Calcinosis Circumscripta...

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Thu, 2010-03-11 15:35

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Location: Colorado Springs

Joined: 10/14/2008

Posts: 34

Calcinosis Circumscripta...

... on a dog's rear paw. Does anyone have any experience with this? I have an 8 month old Springer Spaniel that has two half dollar sized lumps, one on top of each of his rear hind paws. Our vet isn't very knowledgeable about it and we are looking at having the lumps surgically removed by another vet/surgeon. These lumps are not cancerous but I'm hearing about so many possible bad case scenarios that I'm at my wits end. Many things can cause this. They can be both mild and serious. The least of which is genetic, too much calcium in his diet or some kind of trauma to his paws. The worse case scenario can include kidney and adrenal disease, hyperparathyroidism, nutritional myopathy and renal failure. In fact the breeder's vet is straight out suggesting euthenasia. Even before I try looking into surgery and other treatment options.

Just looking for positive success stories.

Thanks.

Fri, 2010-03-12 09:21

Don Fischer

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Location: Antelope, Ore

Joined: 03/24/2005

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Re: Calcinosis Circumscripta...

I have never heard of it. Is it a calcium deposit?

Fri, 2010-03-12 12:22

WiskeyJaR

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Location: Oregon, USA

Joined: 12/04/2007

Posts: 244

Re: Calcinosis Circumscripta...

Quote:

In fact the breeder's vet is straight out suggesting euthenasia. Even before I try looking into surgery and other treatment options.

Wow, kinda harsh Im thinking. Im not a vet by no means, and have never heard of this Calcinosis Circumscripta, but would think euthenasia is a bit extreme, if its not cancerous or life threating . The surgery might effect the Preformance of the legs, and maybe it would effect him in the field, but I would think there is more to a friend then just running in the fields.

I think I would seek out a knowledagable vet on my own for a second opion.

Best of luck, and let us know the outcome ifn ya dont mind
WiskeyJaR

Sat, 2010-03-13 13:45

Bob Layton

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Location: Colorado Springs

Joined: 10/14/2008

Posts: 34

Re: Calcinosis Circumscripta...

Yes, it's calcium that for whatever reason the dog's body tries to get rid of and deposits it in some weird places. It can also show up on their tonques, spinal column as well as other areas of the body and skull. Nobody seems to know what really causes them in every case. However, when there are severe kidney problems or acute renal failure they are a sure sign of this. In the case of my Springer the calcium exited through the skin and formed these lumps on top of his rear paws. Good news... X -rays, blood screenings and urinalysis has shown that my dog is healthy and that the lumps are not interconnected with his foot bones or tendons. They are in the skin only and not connected to anything else. The vet said that the associated risks of removing them would be greater than just leaving them alone for awhile. So we are going to wait and see if they go away. Which they can do over time. If they start to grow or spread we will remove them at that time. But the cost will be $2,500 for both paws.

Tue, 2011-02-22 20:49

afflicted too

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Joined: 02/22/2011

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Just so you know

In case you check back, you might be interested to know this. My dog had a tumor on her rear paw right at the edge of her upper pad when I got her as a seven month old puppy. My vet was able to remove the growth which was identified as calcinosis circumscripta, nothing to be too worried about. At the time she was declared otherwise healthy. She seemed OK for about another 6 years and suddenly the growth was back (in the same spot). We had it removed and within months another growth appeared between the big pad and the toes. As it was a terrible place as far as healing goes, we left it alone and it even shrunk somewhat. Then, about a year after this, she suddenly was in distress. It turns out she has calcification involving the liver and is experiencing all the effects of liver disease. She also now has another growth behind her shoulder blade which may or may not be related. In any case, I would like to offer this as a cautionary tale to anyone with this diagnosis. While it is easy to leave sleeping dogs lie, you may want to at least try (if finances allow) to find the underlying cause before things get to this point. At the very least, you might want to have your dog's internals checked out periodically to make sure it really is just in the skin.

Sun, 2010-03-14 01:21

WiskeyJaR

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Location: Oregon, USA

Joined: 12/04/2007

Posts: 244

Re: Calcinosis Circumscripta...

Glad to hear its nothing too serious. Heres hoping they dont grow into anything serious either