Hypercalcaemia

• • Usually the result of dietary imbalance.
  • Produces metastatic vascular calcification.

• Hypercalcaemia should not be ignored in an unwell animal.
  • The consequences of hypercalcaemia may be serious: prolonged untreated hypercalcaemia can lead to irreversible damage to many organs, particularly the kidneys.
  • There are multiple causes of hypercalcaemia, but if it is caught early a specific diagnosis and treatment are often possible.
• The clinical signs of hypercalcaemia are often vague.
  • Signs commonly include:
    • PU/PD
    • Anorexia
    • Dehydration
    • Weakness or lethargy
    • Vomiting
    • Prerenal azotaemia
  • More uncommonly, hypercalcaemia may present with:
    • Constipation
    • Cardiac arrhythmia
    • Seizures or twitching
    • Acute renal failure
    • Death
• Causes of hypercalcaemia may be:
  1. Nonpathologic
     • This may be due to:
       • Age - young animals have naturally higher calcium levels.
       • Lab error
       • Lipaemia
     • It is important to establish whether hypercalcaemia is true before persuing further diagnosis and treatment.
  2. Transient...
     • ...hypoadrenocorticism
     • ...haemoconcentration
     • ...hyperproteinaemia
  3. Pathological
     • Malignancy
     • Lymphoma
     • Anal sac adenocarcinoma
     • Renal failure
     • Hypervitaminosis D
     • Granulomatous disease
       • E.g fungal infections
     • Primary hyperparathyroidism
     • Skeletal lesions