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Hypokalemia (Low Blood Potassium)
dog moderate
Call your vet, describe what happened, and follow their guidance.
cat severe
Go to the vet immediately — don't wait for symptoms.
- Trend Term
- Low potassium
- Confidence
- high
- Summary
- Hypokalemia is an abnormally low concentration of potassium in the blood, an electrolyte essential for normal muscle, nerve, and heart function in pets. In dogs, it most commonly results from chronic kidney disease, vomiting, diarrhea, or diuretic use, and can cause muscle weakness, lethargy, poor appetite, and in severe cases cardiac arrhythmias or respiratory paralysis. In cats it is especially significant — it is the most common cause of generalized muscle weakness and can manifest as a distinct condition called hypokalemic polymyopathy, with signs including limb weakness, head hanging (ventroflexion of the neck), fatigue, constipation, abnormal heart rhythm, and in severe cases respiratory paralysis or rhabdomyolysis.
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