This book is divided into 3 parts: Part I covers basic information on cellular development as well as when and how to perform bone marrow evaluations and how to interpret the results. Part II expands on the basic information of Part I with discussions on abnormal bone marrow, including neoplasias, and a chapter devoted to case studies. Reference material is found in Part III. The bone marrow is the major site for hematopoiesis in the healthy adult animal. At birth and during early postnatal life, hematopoiesis occurs in the marrow of all bones. With maturity, active hematopoiesis is restricted to the axial skeleton (flat bones, such as the pelvis, ribs, sternum, and skull) and ends of the long bones. In times of increased demand for production of blood cells, hematopoiesis can expand within the long bones and into extramedullary sites, such as the spleen, liver, and lymph nodes. Hematopoietic tissue in the bone marrow is composed of progenitor cells capable of producing granulocytes, monocytes/macrophages, erythrocytes, lymphocytes, and platelets. In addition, stromal cells, such as adipocytes, fibroblasts, macrophages, and endothelial cells, play a key role in providing a stable supporting structure for the hematopoietic progenitor cells as well as necessary growth factors to sustain hematopoiesis. An understanding of normal hematopoiesis is helpful in interpreting bone marrow aspirates from dogs and cats that are ill. Abnormalities in the bone marrow may be reflected in changes observed in the peripheral blood. For proper interpretation of a bone marrow aspirate, it is essential to perform a concurrent complete blood count (CBC or hemogram). - from Amzon