[Zinc intoxication dogs with simultaneous zinc deficiency--an expanded case study].

A dachshund suffered from vomitus, anorexia, apathy, and anemia. A metal button consisting of brass (alloy of copper and zinc) was diagnosed in the stomach and was removed. Blood analysis revealed an elevated level of zinc (10.7 micrograms/ml) associated with a low copper concentration (0.02 microgram/ml). This apparently paradoxical finding of copper deficiency despite of copper exposition (brass button) caused us to determine the diaminoxidase activity in serum, representing an indicator for the copper accumulating ceruloplasmin. The enzyme activity was found to be decreased. The case study brings to mind the mutual interaction between zinc and copper. Apparently, a copper deficiency is not necessarily due to a reduced supply of copper. Moreover, as shown by further investigations, an attenuated diaminoxidase activity represents an important parameter to diagnose a copper deficient state.