Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Calcinosis circumscripta causing lumps on hind feet and tongue
By Tafti, A K et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary medicine. A, Physiology, pathology, clinical medicine·2005·Department of Pathology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Calcinosis circumscripta in the dog: a retrospective pathological study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old German Shepherd was brought in with unusual lumps on its hind feet and tongue. The veterinarian diagnosed the dog with calcinosis circumscripta, a condition where calcium deposits form in soft tissues, causing hard lumps. These lumps can vary in size and are often solitary. Treatment options may include monitoring the lesions, as they can sometimes resolve on their own, but in some cases, surgical removal might be necessary if they cause discomfort. The dog was treated and is now being monitored for any changes in the lumps.
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Abstract
Calcinosis circumscripta is an uncommon syndrome of ectopic idiopathic, dystrophic, metastatic or iatrogenic mineralization characterized by deposition of calcium salts in soft tissues. This paper is a retrospective study of 77 canine cases. The age of dogs in the study varied from 4 months to 15 years and 55% were <1 year old, 74% <2 years old and 88% <4 years old. Several pure and mixed, typically large breed dogs were affected so that 28.6, 13 and 9% were German Shepherd, Rottweiler and Labrador Retriever respectively. The size of lesions varied from 2 mm to 13 cm in diameter but most lesions were between 0.5 cm and 3 cm in diameter. Lesions were solitary in 82% of the affected dogs, and occurred most commonly on the hind feet (50%) and tongue (23%). With multiple lesions there was no apparent body symmetry. Microscopically, most lesions were well-defined single or multiple variably sized aggregates of amorphous to granular, lightly to darkly basophilic material with or without peripheral granulomatous reaction and surrounded by varying amounts of fibrous connective tissue. Additionally, three small nodular masses in the wall of the jejunum of a dog were diagnosed as calcinosis circumscripta. This is the first reported case of idiopathic intestinal calcinosis circumscripta in the dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15703005/