Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with high calcium and swollen lymph nodes
By Mellanby, R J et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2006·Queen's Veterinary School Hospital, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hypercalcaemia associated with granulomatous lymphadenitis and elevated 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D concentration in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old Labrador was brought in for weight loss and swollen lymph nodes. Tests showed he had granulomatous lymphadenitis, a type of inflammation in the lymph nodes, along with high calcium levels and elevated vitamin D. The vet couldn't find a specific cause for the inflammation, but after starting treatment with prednisolone, the dog's symptoms improved, and his calcium and vitamin D levels returned to normal. This case highlights how granulomatous disease can lead to high calcium levels in dogs, similar to what is seen in humans.
People also search for: dog weight loss swollen lymph nodes · Labrador hypercalcemia treatment · granulomatous lymphadenitis in dogs
Abstract
A seven-year-old Labrador was presented with weight loss and mild generalised lymphadenopathy. Histopathology of an excised lymph node by the referring veterinarian demonstrated granulomatous lymphadenitis. At the time of referral, fine-needle aspirates of the lymph nodes confirmed the presence of ongoing granulomatous inflammation. Further investigations revealed marked hypercalcaemia, a low parathyroid hormone concentration, a parathyroid hormone related protein concentration within the reference range, and an elevated serum concentration of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D. An underlying cause of the granulomatous lymphadenitis could not be identified. The clinical signs, hypercalcaemia and elevated serum concentrations of 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D resolved following prednisolone treatment. In contrast to dogs, hypercalcaemia occurred secondarily to granulomatous disease and elevated 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations is a well-recognised condition in human beings. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report to describe elevated serum calcium and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D concentrations in a dog with histologically confirmed granulomatous disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16573764/