Background:
Copper is an essential
micronutrient for the body to function properly. However, although it is a vital
element,an excess of
copper in the body is extremely toxic.
Copper toxicity has been reported mainly in
sheep. In
dogs, clinicopathological signs of
toxicity are characterized by
chronic liver failure. This means that the hemolytic crisis so commonin
sheep is a condition rarely associated with
toxicity in
dogs, so there are very few descriptions of this condition in theveterinary
literature. The purpose of this
report is to describe a case of hemolytic crisis in a
dog with
copper-associatedchronic
hepatitis.Case A medium-sized 6-year-old bitch was brought to the
Veterinary Hospital of the Federal
University of Santa Maria,with clinical presentation of
apathy,
anorexia and red
urine. A
physical examination revealed mildly jaundiced mucosaand dark brown
urine. A
urinalysis indicated the presence of
protein,
bilirubin and
occult blood. The
blood count revealedhypochromic
macrocytic anemia,
leukocytosis due to left shift neutrophilia and
thrombocytopenia.
Serum biochemistryshowed elevated levels of
alanine aminotransferase and
alkaline phosphatase. The
animal was given a
blood transfusiondue to the severity of her
anemia, but her clinical condition worsened and she died, whereupon her body was sent for necropsy. This necropsy revealed conspicuous signs of
jaundice,
splenomegaly and altered
liver and
kidney color. The liverwas brownish, with its natural surface firm and slightly irregular. The
kidneys were diffusely blackened. The
urine wasdark brown. Fragments of different organs were collected, fixed in 10% buffered
formalin solution, routinely processedfor histopathology and stained with
hematoxylin and
eosin. A histological
dissection of the
liver showed the hepatic lobesdissected by
fibrosis, forming
islands of
hepatocytes and numerous
lymphocytes and...(AU)