Abstract

A juvenile male bottlenose dolphin was diagnosed with a chronic arthritis of the right shoulder joint by spiral CT scan. Synovial sampling, Gram colouring of the sample and subsequent culture, confirmed this infection was caused by Candida glabrata. Lavage of the joint, local therapy with Amphotericin and 9 months of systemic treatment with voriconazole (VFend) proved unsuccessful and it was decided to amputate the pectoral fin including the shoulder joint. At the time of the operation renal function was compromised, likely due to a chronic glomerulonephritis, there was maldigestion of fish bones in the fore stomach and the dolphin had variable appetite.

Under general anaesthesia the amputation was performed. There were no complications during the surgical intervention and recovery from anaesthesia was smooth. The dolphin quickly adapted his swimming behaviour and managed to swim without observable aberrations within 24 hours. Postoperative problems arose from continuing maldigestion and variable appetite, chronic acidosis and hyperkalemia. The dolphin died 12 days post op. The surgical wound on necropsy was healing and was without signs of inflammation. Multiple granulomatous infectious nodules were found throughout the muscles of the dolphin including the heart muscle, the thyroid, and the blubber layer and a single focus in the kidney. Severe atrophy of the fundic stomach with diffuse multiple nodules on the mucosal surface was observed. Lack of hydrochloric acid production from the stomach glands was a probable cause of the maldigestion of fish bones in the fore stomach.