Cytological detection of copper for the diagnosis of inherited copper toxicosis in Bedlington terriers.

The reliability of a cytological examination of impression smears of the liver was investigated in 89 Bedlington terriers by using the rubeanic acid staining method for copper and comparing the results with the results of a histological examination. Histological examination revealed copper accumulation in the liver of 24 dogs. The cytological method had a sensitivity of 0.96 for detecting copper toxicosis and a specificity of 1.0. When a grading system for the amount of copper was applied, the coefficient of correlation (r) between the cytological and histological techniques was 0.917 (P less than 0.0001). It was concluded that a cytological examination of impression smears stained with rubeanic acid for copper offers a rapid and reliable method for the detection of copper toxicosis in Bedlington terriers.