A case of copper-dependent hepatosis in a dog

Abstract

The liver is a biochemical laboratory of blood, which is a unique biological filter. Thanks to her work, toxic substances are inactivated. In this case, in the case of excessive intake, liver damage occurs, which leads to various metabolic disorders that cause the development of general intoxication. The latter causes an aggravation of the clinical picture and the severity of the treatment for these pathologies, which is sometimes ineffective. This is especially true for rare cases. Given these circumstances, the goal was to analyze a clinical case of copper–dependent hepatosis in a dog to determine the effectiveness of the chosen tactics for the diagnosis and treatment of copper-dependent hepatosis. The preliminary diagnosis of "copper-dependent hepatosis" was made on the basis of data obtained during clinical and biochemical blood examination, physical examination, ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of a histomorphological examination of liver tissues, histological sections of which were additionally stained with rhodamine in order to detect copper accumulations in hepatocytes. After diagnosis, the animal was prescribed treatment including diet therapy using a diet with a reduced copper content (feed) and oral administration of the drug Kuprenil at a dose of 250.0 mg per day (1 tablet twice a day 30 minutes before meals), a course of two months. This treatment regimen proved to be effective, which was confirmed by the tendency to normalize the clinical and biochemical parameters of the blood, as well as the general condition of the animal.