Advances634 in Life Sciences 5(2), Print : ISSN 2278-3849,Advances 634-637, in Life Sciences 2016 5(2), 2016

Elucidation on Therapeutic Management of Shock in an Indian (Lepus nigricollis, F. Cuvier, 1823) D. R. MER¹*, C. M. BHADESIYA2 AND P. V. PARIKH1 1Department of Veterinary Surgery & Radiology, Veterinary College, Anand Agricultural University, Anand. 2Department of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary College, Anand Agricultural University, Anand. *email : [email protected]

ABSTRACT (Hoffmann, and Smith, 2005). Lepus nigricollis can be seen in a wide variety of habitats such as Limited information is available on diseases and short grasslands, barren agricultural fields, crop disorders of free-living Indian (Lepus nigricollis, F. Cuvier, 1823). An Indian Hare was fields, and forest roads. The species can be seen presented to the Department of Veterinary Surgery in forests of many types other than the mangroves & Radiology, College of Veterinary Science & and tall grassland habitats; however, one can see Husbandry, Anand with history of automobile accident, the species adjacent to forest areas in agricultural tick infestation and visible blood clots on nostrils and fields (Flux, and Angermann, 1990). gums. Anaemia was an evident haematological finding. Lepus nigricollis is very common wherever The tick was identified as Rhipicephalus spp.. Based they occur. However, the population in India is on anamnesis, clinical manifestation and haematology subjected to severe fragmentation due to expanding the case was diagnosed as traumatic shock with early human population and their activities, expanding decompensatory stage. Intensive therapeutic agricultural fields as well as pressure on forest in management of the case included use of steroidal anti- terms of fuel wood collection and sometimes illegal inflammatory drug, fluid therapy, antibiotic, nervine tonics as well as intravenous administration of hunting. The development of roads affects wildlife mannitol. The hare was continuously monitored for by altering and isolating habitat and populations, changes in physiological parameters during therapy. deterring the movement of wildlife, and resulting The said therapeutic management was effective and in extensive wildlife mortality (Ashley, and the hare showed complete recovery within 24 hours. Robinson, 1996). The details of the study is described. An effort has been made by utilising available resources to document a case of automobile Key words Indian Hare, Rhipicephalus spp., accident followed by shock in an Indian hare with Shock, Early Decompensatory Stage special reference to its diagnosis and successful therapeutic management. The Indian Hare (Lepus nigricollis, F. Cuvier, 1823) is distributed throughout India, except the MATERIALS AND METHODS high reaches of the Himalayas and mangrove areas A detailed diagnostic approach was initiated within the Sundarbans in the state of West Bengal. to rule out stage and type of shock which included The geographic distribution extends into eastern (i) Anamnesis, (ii) Clinical examination, (iii) Pakistan, southern Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh Haematology and (iv) Intensive therapeutic excluding the Sundarbans (Flux, and Angermann, management to revert clinical signs. 1990). Anamnesis Indian hare is classified under Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Mammalia, Rescuer revealed that hare was met with an Order: , Family: and automobile accident. Animal was dull and found Species: Lepus nigricollis. The species has been unconscious from where it was rescued. categorized as least-concerned (lc) by International Clinical Signs and Radiography Union on Conservation of Nature (IUCN). There are many subspecies of Indian hares in India Body weight of hare was 2.4 kg. Body occupying different regions and habitat types temperature was 98.9°F (subnormal). Heart rate MER et al., Elucidation on Therapeutic Management of Shock in an Indian Hare (Lepus nigricollis, F. Cuvier, 1823) 635

Fig. 1. Conjunctival Mucous Membrane and Fig. 2. Excessive ocular discharge and pupillary visible blood clots on nostrils dilatation

Fig. 3. Multipara Monitoring Fig. 4. Tick (Rhipicephalus spp.)

Fig. 5. Hare after intensive treatment was 190 beats/min and Respiratory rate was 70/ was heavily infested with ticks. Diagnostic min. Extremities were cold on touch in the radiography was performed using Horizo-X X-ray unconscious hare. Visible blood clots were present machine (Multimobil 2.5, Capacity 40 to 100 kV, around external nares and on gums. Oral mucous 0.32 to 200 mAs, Siemens Ltd.; Plot no. L 6, Verna membrane was pale and tacky while the Industrial Area, Panaji Moragoan conjunctival mucous membrane was congested in Highway, Verna, Goa). A whole body left eye (Fig. 1). Epiphora, i.e., excessive ocular radiograph was taken in dorso-ventral position discharge was evident with dilated pupils (Fig. 2). which appeared normal without any evidence of Examination of the body coat revealed that the hare fracture in axial as well as appendicular skeleton. 636 Advances in Life Sciences 5(2), 2016

