My dog's calcium is high. Could it be cancer or something else?

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 fully, then I recommend calling and asking to speak with them. As a vet, I would want to ensure my client fully understands their pet's condition, so I would have no problem taking the time to explain everything. I hope that helps and all is well with Milley Sue.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 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!

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!