By
Dr. E. Ndambiri.
Background
Information
The male Ostrich was eleven years old. It
had been originated from Ostrich farm in Nairobi and transported to Poa Place a
year ago. It was in company of other two females at Poa Place. It was noted to
be off feed as from around mid-March. It was put under sulphur based antibiotics
for seven days and glucose. At the beginning of April it was on normal diet
again and in the early hours of 6/4/2014 it was discovered to have died despite
being noted normal the previous evening. A postmortem was conducted on the same
day to determine the cause of death.
Important
Postmortem Findings
1. It died while on right lateral recumbence.
Carcass was generally emaciated with pale mucus membranes and whole carcass was
whitish. No physical injury was noted. No nasal or mouth discharges except
little urate from cloaca.
2. On opening the abdominal cavity
there was a gangrenous material about 30 grams between the viscera surface of jejunum
and the abdominal wall ventrally. The whole of jejunum was highly congested and
at the location of gangrenous material was a perforation on the jejunum at a
location which was doughy textural-wise depicting abnormal entanglement. The fenestra
was oozing reddish discharge accounting for the copious bloody peritoneal fluid
found within the abdominal cavity. There was fibrin attached on some of jejunum
loops and also at the area around the cloaca on abdominal cavity. The jejunal mesenteric
blood vessels were easily appreciated /visualized. The liver was seemingly
normal though with necrotic fibrin adhesions at one edge.
3. The chest cavity depicted pale
whitish surfaces of the organs and more so of the heart. The heart was collapsed
with no blood in any chamber. Lungs were paler than normal and hardly were
pleural or pericardial fluids.
4. The proventriculus and the
glandular stomach were engorged with ingesta at different stages of digestion.
Only a small portion of ingesta in latter was slightly bloody. On mucosal
surface of the jejunum pre- and post- entangled location was severely hyperemic
and had bloody intestinal loose contents. The daffy entanglement with
perforation was cut open. It contained thick streaks of clotted blood and
traces of rotten hardened fibrous grass-like material mixed with clotted blood.
Within the entanglement was invagination of jejunum loops with some
(intussuscipiens) showing fresh visceral surface and others (intussusceptum)
necrotic and gangrenous mucosal surfaces. The most anterior and distal
intestines had dark green-black contents mixed with gas with latter having
mucoid streaks
Pictorial Presentation
Dead
ostrich carcass
Pale
mucus membranes
Rib
prominences
Gangrenous
material
Congested
jejunum loops anterior to entanglement
Collapsed
heart
Liver
necrotic edge
Point
of jejunal entanglement
Mucosal
surface of pre- and post- entanglement location
Entanglement
mucosal surface
Entanglement
visceral surface
Ingesta
in glandular & proventriculus
Clotted
blood streaks
Discussion
The entanglement
appeared to be a jejuno-jejunal intussusception and is hereby considered as
so. Causes of most intussusception are
speculative at best, alterations in peristalsis due to enteritis, surgical
trauma, parasite damage, anthelmintics, and Anaplocephala
perfoliata infection have been suggested. The condition as depicted by
pathological changes must have taken time to develop more than two weeks
probably and the intestinal obstruction grew from partial to total with time. Due
to progressive edema and hemorrhage of intussusceptum the damage results to
development of adhesions. Intervention is required early where surgery is aimed
to reduce intussusception followed by possible resection and anastomosis.
Conclusion
The bird died
out of circulatory shock due to gangrene of the bowel secondary to
intussusception.
Acknowledgement
Assistance
accorded during this exercise is hereby appreciated. The ARR, the management of
Brigadier Boinet Foundation and KWS at large.
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