What is Excess Calcium in the Blood?
Many canines with excess calcium in the blood become very sick, while others show no symptoms of the condition. Calcium is essential to critical bodily functions like bone growth and muscle contraction, but an overabundance may be secondary to an underlying disease and can also contribute to urolithiasis (the formation of stones in the kidneys, bladder or urinary tract). Having excess calcium in the blood can cause damage to all areas of the body and the extent of the harm will depend on the how extreme the increase is, and how long your pet has been experiencing the condition. Prompt treatment for your canine companion is necessary in order to avoid significant complications that could make him very ill.
Excess calcium in the blood is defined as hypercalcemia in veterinary terms. While calcium does play an important role in the body, excessive amounts can signify the presence of a serious underlying disease such as cancer or kidney failure.
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Symptoms of Excess Calcium in the Blood in Dogs
Although some canines may be asymptomatic when their blood contains too much calcium, others will become very sick. Hypercalcemia hinders the ability to concentrate urine and also leads to excess thirst. The symptoms will vary depending on how severe the hypercalcemia has become.
- Extreme thirst (polydipsia)
- High production of diluted urine (polyuria)
- Pain when urinating (dysuria)
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Frequent urination which may come only in drops (stranguria)
- Muscle weakness
- Muscle twitching
- Listlessness
- Low appetite
- Dehydration
- Depression
- Constipation
- Low activity tolerance
- Seizures
- Collapse
Secondary illnesses may manifest additional symptoms related to the specific condition.
Types
Blood Calcium is either referred to as total blood calcium (attached to proteins), or ionized (not attached to proteins, and also known as free calcium). All cells need calcium in order to function properly.
Causes of Excess Calcium in the Blood in Dogs
The number of reasons why your pet may suffer from an excess of calcium in the blood are many, with cancer being the number one cause.
- Apocrine gland sarcoma of the anal sac
- Multiple myeloma
- Carcinomas like pancreatic
- Lymphosarcoma
- Ingestion of certain plants
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hyperadrenocorticism (Addison’s disease)
- Ingestion of excessive Vitamin D in supplements or medicines
- Bone disease
- Fungal infection
- Dehydration
- Granulomatous disease like histoplasmosis
- Azotemia (accumulation of large amounts of nitrogenous waste products in the blood)
Diagnosis of Excess Calcium in the Blood in Dogs
The veterinary team will require a complete recent history of the events leading to the visit. Be as accurate as you can when relaying information about the symptoms you have noticed, and the approximate time frame for when you began to see changes in your pet’s demeanor and state of health.
There are many causes for excess calcium in the blood, and therefore the number of possible tests that can be ordered varies greatly also. First, a complete physical examination will be done, to begin the overall analysis of your pet’s health.
Tests that may be included in the diagnostic process are listed below.
Blood tests
- Complete blood count and serum biochemistry profile
- Calcium levels are checked within a biochemistry profile. This may include both ionised and un-ionised.
- The calcium test should be repeated after a 12 hour fast for optimum accuracy
- The veterinarian will check for Addison’s disease by assessing salt and cortisol levels
- Vitamin D levels may be analysed
- Verification of the presence of fungus is important
Assay of PTH or PTHrP
- PTH can indicate if the parathyroid glands are causing the hypercalcaemia
- PTHrP test can be used to confirm hypercalcaemia with malignancies like apocrine gland adenocarcinoma of the anal sac
Urinalysis
- This test can indicate if the kidneys are functioning normally
- The presence of blood and the concentration of urine will be studied
Imaging Tests
- An MRI scan, radiographs and/or ultrasound scans can reveal cancer or bone damage
Other diagnostic tools like cytology, biopsy, or histology could be needed as well.
Treatment of Excess Calcium in the Blood in Dogs
Treatment for the excess calcium in the blood will initially depend on the condition of your beloved pet when he arrives at the clinic. The main impact on your dog’s health in the immediate will be regaining the function of elimination of calcium from the urine, and to stop the removal of calcium from the bones.
Your dog may need intravenous or diuretic therapy if he is dehydrated, or if renal function needs to be supported. Glucocorticoids will also be administered if needed to balance the calcium function and resorption. Medication to decrease serum calcium or inhibit bone resorption could be prescribed.
