Pyometra in an African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus )

Abstract

Reports of pyometra in wild canids such as African wild dogs remain scarce. Management of pyometra in geriatric individuals with concurrent anaemia presents a distinctive clinical challenge. A 16.1 kg rescued geriatric female African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus ) presented to Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Jamnagar, with incoordination, lethargy, anorexia, tachypnoea and purulent vaginal discharge. Haematological evaluation revealed marked anaemia (haemoglobin 6.3 g/dL), leukocytosis (26.8 × 10 ³ /mm ³ ) and neutrophilia. Ultrasonography demonstrated a markedly distended, fluid‐filled uterus. Following haemodynamic stabilisation with transfusion of 350 mL of whole blood, ovariohysterectomy was performed under general anaesthesia. Microbiological culture confirmed Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, and targeted antimicrobial therapy was instituted accordingly. The case highlights that early recognition, judicious blood transfusion for anaemia stabilisation, ultrasonographic diagnosis, microbiological culture, and prompt surgical intervention can result in favourable outcomes even in compromised geriatric wild canids.