What does polychromasia (color variation) in red blood cells suggest?
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Increased polychromasia suggests a regenerative anemia, where the bone marrow is responding to a need for more red blood cells (RBC) by releasing immature RBCs, but you need a reticulocyte count to CONFIRM it. Remember, horses do not release reticulocytes so have to do bone marrow analysis to work up anemia.
Immature RBCs are polychromatophilic (usually they stain a darker blue than normal RBCs). Follow this link to see RBCs with polychromasia in a dog with a regenerative anemia.