In cases of a secondary illness which may be causing the excess calcium, improvement will be seen when the problem is addressed. For example, treatment for hypoadrenocorticism, if that is the cause, will resolve the hypercalcemia. In the instance of a malignancy, surgery or chemotherapy and radiation might be the required method of treatment.
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Recovery of Excess Calcium in the Blood in Dogs
Once serum calcium concentrations are normalised, your pet will be on the road to recovery. If too much supplementation of Vitamin D was the problem, for example, simply removing the additive will help to eradicate the problem. In the event of a malignancy, the treatment and recovery will be more extensive. However, it must be noted that when cancer is causing the hypercalcemia, the positive prognosis is much lower because tumors often recur and survival time is low.
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Excess Calcium in the Blood Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Yorkipoo
Emmitt
14 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
See Above Description
Emmitt is a 14 year old Yorkipoo who is in relatively good health. Slight heart murmur controlled with Med. He had his teeth cleaned in March due to mild inflammation and did fine. Last weekend he had 2 seizures over 3 day period. . Recovered quickly. Took him to our Vet. His labs showed elevated calcium of 12.4, Total Protein 8.2, Globulin 4.8, and WBC 23.1. They prescribed a antibiotic, Zenaquin25 once daily. The Vet also mentioned paraneoplastic disease. All the information I can find regarding the labs indicate this, a malignant tumor somewhere in his body. I am very distraught. Should we not be trying to find the cause and confirm if this is cause? Also is there anything that can be done to lower the Calcium level?
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
Emmitt’s calcium, protein and globulins are only marginally high, white blood cell levels indicate inflammation or infection (which is probably why he was prescribed an antibiotic); there are many different causes of hypercalcemia in dogs including: lymphoma (and other cancers), poisoning, hyperparathyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Addison’s Disease, osteomyelitis and other skeletal disorders. I would recommend taking the bloods again and then acting on any information found. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
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Maltese chihuahua
Sarah
9 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Hurt Front Paw. Refuses To Walk Sometimes.
My 9 yr old maltese Chihuahua mix was within the past 4 months had episodes where she couldn't walk. Her right front paw was red and swollen with no sign of injury. I took her to the vet get some pain meds thinking its arthritis. Her lab values came back with he r globulin of 3.8 g/dL and a calcium of 11.8 mg/dL. Her ionized calcium is 1.47 mmol/L. She has a staph skin infection over most of her body but shows no clinical symptoms. She's her normal self, just itchy with a hurty foot. She doesn't drink but once a day but eats twice a day. That's her normal. No bathroom habit changes. She's on predisone and clindamycin and cosoquin for her joints. Vet thinks it could be cancer, i think its possible dehydration or infection. Is that a possible cause hyperglycemia?
July 26, 2017
0 Recommendations
First, lets look at Sarah’s blood results: calcium 11.8 mg/dL (reference: 9.1–11.7 mg/dL) is marginally high by 0.1 mg/dL; ionised calcium 1.47 mmol/L (reference: 1.13-1.33 mmol/L) which is above the reference range; and globulin 3.8 g/dL (reference: 2.7-4.4g/dL) which is within physiological range. Increases in ionised calcium is usually attributable to paraneoplastic syndrome or hyperparathyroidism; but you would normally see an increase in total calcium levels too. Further tests of parathyroid hormone levels or radiology, may indicate an underlying cause. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVMwww.merckvetmanual.com/appendixes/reference-guides/serum-biochemical-reference-ranges
July 26, 2017
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Shih Tzu
Gizmo
10
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Increased Urination
Thirst
My dog came back with high level of calcium and high white blood cell count. The vet was preparing me that it looked like lymphoma due to enlarged lymph nodes as well. A cytology was performed and I was told that the results showed it was not cancer. Nothing else was noted from the bloodwork. I'm just curious what the high calcium level could be due to.
July 26, 2017
1 Recommendations
Apart from lymphoma, the possible causes for excess calcium in the blood would be Addison’s Disease, parathyroid disorder, bone disorders, other types of cancer and the consumption of some plants; if you include the increase in white blood cells, along with the increased thirst and urination I would lean towards Addison’s Disease as excess calcium in the blood and increased white blood cell count occurs in around 10% of Addison’s Disease cases. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
July 26, 2017
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