Rhinoceros software monkey series#

She showed no signs of the health problems that had threatened her life earlier. Lucy, the initially ill rhino, received the supplement, but not the imported fodder. The researchers observed no negative side effects.

Over four months, the rhinos’ fatty acid ratio improved. The rest of the rhino’s food consisted of alfalfa hay, a ground aspen pelleted feed from Purina, small amount of oranges, a salt block and various plants to browse on, such as mulberry, honeysuckle and willow. After those initial levels were established, the rhinos received The Missing Link supplements containing 50 percent linolenic acid and 18 percent linoleic acid. The researchers measured the fatty acid profiles in five black rhinos’ blood. However, within a year of her arrival, the rhino suffered two bouts of anemia, hyperbilirubinemia (overabundance of a chemical formed when red blood cells break down), hypercalcemia (overabundance of calcium in the blood) and other health problems. The three-year-old rhino had a healthy ratio of linoleic to linolenic acid when she first arrived. michaeli), named Lucy, came to the United States from Addo Elephant Park in South Africa. The benefits of balanced fatty acid supplementation were particularly critical for one rhino, wrote the researchers. For rhinos and other animals, a proper ratio may be more important than the overall levels of the essential fatty acids, wrote a Kansas City zoo veterinarian and a Wildlife Conservation Society scientist in the Proceedings of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians Conference.

1989 194:559–60.That Missing Link supplement provided the rhinos with a ratio of the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, to the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha linolenic acid, that seemed to benefit the endangered species’ health. Idiopathic epilepsy in three gaur ( Bos gaurus). Alternative therapeutic options for medical management of epilepsy in apes. The authors would like to thank Deborah Paperd, LVT, the rhinoceros zookeeper staff of Potter Park Zoo, The Docents of Potter Park Zoo, the Indianapolis Zoo, the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences of the Michigan State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for their expertise and assistance with this case.ġ. This case suggests the first known case of seizure disorder in a black rhinoceros and highlights the unique challenges of epilepsy in a megavertebrate. Following rescue therapy with parenteral diazepam (Hospira Inc., Lake Forest, IL, USA), levetiracetam (9.9 mg/kg PO BID, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc., Baltimore, MD, USA) was added to the maintenance therapy. Eight months following the initial presentation, breakthrough seizing occurred. Based on the signs and laboratory results, a diagnosis of epilepsy was made and treated with oral phenobarbital (Qualitest pharmaceuticals, Huntsville, AL, USA) with dosing gradually decreased from 2 mg/kg to 1 mg/kg over 4 mo. Analysis of feed revealed no contaminants or food-borne pathogens to explain the clinical signs. Serology was negative for Sarcocystis neurona, Toxoplasma gondii, and viral encephalitides, as well as negative for environmental toxicants by gas chromatography. Treatment was initiated with anticonvulsants and intravenous phenobarbital (Westward Pharmaceuticals, Eatontown, NJ, USA) to control the initial seizures prior to the beginning of oral maintenance therapy.

Seizure episodes culminated in pelvic weakness and the rhinoceros falling to a “dog-sitting” posture before recovery. Seizures presented in a predictable pattern of pre-ictal disorientation and hypersalivation, followed by ataxia, erratic head movement, lip curling, and stargazing.

Rhinoceros software monkey series#

1,2 An 8-yr-old male black rhinoceros ( Diceros bicornis), with no prior history of illness, presented acutely with a series of eight, 2-minute seizures over a 10-h period.

Books & VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate)Ĭlinical epilepsy is an infrequent diagnosis in zoological collections with the predominance of cases being documented among primates.

VINcyclopedia of Diseases (Formerly Associate).