No abstract

Cardiomyopathies have been increasingly noted in the captive population of Livingstone's fruit bat ( Pteropus livingstonii ). The aim of this study was to produce a set of repeatable quantitative reference measurements that could be used to assess the cardiac size during radiographic examination of this species. Ventro-dorsal and lateral radiographs (n = 129) from a total of 42 individual Livingstone's fruit bats were examined. The control group radiographs (n = 102) consisted of 34 healthy individuals. Radiographic measurements were taken of structures within the thorax and then converted into ratios. These ratios from radiographs (n = 27) were also calculated for eight individuals with diagnosed cardiomyopathy. Vertebral Heart Scores (VHS) were calculated from right lateral radiographs and compared between the two groups. From all the data, only the width of the cardiac silhouette to the width of the thorax (the W : T ratio) in the ventro-dorsal view and the VHS were found to be significantly different between both groups (P < 0.05). The group with cardiomyopathies had a mean W : T ratio of 0.59 (±0.005) and a VHS of 9.77 (±0.89), while a mean W : T ratio of 0.54 (±0.004) and a VHS of 8.71 (±0.93) was established for healthy specimens.

No abstract

Eleven cases of dilated cardiomyopathy have been diagnosed and treated in captive Livingstone fruit bats ( Pteropus livingstonii) in the United Kingdom over the past 7 yr. All but one case received treatment with a diuretic plus an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), and, or pimobendan. One case is still under treatment with pimobendan alone, following diagnosis before onset of clinical signs. Diuretic treatment consisted of furosemide at a dose rate of 0.5-5 mg/kg, one to three times daily, and, or spironolactone at a dose rate of 1-4 mg/kg, once or twice daily. When used, the ACEI imidapril was given at a dose rate of 0.24-0.38 mg/kg q 24 hr, and pimobendan at a dose rate of 0.2-0.5 mg/kg bid. This report is intended to provide anyone seeking to medically manage heart failure in Pteropus species, particularly P. livingstonii, with a review of drugs and doses that have been used.

An adult Madagascar tree boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis) underwent coeliotomy for investigation of a coelomic mass. At surgery, a large mass originating from the peri-pancreatic adipose tissue and involving the gall bladder was removed. The snake did not recover from general anesthesia. A complete postmortem was performed, and samples were submitted to the University of Glasgow for histopathology. On histological examination, the mass was composed of adipose tissue infiltrated with a poorly demarcated spindle cell neoplasm. The neoplastic cells were highly pleomorphic with abundant cytoplasm and frequent clear cytoplasmic vacuoles, suggestive of adipocyte origin. Immunohistochemical characterization of the mass was inconclusive. Metastatic neoplastic cells were present within vessels in the liver, lungs, and brain. As an incidental finding, the gonads contained both maturing ovarian follicles and seminiferous tubules with intact germinal epithelium and evidence of spermatogenesis, along with other features of male and female gonad anatomy. The current report describes a rare neoplasm in snakes within an intersex Madagascar tree boa.