Retrospective study of the medical status of 34 Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanu) at the Taipei Zoo from 2003 to 2014 / 대한수의학회지

The Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus) is an endemic subspecies in Taiwan. The original wild deer has been extinct since the late 1960s. The largest captive population is located at the Taipei Zoo. Except for infectious disease outbreaks, no systemic medical research has been reported for this subspecies. This study was conducted to analyze the medical status of the captive Formosan sika deer population, including the hematological and serum chemistry characteristics. To accomplish this, medical records for 34 Formosan sika deer from January 2003 to January 2014 were acquired and analyzed. The most common illness and cause of death was trauma, followed by gastrointestinal and respiratory disease, respectively. The hematologic and serum chemical values of healthy adults were quite different from those of sika deer (Cervus nippon yesoensis). This study provides a closer medical understanding of this subspecies and the results will facilitate its management.

Coexisting tricuspid valve dysplasia and ventricular septal defect in a young patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas).

A 1.5-kg, 6-mo-old male patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) was cyanotic and panting. Evaluation of the heart by electrocardiography, thoracic radiography, two-dimensional echocardiography, and Doppler color-flow echocardiography revealed a ventricular septal defect (VSD) with right-to-left shunting as well as tricuspid valve dysplasia with dilated annulus of the tricuspid ring, dilated right atrium, dilated right ventricle, and deformity of the tricuspid valve. Because of the severity of the cardiac disease, the patas monkey had complications recovering from anesthesia and died 3 days later. Gross postmortem findings included VSD, tricuspid dysplasia, and cerebral hemorrhage.