Page 1204 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

1254 Small Animal Clinical Nutrition

3. Excessive supplementation with vitamin D allows large amounts of calcium to be absorbed from the intestinal tract.The result-
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ing soft tissue mineralization, however, can be widespread and severe. Endstage renal failure is generally unresponsive to treat-
VetBooks.ir Progress Notes
ment; however, diuresis may provide short-term palliative treatment.

The iguana was diuresed with a mixture of 0.9% saline, 2.5% dextrose and lactated Ringer’s solution administered intracoelomical-
ly for two days. Unfortunately, the patient died on Day 3. Results of a necropsy examination revealed moderate tubular nephrosis
and severe degeneration with mineralization and necrosis of the heart and skeletal muscles.The final diagnosis was vitamin D tox-
icosis. Vitamin D and calcium metabolism are still not well elucidated in iguanas and vitamin D requirements have not been
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established. It is unclear how well vitamin D is absorbed in these animals. The risk of over-supplementation can be avoided by
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providing exposure to adequate amounts of ultraviolet-B light, thus allowing the body to form its own vitamin D instead of giv-
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ing oral supplementation.