Dog Tumor (Causing Elevated Blood Calcium Levels)

1. Urinating more often

2. Drinking More

What Causes Dog Tumor (Causing Elevated Blood Calcium Levels)?

The underlying cause of this condition is calcium in the blood. When too much calcium is circulating the body the initial reaction is to dispose of this by pumping it into the body's tissue causing it to turn into bone and cause difficulties in function in that area.

There are many ways in which calcium levels can rise but in this case it is most commonly caused by either an anal sac tumor or a lymphoma tumor, these tumor are known for raising and prompting the body to produce more calcium.

First we will discus the anal sac tumors, anal sacs are two small glands situated just below the anus on the left are right sides. The job of anal sacs is to produce a foul and unique smelling liquid to be released whenever the dog passes feces as to scent mark their territory much the same as when they urinate on lampposts and bushes. The most common of tumors to form on the anal sacs are cancers called apocrine gland carcinomas, and this is what causes the problem of increased calcium levels.

The second type of tumor is an extremely malignant cancer called lymphoma and can be very hard to find and remove because it can grow and develop anywhere on the body. There are two common varieties of this cancer, muticentric lymphoma when the cancer can be found at many various parts of the body, and single lymphoma which is just situated in one place on the body as you might expect.

In the case of muticentric lymphoma there is a high chance that there has already been a microscopic spread of the cancerous cells to other site in the body like the lymphatic system and possibly al of the lymph nodes around the body before a cure or help has been given.

What Your Vet May Say or Do

In the case of anal sac tumors and after first confirming the symptoms above, the vet may follow up by examining the outside of the anal area for abnormal lumps and bumps and then take a further examination with a finger in the anus. When a tumor is confirmed it should be removed completely by surgery but there is no guarantee that it will not re-grow after removal.

If the cause is a lymphoma cancer then the vet may begin by using x-rays, ultrasound scanning and blood testing to prove the tumor exists and to see if it has spread or if it is still in its initial stages. If the tumor is still in its initial stages then the vet will normally suggest surgically removing the mass, but in many cases there are more than one and/ or there are vital organs or blood vessels and nerves restricting access to remove the tumor. This presents a hard choice for the vet and often if the tumor cannot be fully removed it will be impossible to remove the cancerous cells without radiation and/or chemotherapy.

When chemotherapy and/or radiation is the proposed action to take, which it usually is in both cases to make sure the cancerous cells are all gone, the vet will normally try and remove as much of the tumor as safely possible and then the correct chemotherapy and/or radiation will be selected by a specialist histopathologist to fit your dog, and then this will be carried on until levels return to normal.

In many cases the suggestion to carry on with chemotherapy is not an option for the pet owner due to high costs or any other number of other circumstances. This is a perfectly normal request and can easily be dealt with by easing the pain and weight loss of the dog. For this treatment tablets called glucocorticoids are used for the pain and loss of appetite and anabolic treatments are used to help the dog put on more weight. This treatment will have to be continued for the rest of the dog's life until it deteriorates further and humanely putting the dog down is the preferred option before he or she is subject to pain and discomfort.



Other Possible Conditions

Dog Urinating and Drinking More Than Usual
Acute (Sudden) Kidney Failure
Dog Addison's Disease / Adrenal Gland Disorder
Chronic (long term) Kidney Failure
Cushing's Disease - Adrenal Gland Disorders
Diabetes Mellitus (Sugar Diabetes)
Dog Diabetes Insipidus (Water Diabetes)
Dog Hyperparathyroidism (Overactive Parathyroid Glands)
Dog Liver Failure and Liver Disease