Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with low calcium and low parathyroid hormone from poor diet
By Diquélou, A et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2005·Department of Internal Medicine, France·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Hypocalcaemia due to nutritional calcium deficiency and hypoparathyroidism in an adult dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old male poodle was brought in after experiencing muscle spasms, blindness, a stiff walk, and changes in behavior for two months. Tests showed he had very low calcium levels due to a poor diet that lacked enough calcium, as well as low levels of parathyroid hormone, which helps regulate calcium in the body. The vet treated him with calcitriol (a form of vitamin D) and improved his diet, which raised his calcium levels back to normal and resolved his symptoms. Although his parathyroid hormone levels remained low, the dog was much healthier after treatment.
People also search for: dog muscle spasms treatment · poodle calcium deficiency symptoms · dog low calcium diet
Abstract
A 13-year-old intact male poodle had suffered periodic tetanic crises for two months. It was cachectic and moderately dehydrated, and during the crises blindness, a stiff gait and behavioural changes were observed. Routine haematological and biochemical profiles showed that it was severely hypocalcaemic, with a corrected plasma calcium concentration of 1.13 mmol/litre (reference range 2.25 to 3 mmol/litre). The dog was fed a home-made diet composed of chicken and basmati rice cooked with a soup bouillon cube; an analysis of its daily allowance indicated that the dog was generally malnourished and received only 0.222 g of calcium per day rather than the 0.6 g it required. In addition, the dog had a low blood concentration of parathyroid hormone of 12 ng/litre (reference range 20 to 80 ng/litre). Supplementing the dog with calcitriol for four days and correcting its diet increased its blood calcium to the lower part of the reference range and resolved the clinical signs, although its parathyroid hormone concentration was still low one year later.
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/15675523/