Verifying copper toxicosis in Bedlington terriers by analytical electron microscopy of needle biopsies of liver.

Diagnosis of copper toxicosis in Bedlington terriers was performed by analytical electron microscopy of needle biopsy of the liver. The animals were four Bedlington terriers clinically suspected of hereditary copper toxicosis, and four healthy control animals of the same breed. Light microscopy of the livers of the diseased animals revealed dense bodies in the hepatocytes which stained histochemically for copper. Analytical electron microscopy showed that the intrahepatocytic bodies consisted almost entirely of copper.