(RMF) at death using best-fit models adjusted for
small sample sizes. Renal medullary fibrosis was a key
contributor to CRD and may precede RA since a few
of the cheetahs with no RA at death had CRD; more
cheetahs had RMF than RA; and all cheetahs in which
death was caused by CRD had RMF. Chronic renal
infarction was positively associated with renal cortical
fibrosis but not with GS; renal cortical lesions were
not correlated with medullary ones.
All the parameters measured occurred primarily
in adult or elderly cheetahs, except for EC which
was present in cheetahs of all ages. However, a
few juvenile cheetahs had IPC or were diagnosed
with severe gastritis before and at death; and
small numbers of subadult cheetahs had gastro-
intestinal tract and renal disease at death. Very early
intervention may therefore be necessary to prevent
these conditions. Renal lesions in these cheetahs
were similar to those described in domestic cats with
CRD and may have a similar pathogenesis: repetitive
subclinical ischaem ic tubular damage associated with
age, stress-related adrenaline and renin-angiotensin-
aldosterone responses, diet and/or infectious disease.
Cheetahs may be particularly susceptible to such
ischaemic renal tubular damage due to their
propensity for stress in captivity, their adaptation
for fecundity (rather than longevity) and for
adrenaline-mediated high speed prey chases. Survival
probabilities for all age groups in the facility under
study increased after 2001 when intensive disease
management was instituted (gastritis and renal
disease monitoring and treatment and vaccination
for Feline Panleukopaenia Virus in late pregnancy)
but this could not be linked to differences in lesion
prevalence. Gastritis and EC were positively associated
with each other but gastro-intestinal tract lesions
were not associated with any of the renal lesions,
suggesting that gastro-intestinal tract inflammation
may not be a primary trigger for RA. Since many of
the cheetahs that died without RMF and RA had
parents with these lesions (67% and 54% respectively)
and since king cheetahs were not more susceptible
than normal coat cheetahs to any of the lesions
measured, genetics may not play a primary role in the
pathogenesis of these conditions.
Comparing haematological and
biochemical parameters of non-
injured and critically injured
immobilised white rhinoceroses
(Ceratotherium simum simum)
https://vimeo.com/207934477
J.P. du Preez 1 , A. Tordiffe 2 , L. Meyer 2
and G. Steenkamp 1
Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies,
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria.
[email protected], gerhard.steenkamp@
up.ac.za; 2 Department of Paraclinical
Parsons, Sven