Haematology which, the hare was handed-over to the forest official in healthy and active status. The forest The characteristic haematological features officials were advised to rehabilitate the hare after were reduced levels of haemoglobin (Hb), total a brief period of monitoring. erythrocyte count (TEC) and thrombocytopenia as compared to standard range provided for Shock is a complex series of physiological lagomorphs. events that results from a variety of causes and clinical diseases. It has been well documented that Therapeutic Management the underlying problem of all causes of shock, is a The Indian hare was kept on the orthopaedic decrease in effective circulating blood volume clinical heating mats (Active heat, Home Care because of which, the oxygen delivery does not Remedies, Mumbai) continuously to maintain the meet the demand of the tissues (Muir, 1990). body temperature and to prevent further The pathophysiology of shock in is hypothermia. Continuous monitoring of described with 3 clinical stages of progression, viz., physiological parameters included checking of pulse (i) Compensatory stage, (ii) Early decompensatory rate, quality and rhythm as well as evaluation of stage, and (iii) Late decompensatory (terminal) level of SpO using multipara machine (Fig. 3). An 2 stage (Rudloff, and Kirby, 1994). As elaborated by intravenous catheter was fixed in saphenous vein DiBartola, 2000, the clinical signs for early of hind leg. Therapeutic management included use decompensatory stage include tachycardia, of a syringe-driven infusion pump (Infutek 400, tachypnea, pale mucous membrane, poor capillary Simtek Medico Systems Pvt. Ltd., India) for refill time, weak pulse, poor mentation and usually continuous intravenous administration of 5% hypothermia and hypotension. dextrose normal saline @ 15 ml/kg/hour for three hours as fluid therapy. Steroidal anti-inflammatory Furthermore, tick infestation is not drug, i.e., dexamethasone sodium was administered uncommon in animals. The hare was brought from @ 2 mg/kg b.wt. intravenously along with which a habitat where other species of animals also ceftriaxone was used as an antibiotic. Mannitol @ coexisted. The possible reason for the hare to 2 ml/kg b.wt. was administered intravenously in acquire heavy tick infection could be direct contact order to reduce intracranial pressure. To control of a viable population of domestic and/or domiciled possible internal haemorrhage, tranexamic acid was animals with tick infestation in the surroundings. administered @ 20 mg (Total dose) intravenously. Ticks upon infestation on animals feed on blood Supportive therapy included intravenous injection and multiply in numbers. They are also responsible of meloxicam @ 0.5 mg/kg b.wt. as an analgesic, for transmission of infectious hemoprotozoan intramuscular injection of multivitamins and diseases and cause a variable degree of subcutaneous injection of chlorpheniramine maleate coagulopathies. @ 1 mg/kg b.wt. To the authors’ knowledge, there are no Identification of tick available published reports on diseases and disorders of free-living Indian hares. In the present case, After therapeutic management, the ticks from based on the clinical representation, the condition the coat of the hare were collected and subjected was diagnosed as shock with an early to permanent mount and identification as per the decompensatory stage. Furthermore, the hare did methods described by Bhadesiya, et al. (2014). not show extensive external haemorrhage, therefore, Based on physical characters observed under the pre-existing tick infestation could be a stereoscopic microscope, the tick was identified contributing factor for development of to be of Rhipicephalus spp. (Fig. 4). hypovolaemia and shock. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The advancement in diagnosis, monitoring After 3 hours of intensive care, general techniques and therapeutic management of shock condition of hare was improved with normal heart in animals with improved knowledge and and respiration rates, a body temperature nearing understanding of underlying pathophysiology and towards normal range and regaining of the ability related symptoms has resulted in the ability to to stand (Fig. 5). Post-treatment behaviour and anticipate, to recognize, and to treat shock activity were monitored for next 12 hours after syndromes more effectively (Day, 2003). MER et al., Elucidation on Therapeutic Management of Shock in an Indian Hare (Lepus nigricollis, F. Cuvier, 1823) 637

In summary, a study on management of shock Day, T. K. 2003. Shock: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and in a free-living Indian hare is elucidated. It is Treatment. In: Textbook of Small Animal Surgery by rd concluded that the said therapeutic approach was Douglas Slatter. 3 ed. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia. pp. 1-17. effective for successful and a non-invasive management of shock. DiBartola, S. P. 2000. Metabolic acid-base disorders. In DiBartola SP (ed): Fluid Therapy in Small Animal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Practice, 2nd ed. WB Saunders, Philadelphia. pp. 211. Flux, J. E. C. and Angermann, R. 1990. Chapter 4: The Authors are grateful to Dean & Principal, Hares and Jackrabbits. In: J. A. Chapman and J. E. C. Veterinary College, Anand for providing necessary Flux (eds), , Hares and : Status Survey and facilities. Conservation Action Plan, The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland. pp. 61-94. LITERATURE CITED Hoffmann, R. S. and Smith, A. T. 2005. Order Lagomorpha. Ashley, E. P. and Robinson, J. T. 1996. Road mortality of In: D. E. Wilson and D. M. Reeder (eds), amphibians, reptiles and other wildlife on the Long Point Species of the World, pp. 185-211. Johns Hopkins Causeway, Lake Erie, Ontario. Canadian Field University Press, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Naturalist, 110(3):403-412. Muir W. W. 1990. Overview of shock. Proceedings of the Bhadesiya, C. M., Raval, S. K., Hasnani, J. J., Patel, P. V. Kal Kan Waltham Symposium for the Treatment of Small and Patel, D. M. 2014. Prevalence and epidemiological Animal Diseases: Emergency Medicine and Critical aspects of Rhipicephalus sanguineus in and around areas Care. Kal Kan Foods, Vernon, Calif. Pp. 7. of Anand, Gujarat. Int. J. Interdisc. Res. Innov., 2(4):164- Rudloff, E. and Kirby, R. 1994. Hypovolaemic shock and 168. resuscitation. Vet. Clin. North Am. Small Anim. Pract., 24:1015.

Received on 18-01-2016 Accepted on 22-01-2016