My dog's calcium is high. Could it be cancer or something else?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Pomeranian | Female | unspayed | 9 lbs
Is 12.9 calcium means my dog have cancer? Please advice. Thanks
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on March 5th, 2019
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mylie. Elevated calcium does happen with certain types of cancers. However, it can also be related to kidney failure, certain toxicities, or even a lab error. Typically additional testing is required to determine the cause of high calcium. I hope this information helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
-
Published on March 5th, 2019
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! One of the most common causes of an elevated calcium is cancer, more specifically lymphoma and anal sac adenocarcinoma, among others. Other possible non-cancerous diseases that can cause it include hyperparathyroidism and fungal disease. I would encourage you to discuss further diagnostics to find out more about what si going on. This may include abdominal ultrasound, FNA cytology, among others. Treatment depends on findings. Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
my dog in the past month suddenly started experiencing urinary incontinence and excessive thirst. After taking her to the vet and having blood tests done including testing her parathyroid (which came back in the normal range) and a calcium test done
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! While cancer is by far the most common cause of high calcium in dogs, there are other possibilities such as fungal infections though that is not likely the issue here. I would say at this point they should look for the possibility of lymphoma which would be by far the most common cause if there is not an anal sac tumor present. However, it could be also be a different type of tumor. There is no way to predict how she will do with treatment without knowing what disease she has. For that reason, I would highly recommend that you proceed with your veterinarian's recommendations to get a diagnosis and the prognosis can be discussed after that. I am hoping for the best possible outcome.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My’s Mylie have 12.5 Calcium and blood coming out from her pupil is that mean she have some kind of cancer? Please advice. Thanks
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! One of the most common causes of an elevated calcium is cancer, more specifically lymphoma and anal sac adenocarcinoma, among others. Other possible non-cancerous diseases that can cause it include hyperparathyroidism and fungal disease. I would encourage you to discuss further diagnostics to find out more about what si going on. This may include abdominal ultrasound, FNA cytology, among others. Treatment depends on findings. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Miley had her first labs for a senior panel the last week of August. From that labwork we found that she had 2 gallbladder related enzymes elevated (did not tell me names or numbers) and a lipase of 3,178. She did not have any symptoms at all, the ve
I would not be too worried with what you have described. Lipase has next to no diagnostic significance and some laboratories do not even test for it anymore. The reason being is that lipase can have huge differences in normal dogs. The calcium may or may not be relevant, but on its own is not alarming and does not indicate any one specific problem. Overall, I recommend not focusing too much on the biochemistry results and focusing more on the veterinarian's interpretation. Interpreting biochemistry results is extremely complicated and takes into account multiple findings. The findings on history and physical exam are very important when interpreting lab results, so if Miley Sue is acting normal and the vet has not diagnosed a specific condition, then this indicates that nothing serious is going on she should be fine. Your veterinarian should be able to give you more information regarding the recent results and possible problems. If your vet has not answered your questions f
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello. My 10-ur-old otherwise healthy pug was recently diagnosed with high ionized calcium (1.8) but low PTH (O.0). He so far has had an almost full-body ultrasound, a chest x-ray, and an aspiration of what was thought to be a small lump on one of hi
I would recommend a biopsy of the nodule on the parathyroid gland. Poor guy. It sounds like you have done some extensive testing so far. However a parathyroid gland adenoma (tumor) is my top suspicion considering the labwork findings and symptoms of excessive urination, drinking and lethargy. Surgical removal of the tumor is indicated if this is truly the underlying cause of Max's symptoms. I hope that everything works out well for your pet Max. Best wishes and take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My female 10-year-old cat had crystals a couple years ago and needed surgery. She has been on Royal Canin urinary SO wet and dry (the prescribed kind) since then. Recently she has been diagnosed with high calcium. Could this be related to the change
