ATTENTION TO DETAIL SAVES LIVES Meg is an adorable 15 year old spayed female terrier who developed a subtle increase in her thirst and urination and started to occasionally have urinary incontinence at night. Otherwise, she was as spunky as usual. Meg’s mom knows Meg very well and was able to notice these signs very early on and she brought Meg in right away to see Dr. Wells for evaluation. Meg looked great on her physical exam, but because of the reported changes seen at home, a basic general blood and urine test was run. Now there are many possible causes of increased thirst and urination and urinary incontinence and getting older is not one of them. Kidney, liver and hormonal imbalances are among about 20 different causes. For Meg, her lab results revealed a calcium level above normal (hypercalcemia). Hypercalcemia can be caused by several disorders including certain cancers, adrenal gland insufficiency and an over-active parathyroid gland (not the thyroid). Further tests were performed to determine the cause and included non-invasive ultrasound and radiographs and a special blood test to measure parathyroid hormone levels. The ultrasound of Meg’s neck showed that one of her 4 parathyroid glands was abnormally enlarged and her blood test showed that her parathyroid hormone level was above normal. At a young 15 years of age, Meg went to surgery with Dr. Shields to remove her enlarged parathyroid gland. She made is through surgery like a champ and her calcium levels returned to normal shortly after surgery. Her overactive parathyroid gland was a tumor, but because Meg’s mom noticed her increased thirst and urination and sought help quickly, the tumor was removed before it metastasized (spread) and before the hypercalcemia caused permanent kidney damage. Meg continues to do well, bringing joy to everyone who knows her. (And who couldnt love that cute face?!)
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:08:25 +0000
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