Hypervitaminosis A in a cat
Goldman, A.L.
Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 200(12): 1970-1972
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-1488 PMID: 1639706 Document Number: 389588
A 10-year-old cat that was kept on a diet consisting largely of raw liver was evaluated because of lethargy, partial anorexia, and weight loss of several months' duration. The cat's head and neck were rigidly extended, and a hard mass was palpable in the ventral cervical region. Cervical and thoracic radiography revealed proliferative bony lesions of the cervical and thoracic vertebrae as well as of the sternum and costal cartilages. Serum vitamin A concentration was 4 times normal. For reasons unrelated to hypervitaminosis A, the cat was killed and examined PM, 6 months after evaluation. The skull and the cervical and first few thoracic vertebrae were rigidly fused, and the vertebral architecture was altered by deposition of new bone. The sternum and costal cartilages were similarly affected. The historical, physical, radiographic, laboratory, and PM findings were consistent with the diagnosis of hypervitaminosis A. It was concluded that, on the basis of findings in this cat, hypervitaminosis A should be suspected in any sick cat fed a diet consisting partly or completely of raw liver.