laanecoorie

This is my Banjo who is suffering from Myopathy

July 2011

A very sick boy Banjo

Banjo being consoled by his adoptive Roo mum Bella. She stayed by his side all the time he was sick, and still does . She has a great love for this young boy.x

Secondary Problems of eye virus and mysteries lumps both sides of the rump. At this stage Banjo is up and about, and enjoying being outside. He still can not hop but walks everywhere.

Banjo is approximately four months recovered from Myopathy. As of mid November 2011 he is now able to hop everywhere. His lumps have gone, the virus in his eye has cleared. Thanks to the vet Dirk and the trial medication, of which he has had 100% success, he saved Banjo's life. Also, a big thank you to Leigh (2nd photo) and Kym for all your help too and Karen, his first adoptive human mum, who gave moral support and financed his medical bills.

It took a 'village' and we saved him.x

Soaking up the sun.

Footnote:

Although the article from Ozark is factual there has been some advancement in treating Myopathy that my vet used with 100% success in all the animals presented to him that suffered from this disease.

CAPTURE MYOPATHY

By Dr Anne Fowler

This condition has many names: exertional, transport, stress, degenerative myopathy and white muscle disease.

There are a lot of myths and misinformation about this condition. The first myth to destroy is that this is a condition seen only in marsupials. It affects all species - and is most widely recognised in hoofed animals such as deer. However, birds - such as long-legged water birds and raptors may also be affected.

All ages and sexes are susceptible - from a joey in a pouch onwards.

HOW DOES IT HAPPEN?
When the muscle is exerted (used) its metabolism changes from aerobic (uses oxygen) to anaerobic (uses stored energy in the muscles). This leads to the build up of lactic acid causes acidosis. Lactic acid in the bloodstream drops the pH in the body, affecting heart output. If the heart does not pump oxygen to the muscle it starts to die. When the muscle dies over the next 7 days, it releases a product called myoglobin. Myoglobin damages the excretion part of the kidney (the renal tubule). Other organs are affected: the lungs become congested and bleed. The liver becomes swollen and pale.

CLINICAL SIGNS
We need to appreciate that we are seeing a disease in a spectrum of severity, over a number of days. It may occur in any muscle group in front and back legs or heart. It has been classified into four appearances that can help to understand what carers can see:

hyperacute - very sudden onset with death often noted.

acute - from heart muscle necrosis and occurs over 2- 4 days.

subacute - kidney failure from the release of myoglobin.

chronic - die over 2-4 weeks due to heart failure and paralysis

The range of clinical signs begin in the early stages as hyperthermia (animal is hot - sweats, pants), trouble breathing, fast heart rate. The animal may become weak or have a stiff gait. Muscle tremors - either involving a few muscles or an entire muscle group may be seen. The animal may collapse and die.

WHAT CAUSES CAPTURE MYOPATHY?
There are several situations that can cause capture myopathy. These include trapping, capture, transport and even simple restraint. In other words - humans cause this condition! However, it is also used successfully as a hunting tool by large carnivores such as dogs.

IS WHITE MUSCLE DISEASE RELATED TO CAPTURE MYOPATHY?
Muscle is a pretty simple organ. All it can do when it is sick is to die! So white muscle disease, which is seen in calves due to a lack of vitamin E and selenium deficiency has the same appearance as myopathy when you slice the muscle and look at it under a microscope.

HOW IS CAPTURE MYOPATHY TREATED?
The bad news is that if you have an animal with clinical signs, its prognosis is poor. In other words - it is not going to get better.

In other words - treatment is not effective and continuing to let the animal suffer becomes a welfare issue.

The muscle has died. It cannot regrow. This has an implication with the welfare of the animal then being treated, only to suffer horrible cramping, pain from failing kidneys, inability to breathe from congested lungs and then to die up to 1 month later. It also has an implication for release - if the muscles are destroyed - then how is it ever going to be 100% fit for release? Field treatment in the hands of many experienced veterinarians has not been successful. Please remember, that humans are sometimes not saved in similar situations (ecstasy overdose, malignant hyperthermia in susceptible people).

However, in situations where it is recognised at the hyperthermia stage, it is believed to be possible to treat it. Treatment is quite intensive and expensive.

The first step is to sedate the animal. Although from a prevention perspective, this should have already been performed. Sedation with valium may reduce anxiety and assist in muscle relaxation.

The most important treatment for this condition is intravenous fluids eg: with Hartmans solution or 0.9% saline. Essentially, what you are treating is acute kidney failure.

