Hematologic and bone marrow changes in dogs experimentally infected with Rangelia vitalii

Background Rangelia vitalii is a tick‐transmitted piroplasm that causes both hemolytic and hemorrhagic disease in dogs in Brazil. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the response of the bone marrow in dogs experimentally infected with R vitalii during the acute stage of the disease. Methods For this study, 2 groups of a total of 12 young dogs were used. Group A was composed of healthy dogs (n = 5), and group B consisted of animals infected with R vitalii (n = 7). Blood samples were collected on days 0, 10, 20, and 30 post‐inoculation and stored in EDTA tubes for a full hematology profile, including a reticulocyte count. On days 10 and 20, bone marrow samples were collected, stained, and examined. Results In infected dogs anemia was identified on days 10 and 20 post‐inoculation (P