Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Liver disease from too much copper in a Siamese cat
By Haynes, J S & Wade, P R·Published in Veterinary pathology·1995·Department of Veterinary Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Hepatopathy associated with excessive hepatic copper in a Siamese cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old spayed female Siamese cat was brought in with symptoms of not eating, being lethargic, and yellowing of the skin and eyes. Tests showed high levels of liver enzymes, indicating liver damage, and a liver biopsy revealed significant copper buildup causing liver disease. Unfortunately, the cat's condition was severe, and a postmortem examination confirmed that the excessive copper had also affected the kidneys and lungs. This case highlights the dangers of copper accumulation in pets, which can lead to serious health issues.
People also search for: Siamese cat liver disease symptoms · cat not eating and lethargic · excessive copper in cats treatment
Abstract
A 2-year-old spayed female Siamese cat was presented with clinical liver disease characterized by anorexia; depression; elevations in serum levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase; hyperbilirubinemia; and icterus. Liver biopsy diagnosed hepatocellular degeneration with marked centrilobular hepatocellular accumulation of rhodanine-positive brown granules. Subsequent postmortem examination revealed similar granular material in the epithelium of the proximal convoluted tubules and collecting ducts of the kidney and alveolar epithelium and macrophages in the lung. The liver and kidney copper concentrations were 4,074 and 792 ppm dry weight, respectively. Hepatic degeneration in this cat apparently was due to excessive accumulation of copper.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7483220/