Thiamine deficiency in dogs due to the feeding of sulphite preserved meat.

A 6-year-old dog, a 4-year-old dog and three 7-week-old puppies were diagnosed with thiamine deficiency caused by feeding sulphite treated meat. The 6-year-old dog presented with a history of inappetence, weight loss and vomiting that rapidly progressed to signs of multifocal intracranial disease including mental dullness, paresis, seizures, spontaneous nystagmus and strabismus. Thiamine pyrophosphate effect was elevated at 58% and magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilaterally symmetrical hyperintensity of the caudate nucleus and rostral colliculi. The dog recovered with thiamine supplementation. The 4-year-old dog and three 7-week-old puppies also presented with rapidly progressive multifocal central nervous system signs including ataxia, paresis, increased muscle tone, seizures, nystagmus and exophthalmos. The 4-year-old dog made a rapid recovery with thiamine supplementation. Euthanasia and necropsy of a puppy revealed malacia of multiple brainstem nuclei and oedema of the cerebral cortex. These findings were consistent with thiamine deficiency.