Condition11 connections · 1 source
Hypercalcemia
Hypercalcemia is dangerously elevated blood calcium that can damage kidneys, weaken bones, and mineralize soft tissues. It is usually a sign of underlying serious disease, most commonly cancer.
Key Facts
- Most common cause in dogs: lymphoma (via PTH-related protein)
- Most common cause in cats: idiopathic (no identifiable cause)
- Other causes: parathyroid tumor, chronic-kidney-disease, Addison's disease, vitamin D poisoning
- Ionized calcium is the clinically significant measurement (not total calcium)
- Signs: excessive thirst/urination, kidney damage, bone weakening, soft tissue mineralization
- PTH-rP (parathyroid hormone-related protein) elevation indicates cancer
- Diagnostic workup: ionized calcium, PTH level, PTH-rP level, ACTH stim test, imaging
- Total calcium >18 mg/dl is a medical emergency in dogs
- Treatments: bisphosphonates, saline diuresis, prednisolone (last resort due to masking lymphoma), dietary therapy
- 15% of hypercalcemic cats develop calcium oxalate bladder stones
- Species: dogs and cats
Connections (11)
Related Conditions
Bladder StonesCondition
35% of cats with calcium oxalate stones have elevated blood calcium
Chronic Kidney DiseaseCondition
Kidney failure causes and is caused by hypercalcemia
LymphomaCondition
Most common cause of hypercalcemia in dogs (via PTH-rP)
Mammary TumorCondition
Mammary tumors can produce PTH-rP causing elevated calcium
Multiple MyelomaCondition
Myeloma is a cause of elevated calcium
Rat PoisonCondition
Vitamin D-based poisons cause dangerous calcium elevation