Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ionized high calcium in 109 dogs and their causes
By Messinger, J S et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2009·VCA Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Ionized hypercalcemia in dogs: a retrospective study of 109 cases (1998-2003).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 109 dogs with high levels of ionized calcium in their blood was studied to find out what caused this condition. The most common reasons for elevated ionized calcium were cancer, particularly lymphosarcoma, along with kidney failure and other hormonal issues. While dogs with certain types of cancer had higher calcium levels, the severity of the calcium increase didn’t help identify the specific disease causing it. This means that if your dog has high calcium levels, it’s important to work with your vet to determine the underlying cause, as it could be serious.
People also search for: dog high calcium levels causes · lymphosarcoma in dogs symptoms · dog kidney failure treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Serum hypercalcemia in dogs has been reported in association with a variety of diseases. Serum-ionized calcium (iCa) concentration is a more accurate measure of hypercalcemia than total serum calcium or corrected serum calcium concentrations. The severity of hypercalcemia has been utilized to suggest the most likely differential diagnosis for the hypercalcemia. HYPOTHESIS: Diseases causing ionized hypercalcemia may be different than those that cause increases in total or corrected serum calcium concentrations. The severity of ionized hypercalcemia in specific diseases cannot be used to determine the most likely differential diagnosis for ionized hypercalcemia. ANIMALS: One-hundred and nine client-owned dogs with a definitive cause for their ionized hypercalcemia evaluated between 1998 and 2003 were included in this study. METHODS: Retrospective, medical records review. RESULTS: Neoplasia, specifically lymphosarcoma, followed by renal failure, hyperparathyroidism, and hypoadrenocorticism were the most common causes of ionized hypercalcemia. Dogs with lymphoma and anal sac adenocarcinoma have higher serum iCa concentrations than those with renal failure, hypoadrenocorticism, and other types of neoplasia. The magnitude of serum-ionized hypercalcemia did not predict specific disease states. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Serum-ionized hypercalcemia was most commonly associated with neoplasia, specifically lymphosarcoma. Although dogs with lymphosarcoma and anal sac adenocarcinoma had higher serum iCa concentrations than dogs with other diseases, the magnitude of the serum iCa concentration could not be used to predict the cause of hypercalcemia. Total serum calcium and corrected calcium concentrations did not accurately reflect the calcium status of the dogs in this study.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19658207/