Successful management of hemochromatosis in sugar glider

Abstract

Background

Hemochromatosis is a clinically significant form of iron storage disease (ISD) characterized by excessive iron accumulation leading to progressive organ dysfunction. Although reported in various avian and exotic mammalian species, hemochromatosis is rarely documented in sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps), and information regarding diagnosis and long-term management remains limited.

Case description

A 6-year-old intact male sugar glider was presented with a two-month history of progressive anorexia, chronic intermittent vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient was fed a non-commercial diet without controlled iron content and housed with a clinically normal conspecific. Physical examination revealed cranial abdominal discomfort. Hematologic and serum biochemical analyses were within reference ranges. Abdominal radiography and ultrasonography identified diffuse hepatic enlargement, hyperechoic hepatic plaques, and splenic lesions. Surgical liver biopsy was performed, and histopathological examination revealed severe hepatic hemochromatosis with extensive hemosiderin deposition, fibrosis, and regenerative nodules, confirmed by Prussian blue staining. Postoperative recovery was uneventful. Dietary modification was instituted, and oral iron chelation therapy with deferiprone was initiated. Clinical signs resolved completely. Follow-up ultrasonography at three months demonstrated improvement in hepatic parenchymal changes. Deferiprone therapy continued for six months and subsequently discontinued. At one-year follow-up, the patient remained clinically normal with no recurrence of gastrointestinal signs.

Conclusions and clinical relevance

Hemochromatosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in sugar gliders presenting with chronic nonspecific gastrointestinal signs, even in the absence of hematologic or biochemical abnormalities. Advanced imaging, histopathological confirmation, dietary evaluation, and oral iron chelation therapy can result in favorable long-term outcomes in this species.