Buccal feed impaction and surgical correction in captive reindeer

An 8-year-old female captive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) (1) was presented for evaluation of bilateral protrusion of the cheeks of 1-month duration. Several members of the herd displayed similar clinical signs. Examination revealed stretching and laxity of the cheek muscles and buccal food impactio...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Holliday, Bethany, Doyle, Aimie, Oakley, Michelle, Wilson, Riley
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Canadian Veterinary Medical Association 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5432145/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28588329
Description
Summary:An 8-year-old female captive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) (1) was presented for evaluation of bilateral protrusion of the cheeks of 1-month duration. Several members of the herd displayed similar clinical signs. Examination revealed stretching and laxity of the cheek muscles and buccal food impaction. The defect of each cheek was surgically repaired in the field under heavy sedation and local anesthesia in staged procedures; no surgical complications were encountered. The patient recovered uneventfully and long-term prognosis is good. This report describes a surgical treatment for individual animals with cheek laxity and buccal food impaction.