Anemia is defined as a low red blood cell count and can be caused by a number of different processes, including blood loss, red blood cell destruction, and not enough red blood cell production.
The aforementioned categories of anemia can be caused by trauma, cancer, immune-mediated disease, which is a disease in which the body attacks its own cells or organs, infectious disease, toxins, genetic defects, inflammatory disease, iron deficiency, drug reactions, kidney failure, and widespread chronic (long term) illness.

Because there are so many different types and causes of anemia, there is no gender or age inclination for anemia. Individual disease processes may be more common in certain age groups and breeds, so it is important to characterize the type of anemia present.

The impact of anemia on your pet will depend on the cause of the anemia as well as the severity of the anemia.