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| Location: |
Africa - Eastern Africa - Kenya |
| Subject: |
Diseases |
| Species: |
White Rhino |
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The warden of the Meru National Park, Kenya, sent a radio-call asking me to visit a nine-year-old white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) cow which had been attacked by a male and severely horned around its rear about three days before. The animal was one of the five remaining white rhino of a group imported in 1966. When I saw the animal it had not passed stool since being horned, some 80 hours previously. Only a very small quantity of urine had been passed on the third day, and that with difficulty. The animal had not grazed at all for 24 hours and was now refusing lucerne hay. It was lying down and could only be persuaded to move by vigorous prodding and pushing. It was still drinking, but water consumption was down to less than half normal, as judged by the guard.
The temperature was 99.6?F (ca 36?C) and the pulse 60 per min, and of poor volume. The vulva and peri-anal tissues were markedly swollen, and there were one or two shallow horn wounds between the legs below the vulva.
The animal resented anything other than mild exploration of the lesions, and so I immobilised her with fentanyl citrate and azaperone, using a dose of citrate 70 mg fentanyl, and 300mg azaperone. With this dose she allowed extensive evacuation of the rectum for just under one hour, but remained standing. She would not permit bladder catheterisation.
Evacuation of the rectum for as forward as I could reach, took nearly an hour because the faeces were very dry and hard and could only be broken down very slowly with the finger tips. At the end of this time a 12 litre enema was given, after which she received 175 mg nalorphinc hydrobromide. Other treatments included, a total of 14.4 million units of a mixture of sodium, procaine and benzathine penicillin, 40 cc Parentrovite and 40 cc ampicillin.
Ten hours later she passed copious quantities of stool and urine. Ampicillin treatment was continued for a further two days, as well as local treatment of the wounds with disinfectant and a mixture of vegetable oil, oleo resins and phenoloids known as healing oils. Apart from its other properties, it is useful as a fly repellant. The patient improved rapidly, and was eating well within a few hours.
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Case of a constipated rhino
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