The normal reference range for the hematocrit in an adult dog is 35% to 57%. Andy, an adult Golden retriever, has a hematocrit of 15%. This is an indication that Andy might A. have larger than normal circulating erythrocytes. B. have circulating immature erythrocytes. C. be dehydrated. D. be anemic.

A low hematocrit tells that the total percentage of RBC is below the lower range of normal, that might depend on age, specific condition or sex of an individual organism. Low hematocrit is also known as anemia.

The golden retriever has low hematocrit as the normal range is between 35% to 57%.

Thus, the correct answer is option D. Be anemic.

michell96 michell96 · Answer 2 · 2019-11-27T16:47:05+01:00

The correct answer is D. Be anemic

Explanation:

The hematocrit (HCT) measures the percentage of red blood cells by using a blood sample, this is a common test used to diagnosed different conditions. This also implies a low hematocrit shows the patient has low levels of red blood cells while a high hematocrit shows high levels of these cells. Additionally, a low range is often related to poor nutrition, bleeding or anemia, this last condition is characterized by low levels in the red blood cells.

According to this, the hematocrit of 15% shown in the test of Andy the Golden retriever is an indicator of anemia, because this level is below the normal rate for gods (35%-57%) and therefore, the levels of red blood cells in this dog are quite low. Besides this, low levels of red blood cells are directly related to anemia but no to other conditions such as dehydration that leads to a higher percentage of red blood cells.