Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy with leukemia and high calcium and potassium levels in blood
By Henry, C J et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1996·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, hypercalcemia, and pseudohyperkalemia in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-month-old male Chesapeake Bay Retriever was brought to the vet because he had been limping for two weeks and had an unusually high number of lymphocytes in his blood. After testing, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow. The dog also had high calcium levels, likely due to the cancer, and high potassium levels caused by the breakdown of lymphocytes during testing. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized, and a necropsy showed that cancer had spread throughout his body, affecting multiple organs.
People also search for: puppy limping · Chesapeake Bay Retriever leukemia symptoms · dog high calcium treatment
Abstract
A 5-month-old sexually intact male Chesapeake Bay Retriever was evaluated for lameness of 2 weeks' duration and lymphocytosis. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was diagnosed on the basis of results of cytologic and cytochemical evaluation of a bone marrow aspirate. Serum biochemical abnormalities included hypercalcemia and hyperkalemia. Hypercalcemia was likely paraneoplastic; hyperkalemia was believed to be a result of release of potassium from large numbers of lymphocytes in vitro (pseudohyperkalemia). The dog was euthanatized, and necropsy revealed infiltration of the hepatic vasculature and sinusoids, renal parenchyma, mesenteric and peripheral lymph nodes, bone marrow, and iridial tissue with neoplastic cells. Unique features of this case include the young age of the dog and the hypercalcemia and hyperkalemia associated with acute lymphoblastic anemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8567380/