You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Microscopic examination of samples collected by bronchoalveolar lavage under general anaesthesia can help to give a precise diagnosis in bronchopulmonary diseases of the cat and dog. 

The following changes in cell content are recognised with different forms of bronchopulmonary disease :

 

Cell Type	Bacterial Disease	Allergy	Neoplasia
Nucleated cells/ml	N or moderate increase	N to slight increase	N to slight increase
Macrophages	N or slight increase	N to slight increase	N to slight increase
Neutrophils	Greatly increased . Usually less than 5%	N to slight increase	N to slight increase
Lymphocytes	N to slight increase	N to moderate increase	N to slight increase
Eosinophils	N	N to moderate increase Usually less than 5% in dogs; less than 25% in cats.	N to slight increase
Other types of cell	None	Occasionally mast cells	Neoplastic cells - not often seen unless the cancer has invaded the bronchial tree. Usually carcinoma or lymphosarcoma.

N = normal numbers (low)

The main differential findings are highlighted in red.

(adapted after Masserdotti C, Veterinaria (1998) Vol 12, p33-39)

Last updated : January 2016