Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog died from multiple organ calcification after tacalcitol ointment
By Hilbe, M et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2000·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Metastatic calcification in a dog attributable to ingestion of a tacalcitol ointment.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 22-week-old female Bernese Mountain Dog became very sick after eating a cream meant for skin conditions that contained a form of vitamin D called tacalcitol. The dog showed signs of being lethargic, having trouble moving her back legs, increased body temperature, difficulty breathing, and vomiting blood. Sadly, she passed away, and tests revealed that her organs had developed dangerous mineral deposits due to too much vitamin D in her system. This case highlights how toxic this type of medication can be for dogs.
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Abstract
A 22-week-old 21-kg female Bernese Mountain Dog ingested a topical antipsoriatic preparation containing the synthetic vitamin D analog tacalcitol. The dog died after a history of lethargy, recumbency, paresis of the hindlimbs, increased rectal temperature, dyspnea, and hematemesis. Histologic examination revealed metastatic calcification in the kidneys, lungs, myocardium, brain, stomach, and tear glands. The appearance of soft tissue mineralization in multiple organs is consistent with hypercalcemia derived from excessive vitamin D uptake. Oral toxicity studies for tacalcitol in the dog are not available, but the present report emphasizes the extraordinary toxic risk of drugs containing this vitamin D analog to dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11055879/