Laboratory tests are needed to rule these out, and help confirm the diagnosis. Prompt treatment is critical. In one dog, treatment was begun within30 minutes, and in another, within 8 hours, and both survived. The second dog required a much longer and more expensive course of treatment. A third dog was not seen until 3 days after ingesting calcipotriene and that dog died in spite of treatment.
Treatment involves first making the dog vomit to get rid of anything remaining in the stomach.
Then large doses of activated charcoal and a laxative are given by stomach tube. The activated charcoal quickly moves through the stomach and intestines and absorbs any poison that remains there. The main toxic effect of calcipotriene is due to dangerously high levels of calcium in the blood. This causes mineralization of many tissues, especially the kidneys. Large continuous amounts of intravenous fluids, with other medications, perhaps over several days, are very important in protecting the kidneys and helping to keep the calcium levels low.