Calcium Total
A Calcium Total test measures all the calcium in the blood serum. It may help find low or high calcium linked to milk fever, nursing, kidney, bone or hormone problems in dogs, cats, cows and buffaloes.
- Sample
- Serum (plain)
- Quantity
- 2 mL
- Report
- Same day to 24 hours
- Collection
- Free in Bhopal
What this test checks
- Total calcium in serum, including free and protein-bound calcium
- Whether blood calcium is low, normal or high for the species
- Low calcium, as seen in milk fever after calving or in nursing mothers
- High calcium, which may be linked to hormone, kidney or other illness
Benefits of this test
- Helps your vet check for low calcium in a cow or buffalo that cannot stand after calving.
- Can help find the cause of tremors, stiff walking or fits in a nursing mother dog or cat.
- May show high calcium, which can point to hormone, kidney or other illness in dogs and cats.
- Needs only a small serum sample, and the report is normally ready the same day or within 24 hours.
- Can be repeated to follow calcium levels over time.
When your vet may advise it
- A cow or buffalo that is weak, shaky or unable to stand soon after calving.
- A nursing mother dog or cat with tremors, stiff walking, panting or fits.
- A dog or cat that is very thirsty, passes a lot of urine or vomits, when the vet suspects high calcium.
- Muscle twitching, weakness or fits without a clear cause in a dog or cat.
- Known kidney, bone or hormone disease where calcium needs regular checking.
- As part of a routine health check for dairy cows and buffaloes.
About this test
Calcium is a mineral that builds bones and teeth. It also helps muscles tighten, nerves send signals and the heart beat steadily. The body keeps blood calcium within a narrow range. A value that is too low or too high can cause weakness, tremors or other signs.
The lab measures total calcium in serum, which is the clear part of clotted blood. Total calcium counts the calcium that is free in the blood and the calcium that is attached to proteins such as albumin or to other substances. The reading is taken with special chemicals and an instrument.
Vets use this test to check for low calcium in cows and buffaloes after calving, and in nursing mother dogs and cats. They also use it to look into the causes of high calcium, such as hormone or kidney problems.
How to prepare
Fasting is often not needed for calcium alone, but the sample is usually taken with other tests, so follow your vet's advice on food. A cow or buffalo that has gone down after calving needs your vet at once, so do not delay care to arrange the test. Call or WhatsApp us for free collection in Bhopal, or ask your vet to send the sample to our lab by courier or bus parcel.
Reading the result
A registered veterinarian reads the calcium value together with the animal's signs and history and other tests, such as albumin, phosphorus and kidney values. If the result is unclear, your vet may ask for an ionised calcium test, which measures only the active part of the calcium.
Questions about Calcium Total
What is milk fever, and can a calcium test show it?
What is the difference between total calcium and ionised calcium?
Can a calcium test help a nursing mother dog that is shaking?
Why is calcium often checked along with albumin and phosphorus?
Before you book this test
Why this notice: so you know, before you book, how a test is done, what its limits are and who is responsible.
- Where it is tested. Some tests are done wholly or partly by an independent partner laboratory. The lab tells you before booking if this test is sent out, and the report names the laboratory that did it.
- What a result can and cannot tell you. No test is right every time. A normal result does not rule out every disease, and an abnormal result does not prove one. A registered veterinarian should read the report with the animal’s signs and history before any treatment is started, changed or stopped.
- The sample. A sample that is clotted, too small, wrongly labelled, leaking or too old may be rejected or reported with a note, and the lab may ask for a fresh one.
- Reporting time. Same day to 24 hours. Times are estimates, not guarantees, and the lab confirms the time when you book.
- Emergencies. A booking or a pending report must not delay urgent care. If an animal has collapsed, struggles to breathe, has fits or bleeds heavily, call a veterinarian at once.
Please read our Terms of Service, Medical Disclaimer, Privacy Policy and Refund and Cancellation Policy. Pashupatinath Vet Lab is operated by Duaji Healthcare and Tech Private Limited. This page is general information and does not replace a veterinarian’s advice.
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Calcium Total: Bhopal and the big cities of Madhya Pradesh
Free sample collection anywhere in Bhopal. From the other cities, send the sample by courier, bus parcel or through your local veterinarian, and the report comes to you online.
Free collection in these Bhopal areas
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