Today I worked on a Lesser Kudu similar to the one pictured above. These large antelope have 2 toes on each foot making them an artiodactyl animal, but if you have been following along, you already know that. The juvenile I was working on was a 2 week old male whose mother didn't know how to take care of him. We call this a failure of passive transfer, because in cases like these, the infants don't receive needed nourishment and antibodies from mom. These antibodies are important for a young animal to be able to fend off diseases. Colostrum, also known as first milk, is full of these important antibodies; if a kid is unable to nurse, for whatever reason, the antibodies are not transferred. My role today was to take a simple blood sample so that his blood cell composition (CBC) and biochemistry values could be determined. Being a young kudu, he was easy to handle without any sedatives or anesthetics, but when he grows up that will not be possible. Thanks to ARKIVE.org and James Warwick for the picture of the kudu. ARKIVE.org is a great resource for pictures and information on many of the species of animals of the world.
and if the Kudu lacks antibodies severely would you them give them vaccines and or boosters?
ReplyDeleteFailure of passive transfer cases in hoofed animals usually requires intervention because colostrum is where a majority of antibodies are aquired. In these cases, colostrum products or even blood plasma transfusions can be used to supply needed antibodies. Many other species such as carnivores receive antibodies in utero and would likely not need supplemental intervention.
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