Copper poisoning in a flock of sheep. Copper excretion patterns after treatment with molybdenum and sulfur or penicillamine.

During an outbreak of chronic copper poisoning, fecal and urinary copper excretion were measured following treatment with molybdenum and sulfur supplementation of the feed (0.1 g ammonium molybdate plus 1 g sodium sulfate/sheep/day) or oral penicillamine (50 mg/kg bodyweight/day) using rams in metabolism cages. Serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase activities and liver levels of molybdenum and copper in sheep that died were also monitored. Within four days of starting molybdenum and sulfur supplementation a highly significant increase in fecal copper excretion was evident and the increase persisted throughout the monitoring period (five weeks - general treatment of the flock continued for another three weeks). There was no effect of the molybdenum and sulfur supplementation on urinary excretion of copper. The molybdenum and sulfur supplementation was very effective, resulting in a rapid marked decrease in mortality. Oral penicillamine treatment induced cupruresis but did not affect fecal copper excretion. The results indicated that, while the cost of penicillamine may be a limiting factor for general treatment of a flock, it may be the drug of choice for the therapy of valuable breeding animals because cupruresis may be accurately and individually controlled. Serum glutamicoxaloacetic transaminase activities were a valuable aid in diagnosing chronic copper toxicosis as well as for monitoring recovery. High initial liver copper levels were gradually reduced following molybdenum and sulfur treatment. However, at the end of the study the liver copper levels of dead sheep varied within wide limits and there were still some sheep with high liver copper levels.