Atypical chronic copper poisoning in a sheep secondary to copper wire ingestion - case report

ABSTRACT A 14-month-old female Texel sheep that came from a herd made up of 19 animals showed haemoglobinuria, apathy, and anorexia, died two days after the start clinical signals. The remained in natural grassland, where trailers were repaired, multiple copper wires deposited on pasture. animal had tachycardia, tachypnoea, pale mucous membranes, groaning pain abdominal palpation, circling, head pressing, intensely hemolyzed plasma, intense azotaemia. necropsy focally extensive oedema inguinal medial region pelvic limbs, kidneys dark brown, liver diffusely yellow with an evident moderate diffuse lobular pattern. abomasum considerable amount enameled material thickness, firm to cut, 1-5 mm (copper wires). Histopathological examination marked tubular glomerular coagulative necrosis kidneys, addition neutrophils, macrophages, lymphocytes, plasma cells multifocal nephritis. centrilobular necrosis, hepatocellular edema, cholestasis, lungs brain mild edema. Copper content frozen (in natura) reached 1,598 mg/kg. mesh ingestion led poisoning, which this case was considered atypical form chronic primary poisoning.