Heinz Body Examination
A Heinz body examination checks a stained blood smear for Heinz bodies, small lumps of damaged haemoglobin in red cells. They can point to oxidative damage from some toxins or illnesses, and cats are more prone to them.
- Sample
- Whole blood (EDTA) smear
- Quantity
- As advised
- Report
- Confirmed when you book
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Heinz bodies: small lumps of damaged haemoglobin on or inside red blood cells
- Signs of oxidative damage to red cells from some toxins or illnesses
- How many red cells look affected, as described on the smear report
When your vet may advise it
- A dog or cat that may have eaten onion, garlic or food cooked with them
- A pet that may have been given a human pain medicine
- Unexplained anaemia, pale gums, dark urine or weakness
- A cat with diabetes or another long-term illness whose blood count looks abnormal
About this test
Haemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red cells, can be damaged by some harmful substances in a process called oxidation. The damaged haemoglobin clumps into small dots called Heinz bodies, which a special stain shows on a blood smear. They may appear after a pet eats onion or garlic or is given some human pain medicines, and with certain illnesses such as diabetes in cats. Red cells carrying them break down more easily, which can lead to anaemia. Cats are more prone, and a few may be seen even in a healthy cat. A registered veterinarian decides what the finding means using your pet's signs, history and other blood results.
How to prepare
A blood sample in an EDTA tube is used to make the smear. Tell your vet about any foods, plants, medicines or chemicals your pet may have reached. The lab confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book.
Questions about Heinz Body Examination
Can onion cause anaemia in dogs and cats?
Why are cats more likely to have Heinz bodies?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Confirmed when you book. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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Heinz Body Examination: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
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