Abstract
Abstract
A clinical syndrome has been recognized previously in horses, characterized by hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia and renal failure. The accumulated evidence suggested that hypercalcemia was a secondary effect of renal failure rather than the primary cause of renal disease. To test this hypothesis, the metabolic response following bilateral nephrectomy was investigated in five ponies. In contrast to the response observed in other mammalian species, nephrectomy in ponies resulted in significant hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia. Forty-eight hours following nephrectomy, serum calcium had increased from a mean control value of 12.2 ± 0.4 to 17.6 ± 0.7 mg/dl and serum inorganic phosphorus had decreased from a control value of 3.2 ± 0.5 to 1.5 ± 0.3 mg/dl. These changes persisted until the time of death (mean survival time 7.2 ± 3.2 days) and suggest that the equine kidney plays a unique role in calcium homeostasis.
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