STIFLE OSTEOCHONDRITIS DISSECANS IN SNOW LEOPARDS (UNCIA UNCIA)

Abstract

Three snow leopard (Uncia uncia) cubs, female and male siblings and an unrelated female, had lameness attributed to osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) lesions noted at 6, 8, and 10 mo of age, respectively. All cubs were diagnosed with OCD via radiographs. The sibling cubs both had lesions of the right lateral femoral condyles, while the unrelated cub had bilateral lesions of the lateral femoral condyles. Subsequently, OCD was confirmed in all three cases during surgical correction of the lateral femoral condyle lesions via lateral stifle arthrotomies, flap removal, and debridement of the defect sites. Histopathology also supported the diagnosis of OCD. Postoperatively, the sibling cubs developed seromas at the incision sites and mild lameness, which resolved within a month. To date, two cubs have been orthopedically sound, while one of the sibling cubs has developed mild osteoarthritis. OCD has rarely been reported in domestic felids, and to the authors' knowledge these are the first reported cases of OCD in nondomestic felids.

Exploiting genomic synteny in Felidae: cross-species genome alignments and SNV discovery can aid conservation management

“…Adding to the ecological complexities of big cat conservation is the impact of infectious and heritable diseases [ 93 , 94 ]. Captive cheetahs, snow leopards and Sumatran tigers have historically presented a range of infectious and degenerative diseases, while their wild counterparts have remained unaffected [ 93 , 95 , 96 ]. Captive breeding programmes typically operate to maintain within-population genetic diversity, however for many threatened species, population bottlenecks in the wild have resulted in genetically depauperate populations that display impaired fitness and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases [ 15 , 97 ].…”

Subchondral defects resembling osteochondrosis dissecans in joint surfaces of the extinct saber-toothed cat Smilodon fatalis and dire wolf Aenocyon dirus

“…Several cases of OC have been reported to be genetically connected in humans [ 20 , 21 ]. Two pairs of siblings were among five Panthera uncia treated for stifle OCD, possibly forming small family clusters of OCD as in humans [ 16 , 17 , 20 , 21 ]. In dogs and horses, some breeds were observed to be more affected by OCD [ 22 , 23 ].…”

“…Evidence of OCD in these predators suggests that the disease did not hamper their ability to survive, even though survival to adulthood depends on access to large prey that would be difficult to hunt with impaired locomotion. Compared to the OCD defect size in the clinically symptomatic snow leopards [ 16 , 17 ], the defects in S . fatalis were mostly small, with only 10% being larger than 12mm, which would have increased the chance for spontaneous healing without developing an OCD flap.…”