Reference intervals for the sysmex XT-1800IV haematology analyzer in maine coon cats using a blood donor database

There are no reported hematologic reference intervals (RIs) for Maine Coon cats. The objective of this study was to (1) determine hematological RIs for adult Maine Coon cats on a Sysmex XT- 1800iV hematology analyzer using a reference population of healthy blood donors, (2) to compare results with published RIs for a general feline population to assess whether these RIs are appropriate for Maine Coons, and (3) to assess the effect of age, weight and sex on the hematologic results. CBCs from Maine Coon blood donors were evaluated retrospectively. RIs were determined and compared with established RIs according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard guidelines and the American Society of Veterinary Clinical Pathology guide- lines using Reference Value-Advisor (v2.1) software. CBCs from 81 clinically healthy, client-owned purebreed Maine Coon blood donors were evaluated. Ages ranged from one to 8 years (mean 4.4 years), 42 were female and 39 were male, and weights ranged from 4.9 to 8.5 kg (mean 6.7 kg). Most of the hematologic RIs for Maine Coons determined in this study overlapped with previ- ously published RIs, with the exceptions of RBC count, MCHC, MCV, and absolute and relative reticulocyte counts. HCT results correlated positively with body weight (P = .003,r = 0.33) and sex had significant effects on HCT, with males having signifi- cantly higher HCTs than females (P = .001). Currently published RIs for some hematologic variables (RBC count, MCHC, MCV and reticulocyte counts) are not appropriate for use in adult Maine Coon cats.