Edentata 5 - Anteater, Sloth & Armadillo Specialist Group

TABLE 1. Weight loss and its causes in four male and six female giant anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla.Sex Age in years Starting weight Weight lostTimespanCauseMale 14 140 lbs 14 lbs 20 days Anorexia due to tongue constriction from piece of horsemeat.Male 8 111 lbs 10 lbs 7 months Peritonitis.Male 8 108 lbs 15 lbs 4 months Occurs only in the summer season as appetite declines.Male 5 138 lbs 15 lbs 2 months Not listed.Female 14.5 81 lbs 15 lbs 4 months Kidney disease.Female 12 101 lbs 23 lbs < 2 monthsDiagnosed with kidney/liver disease. Experienced prolongedperiods of anorexia during time span.Female 9 149 lbs 25 lbs 6 months Kidney disease.Female 3 143 lbs 23 lbs 8 months Individual deemed overweight and put on a diet.Female 2 141 lbs 10 lbs 6 months Hematuria and chronic diarrhea.Female 1.7 70 lbs 15 lbs 2 months Sand impaction caused anorexia.Conclusionse medical challenges surrounding giant anteaters(Myrmecophaga tridactyla) are numerous andvaried. e results of the Health Care Surveyprovide insight into the frequencies of occurrence,age trends, causes, symptoms, and treatmentstrategies for 40 distinct medical problemsthat the 19 respondents have experienced withthe giant anteaters in their collections. e followingparagraphs summarize the top five mostcommonly reported medical issues involvinga combined living and deceased giant anteaterpopulation of 107 individuals.Anorexia and lethargye two most commonly reported medical problemswere anorexia and lethargy, affecting 29%and 27% of the surveyed population respectively.In each report of an individual exhibitinglethargic behavior, anorexia was also noted.In most cases anorexia and lethargy turned outto be symptoms of much larger medical issues,including GI obstructions, respiratory ailments,heart problems, and liver/kidney disease. Inseveral instances anorexia and lethargy wereattributed to low environmental temperatures(below mid-50s °F). However, there were a fewcases in which no causes could be determinedfor anorexic or lethargic behavior, and in aweek or two the individual fell back into itsnormal habits.Chronic loose stoolChronic loose stool tied with lethargy as thesecond most commonly reported problem,affecting 27% of the surveyed population.e majority of affected giant anteaters werebetween one and four years of age at the onsetof the symptoms. ere is no question that dietis responsible for many of these cases. In severalinstances the treatment strategy employedwas to alter the ingredients of the diet in orderto aid in digestion. e traditional diet ofground-up horsemeat, dog kibble, and yogurthas proven time and again to instigate chronicloose stool. e second section of our survey,reported below, focuses on these diet-relatedissues, and results are still being compiled forfuture distribution.Trauma due to aggressione third most common medical problemreported, and perhaps the most fatal, was traumadue to aggression, affecting 25% of the surveyedpopulation. Of the 27 individuals reported,22 were under six days of age. All 22 neonatesdied as a result of wounds inflicted by thedam and/or sire, bringing the infant mortalityrate up to 46%. However, the neonataldeath rate dramatically decreased after thefirst six days of life. e reasons behind thisremain undetermined based on the survey dataprovided.18 Edentata no. 5 • December 2003