High calcium is not very commonly found in cats on well-balanced cat foods. Potential causes for hypercalcemia in cats include lab error or lipemic blood sample, cancer, kidney failure, bone disease, hyperthyroidism, toxic exposure, supplements, among a few others. I would recommend that you follow-up with your vet about these possible concerns. The vet may recommend additional testing, including an ionized Calcium level, which more accurately evaluates the calcium in the body than total calcium on most in-house blood panels.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has been gradually losing weight with age (12) and this year lost over a pound. She is now 7 3/4 lb. My vet did bloodwork which showed she has high calcium levels. He suspects lymphoma, and less likely hyperparathyroidism. We have to have anot
Unfortunately high calcium levels often do point to a cancerous condition such as lymphoma. And cats are particularly prone to lymphoma. Here is some good information on feline lymphona: http://download.skyscape.com/download/ota/5mvetcf5/documents/pdf/lymphoma-cats.pdf And here is information on hyperparathyroidism: http://download.skyscape.com/download/ota/5mvetcf5/documents/pdf/hyperparathyroidism.pdf If you have any specific question feel free to ask. Sometimes high calcium levels may be idiopathic, ie the cause is unknown. Your vet likely will also send blood in for ionized calcium which will help determine the cause.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog was diagnosed with cancer about 3 weeks ago. Can't do the surgery to expensive unfortunately. Her calcium level in blood is 16.5 extremely high. Without surgery and meds whats the time table of her living comfortably? I don't want her to be in
I'm very sorry to hear about your dog's diagnosis, and definitely understand opting not to pursue advanced treatment due to cost. Unfortunately, the expected prognosis and quality of life depends a lot of the specifics of the situation, so it's not really possible to say based on such limited information. I would recommend talking to the veterinarian who is treating her about your concerns. He/she should be able to give you a better idea of what to expect as the disease runs its course, and can also prescribe pain medication or other meds if needed to help keep her comfortable.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My dog, who is six years old, has out of the blue started having urinary incontinence. After taking her to the vet and having numerous tests done the only issue they found was high calcium levels. We then had a scan done where they saw that her right
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! The enlarged adrenal gland can be due to something called Cushings disease which can cause her to drink more and urinate more. The elevated calcium could be a number of things but usually it is due to cancer such as lymphoma, among other possibilities such as a fungal infection. I recommend that you check back in with your veterinarian so this can be properly diagnosed and treated. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Cali my 7 year old golden retriever (male) was breathing heavy at night. I took him to the Vet and got a wellness test done. He drinks a lot water and eats normal, pees & poops normal. However the test showed his ALT level. at 1640 :( normal is 18-
Hi there!
I'm so sorry to hear about Call being sick.
From the blood values you've given me, I think the best case scenario for Call would be a gall bladder problem, such as a mucocoele (a soft "gallstone") or infection. The gall bladder can be fully surgically removed in these cases and the liver enzymes may be able to return to normal after recovery. Unfortunately, it may also be a sign of liver cancer, the most common being hepatocellular carcinoma. When the vet does his ultrasound, they will be able to tell you about what both the liver and gallbladder look like and hopefully it will give a clear answer as to what's going on.
I hope this helps answer your question. I wish you the best of luck and I'll keep Call in my thoughts!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
My 17 year old cat has just been diagnosed with an elevated calcium level. What kind of testing would be needed to find the cause?
According to the PetHealth network, testing involves: Complete blood count to look at the white and red blood cells and platelets Chemistry panel to look at the kidney and liver function Electrolytes to look at the calcium, phosphorous, and salt balance (e.g., sodium, potassium, etc.) Urinalysis to look for the presence of an underlying infection, crystals, or appropriate urine concentration Urine culture to rule out an underlying urinary tract infection Feline leukemia (FELV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) X-rays to rule out underlying cancer, bladder stones, or evidence of mineralization of tissue (secondary to hypercalcemia) Ultrasound to rule out underlying cancer, bladder stones, or inappropriate mineralization Parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-rP concentration (parathyroid hormone related protein) levels. With hyperparathyroidism, the PTH levels are typically normal to high. With hypercalcemia of malignancy, PTH-rP concentrations are typically elevated. With idiopathic
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Have A Vet Question?
Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.
