Suspected Diet-related Vitamin B_(12) Anemia in a Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchusnyacinthinus)

摘要

An 18-year-old male hyacinth macaw presented with a 1-month history of a nonregenerative anemia, packed cell volume of 16% (reference range, 44%-55%).After an extensive workup and supportive therapy to treat the anemic condition, a bone marrow aspirate was obtained to assess the patient's bone marrow. The clinical pathologist's diagnostic interpretation of the bone marrow aspirate from 7 slides was leukemia of unknown lineage. After an oncology consultation, it was determined to start the macaw on atreatment regimen of IV doxorubicin. Prior to the treatment, a baseline complete blood count was submitted. After the treatment of doxorubicin, the complete blood count results indicated there was a significant regeneration of the red blood cells. A presumptive diagnosis of a vitamin B_(12) deficiency induced anemia was determined after a significant case review and patient apparent response to treatment of possible nutritional deficiency, suspected from the owner's description of the bird eating only macadamia nuts. Neither macadamia nuts nor Brazil nuts contain any measurable levels of vitamin B_(12).