ULTRASONOGRAPHIC STUDY OF ABDOMINAL ORGANS IN SLOTH BEARS (Melursus ursinus)
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Date
2018-01
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KARNATAKA VETERINARY, ANIMAL AND FISHERIES SCIENCES UNIVERSITY, BIDAR-585 401
Abstract
Ultrasonographic study of abdominal organs in 18 sloth bears (Melursus ursinus)
was conducted in Wildlife SOS, Bannerghatta Bear Rescue Centre. The sloth bears were
anesthetized using ketamine and xylazine for the procedure. The animal was placed on
the dorsal recumbency. The ultrasound study of different abdominal organs like the liver,
gall bladder, spleen, kidneys and urinary bladder were carried out. The size, shape,
thickness and echotexture of different organs were recorded. The lobes of liver were not
well distinguished in ultrasound scanning except for caudate lobe. The normal hepatic
parenchyma was uniform with fine or coarse granular echogenicity compared to spleen.
The gall bladder was a round, oval or pear shaped structure. The wall was thin, smooth
and hyperechoic with variable amount of sludge inside the bladder. Spleen was an
elongated sock like structure. The spleen was divided into head, body and tail. The spleen
was surrounded by a capsule which was found to be hyperechoic. The splenic
parenchyma was fine, granular and relatively homogenous and was hyperechoic
compared to the liver. Kidneys were paired, elongated and lobulated. Each lobule was
surrounded by a capsule which was found to be hyperechoic. Echogenicity of both
kidneys were the same. Each lobule consisted of cortex which had very fine and uniform
echotexture. Medulla was an anechoic structure. The cortex and medulla were divided by
a hyperechoic line. The normal bear urinary bladder was pear shaped. The bladder
constituted of urine which was anechoic in nature. The physiological and biochemical
parameters were also recorded. The respiration and heart rate were slightly below the
normal range. This may have been due to the use of xylazine as anesthesia for sloth bears.
The biochemical parameters were in the normal range.