Chronic copper toxicity in sheep fed grape marc / Intoxicação crônica por cobre em ovinos alimentados com bagaço de uva

ABSTRACT

Background: Sheep are very sensitive to excess copper, and therefore, cases of poisoning are frequently seen in this species. The chronic form of poisoning is the most often reported in this species, and is characterized by a subclinical stage, in which copper accumulates in the liver for weeks or even months, and an acute phase, which progresses with the release of hepatic copper in the bloodstream, culminating in intravascular hemolysis, anemia, jaundice and hemoglobinuria. The aim of this paper is to describe an outbreak of chronic copper poisoning in Texel sheep, fed grape marc. Case A visit to a farm located in Westfalia, Rio Grande do Sul was performed in order to investigate the cause of the death of 15 Texel sheep of different ages, out of a flock of 75 animals, in the interval of one month. The sheep were fed on grape marc, native grass and corn bran. Clinical signs of hemoglobinuria and apathy were recorded in the affected sheep. Two sheep were necropsied (Sheep 1 and 2), and fragments of tissues were collected in 10% formalin solution and processed in routine histological techniques. The slides were stained with hematoxylin and eosin technique, and additionally, the liver slides were stained with rubeanic acid and Prussian blue. Fragments of the liver of the sheep submitted to necropsy, as well as samples of grape marc that the sheep were consuming were taken to...(AU)