The goal of giving fluids is to:

Improve the blood supply to the kidney
Dilute the damage that myoglobin does to the kidney
Dilute the lactic acid in the blood stream, thus improving heart function
Expand the blood volume and address the mechanisms of shock
Reverse the hyperthermia

Another muscle relaxant that is used by zoos is Dantrolene. This is used in humans for a similar condition - malignant hyperthermia. The drug is given intravenously within 6 hours of reconstitution. It can damage the liver and kidney. It is a human prescription only drug - few vets stock this.

Cortisone can be used for its anti-inflammatory properties. It may also help to reverse hyperthermia.

Vitamin E and selenium can be used. This comes as Selvite-E. The dose rate is 1ml per 50 kg. It is given every 7 days under the skin. More frequently will harm the animal. Selenium works in the cell membrane as an antioxidant, and similarly, Vitamin E out of the cell.

PREVENTION
This is the key to this condition as you cannot undo the damage, you want prevent it from occurring in the first instance. The animal's life is in your hands.

The goal is planning: plan the capture, plan to use sedation, plan what to do if something goes wrong.

The method of capture needs to be well-planned, with sufficient people-power to quickly trap the animal. And that is the key - we do not chase macropods, we encourage them into a trap. Time spent observing the animal and the escape route it wants to follow, and then coordinating your movements is invaluable.
- Minimize the pursuit time - ideal is less than 3 minutes! After this, muscle enzymes are beginning to climb and the damage begins.
- Reduce struggling by covering eyes and placing the captured animal into a bag.
- Keep the human noise down. No dogs should be present.
- Reduce the amount of handling time and then release to a less stressful place as soon as possible.
Sedation. Consider the use of valium, azaperone (Stresnil for pigs), or fluphenazine (Modecate - a human antipsychotic used very successfully in zoos for translocation of animals but takes up to 3 days to start to work).
Do not catch up animals when the ambient temperature is over 20°C. Do not leave a sedated animal in direct sunlight.
Ensure that you keep the animal's temperature down: good ventilation, damp cloths if required.

Glossary
Myoglobin: breakdown product of muscle
Hyperthermia: body temperature is above normal

This article originally published on Ozark website for Australian Wildlife Carer's Network.

FACTS ABOUT WESTERN GREY KANGAROOS

Western Grey Kangaroos are uniquely adapted to survive life in Australia, a country that suffers frequent droughts.

The mother kangaroo spends most of her adult life pregnant, but in drought times, she has the ability to indefinitely "freeze" the development of the young embryo until food sources are replenished.
The mother can also produce two different types of milk to suit the needs of two different aged joeys. She might have a more mature joey that spends less time in the pouch, while a very young embryo has attached itself to a teat. Each joey has different milk requirements - which the mother is able to supply.
Kangaroos are able to travel long distances at a high speed, expending very little energy. They are very energy-efficient, and this is linked directly to the physical action of bringing their hind legs up with each hop. Every hop literally refills the lungs.
Kangaroos have large, strong tendons in their hind legs which act as "springs". The springing motion requires less energy than running does, so kangaroos are able to bound for longer distances than other mammals with the standard four legs can run. They have strong back legs and elongated hind feet for bounding.
Kangaroos are strong swimmers. Many parts of Australia are subject to seasonal flooding rains, but the kangaroo's body shape does not prohibit it from swimming. In fact, kangaroos have been observed swimming to offshore islands off the southern coast. This is the only time the kangaroo's hind legs move independently of each other.
Kangaroos are more active in the cooler hours of the early morning and the late afternoon. During the heat of the day they are more sedentary, lying around quietly and chewing their cud.
The teeth of the kangaroo are continuously being worn down by the tough grasses they eat. Instead of continuously growing, once a kangaroo's front teeth are worn down completely, they fall out, and the back teeth move forwards to take the place of the worn front teeth. Kangaroos have four such pairs of chewing teeth.
Kangaroos have the ability to hear very well: kangaroos can twitch their ears. around to determine the direction of specific sounds, much as a cat does
They have long, strong tails for balancing.
Kangaroos are able to move their ears at a variety of angles to hear if there is any danger close to them.

The average age of a wild kangaroo tends to be less than 10 years, although some kangaroo individuals in the wild have been known to get closer to 20 years old. Kangaroos generally live to about the age of 23 when the kangaroo is in captivity.

http://a-z-animals.com/animals/kangaroo/