Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Puppy with thymic lymphoma causing bone damage and high calcium
By Barthez, P Y et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1995·Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Multiple metaphyseal involvement of a thymic lymphoma associated with hypercalcemia in a puppy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old female German Shepherd puppy was brought to the vet because she was depressed, not eating, vomiting, and drinking a lot of water. The vet found that she had high calcium levels in her blood and pain in her shoulders and hips. X-rays showed a large mass in her chest, which was identified as thymic lymphoma (a type of cancer), and there were also bone lesions in her upper arms. Unfortunately, the puppy had severe complications from the cancer, and treatment options were limited.
People also search for: puppy vomiting and not eating · German Shepherd high calcium levels · thymic lymphoma in dogs · puppy cancer treatment options
Abstract
A six-month-old, female German shepherd dog was presented because of depression, anorexia, vomiting, polyuria, and polydipsia of approximately 10 days' duration. The puppy was depressed, and pain could be elicited on palpation of both shoulders and hips. The most significant results of serum chemistries and hematology were hypercalcemia; increased blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and alkaline phosphatase; and leukocytosis with neutrophilia. Thoracic radiographs revealed a large thymic mass, diagnosed on histological examination as a thymic lymphoma. Radiographs of the shoulders revealed destructive bone lesions involving the proximal metaphyses of the humeri, causing slipped epiphyses. Bone lesions were found at necropsy on the proximal and distal aspects of both humeri and femurs. Bone resorption was due to local neoplastic infiltration and presumed humoral factors secreted locally and systemically by neoplastic thymic lymphocytes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7820770/