Cardiomyopathy in a chestnut- fronted macaw (Ara severus)
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Date
2020-02
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Abstract
The life expectancy of macaw ranges from 35- 50 years. Pet birds are many times deprived of
conveniences as compared to their free-living counterparts. Captivity leads to boredom due to restricted
area, lack of exercise and psychological changes in spite of good maintenance and precipitates into diseases
in the long run of which one such condition is the risk of cardiovascular disease. A female severe macaw
(chestnut fronted macaw) aged 7.5 years was presented for necropsy with a history of severe loss of feathers,
wasting, chronic illness and death with a suspicion of avian tuberculosis. External examination revealed
aberrations on the skin, erosions on the beak and injury on the right wing suggestive of self-mutilated wound.
Grossly, carcass appeared dehydrated, blanched mucous membrane, thin watery blood, faecal material aroundthe cloaca and matting of feathers. The right leg was twisted and slightly deformed. Liver was swollen,
dark brown in colour with enhanced lobular pattern and diffuse pale areas. Heart had a roughly elongated
patchy pale area (approx. 0.5mm by 0.85mm) in the left ventricular myocardium, solitary nodule in the distal
femur with cheesy exudate, meningeal congestion and strikingly all the bones were highly brittle and porous
with grey white bone marrow. The cheesy exudate was negativefor acid fast organisms by Ziehl–Neelsen
staining. Histopathologically the chief lesion was multifocal necrosis of cardiac myocytes and perivascular
degeneration of fat in the cardiac vessels suggestive of cardio myopathy. In addition, multifocal coagulative
necrosis of the liver and diffuse congestion of the lungs was noticed. This documentation highlights the need
for more studies on avian cardiology as clinical signs on cardiac compromise seems to be subtle and owners
fail to recognise these changes.
Description
TNV_20thMVC_PP_Feb-2020_PA62
Keywords
Veterinary Science