context is needed to interpret it, which I do not have.   Thirdly, if a vet has already run these bloods and you have asked to take the results away with you and then asked a stranger, it rather implies a lack of trust in your vet.  I wonder what the opinion of a vet you don't know, who hasn't met your chinchilla and doesn't know the blood machine, can add to this out of context.  Usually vets like it when you ask for a second opinion; if they know they are right, they will gladly send you, along with the clinical information, knowing that they will be supported.  If they aren't sure, they will be interested in a second opinion because we like to learn and to do what is best for the animal.   However this only works if the second vet has more authority on the subject than the first vet eg is an expert in chinchilla bloods.   I have found that working with small animal pathologists eg at the local lab, can also offer a useful insight into small mammal bloods.  If you are not happy with whatever rests you have been offered, we would strongly recommend getting a second opinion by the traditional route.  Best of luck - and please let us know how it goes.