Plus-Hex CLINICAL
ABSTRACT A 3-day-old capybara presented with deep cutaneous wounds to both front feet . The wounds were treated with ozonated oil , antibiotics , pain relief and cleaning , over a period of 6 weeks . Veterinary treatment in a zoo environment presents challenges that can impede normal wound-healing processes . The juvenile could not be kept in a clean environment and could not be housed separately from its mother , and bandaging could not be used due to the risk of ingestion . Treatment required daily capture of the juvenile while mitigating the mother ' s defensive behaviour . Although the capybara suffered partial loss of digits , recovery was sufficient for normal activity .
Keywords zoo , welfare , exotic , wound
Case presentation
The capybara ( Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris ) is a South American caviomorph and is the largest living rodent in the world . Capybaras are popular display animals at zoos and , at Shepreth Wildlife Park ( SWP ), visitors are often heard comparing these animals to their own pet guinea pigs . They contribute significantly to park income via visitor experiences and virtual adoptions .
At SWP on 5 January 2021 , two infant capybaras were born to a first-time mother . Although the mother was attentive to the juveniles and they were seen to suckle , there was concern that the extremely cold weather could be detrimental to them if the mother did not ensure they stayed next to her and followed her into heated areas . Indeed , at the end of the day of their birth , the mother was seen inside a heated den sleeping next to a radiator , having left the juveniles outside . They were put inside with their mother ( Figure 1 ) and the sliding door to the outside was closed . The intention was to keep the juveniles inside with the mother for a few days to ensure they were well bonded .
On the third day of their confinement , two small linear wounds ( approximately 2 cm long on the right forefoot and 3 cm long on the left ) were seen on the dorsal areas of both front feet of the smaller juvenile . Catching juvenile animals has inherent risks , so it was decided to monitor the wounds and only intervene if necessary . It was assumed they might have been caused by the juvenile pushing its feet under an object , such as the food trough . Staff planned to monitor these wounds for signs of healing or infection .
However , the next day , both feet were seen to have extensive and deep lesions . Although the cause of this was unknown , the conclusion drawn was that the juvenile was irritated by the wounds on its feet and had gnawed at the source of irritation , creating the lesions . SWP does not have an on-site veterinary surgeon ( VS ) and instead contracts external services . Photographs
Figure 1 . Capybara mother and offspring in the internal enclosure ; the patient is in the foreground .
of both feet were sent to the VS for assessment , accompanied by a description of the timeline and the current husbandry of the family group .
Considerations for treatment
Although the wounds in this case were not abnormal , the management process for treatment within a zoo environment differs significantly from that of small animal practice due to the many challenges involved . Unless removed to an off-display hospital facility , which is not usually feasible for reasons of stress to the animal and disruption to social groups ( Hosey et al ., 2013 ), a zoo animal must have its wounds treated within the enclosure , which is a difficult environment to keep clean . Wild animals are unlikely to tolerate e-collars to prevent tampering with the wound – in primates , hands as well as mouths can be used to interfere with wounds , and within groups , enclosure-mates can also tamper with wounds ( Samantara et al ., 2013 ). Bandaging is also unlikely to be tolerated and if bandaging material is ingested it can lead to impaction ( Hudson & Romagnano , 2010 ).
Many zoo animals , particularly in winter , require substrate for bedding , such as wood shavings or straw , both of which can enter a wound ( Rees , 2010 ). Captive wild animals may stand in urine or faeces , making foot wounds difficult to manage . Unless trained to tolerate the application of topical treatments , most wild animals will require capture and restraint for each treatment
Volume 37 ( 4 ) • September 2022
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