Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Calcium levels in dogs with low adrenal hormone disease
By Gow, A G et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2009·Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Calcium metabolism in eight dogs with hypoadrenocorticism.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of eight dogs with hypoadrenocorticism (a condition where the adrenal glands don't produce enough hormones) was found to have high calcium levels in their blood. This condition can lead to various electrolyte imbalances, and while high potassium and low sodium are common, high calcium levels were noted in about 30% of cases. In this study, five out of seven dogs with high calcium had normal levels of parathyroid hormone and vitamin D, suggesting that the cause of the high calcium wasn't related to these hormones. The findings indicate that high calcium in these dogs is not typically linked to increased hormone levels.
People also search for: dog high calcium levels · hypoadrenocorticism in dogs · dog adrenal gland disease symptoms
Abstract
Hypoadrenocorticism is a well-described endocrinopathy in dogs that results from deficient production and secretion of glucocorticoids and/or mineralocorticoids. Although hyperkalaemia, hyponatraemia and hypochloraemia are the most common electrolyte disturbances, hypercalcaemia also occurs in approximately 30 per cent of cases. The pathogenesis of hypercalcaemia in dogs with hypoadrenocorticism is unknown. This case series reports ionised calcium, parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein and vitamin D metabolite concentrations that were measured in eight dogs with concurrent hypercalcaemia and hypoadrenocorticism. Ionised calcium was increased in five of seven dogs with hypercalcaemia associated with hypoadrenocorticism. Parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations were within their reference ranges in seven of eight dogs, six of seven cases and six of seven dogs, respectively. This case series highlights that hypercalcaemia associated with hypoadrenocorticism is rarely associated with increases in plasma parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein or serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19689671/