Does subclinical capture myopathy occur during guanaco shearing procedures?

RAGO, M.V.; MARULL, C.; BELDOMÉNICO, P.; CARMANCHAHI, P.; RAGO, M.C.; FERNANDEZ, A.; NOVARO, A.; BOLGERI, MJ.; UHART, M.

Puerto Iguazu

Conferencia; 59th Annual International Conference of Wildlife Diseases Association; 2010

Wildlife Diseases Association

Capture myopathy (CM) is frequently reported in wild ungulates after capture procedures or as a consequence of management practices that cause excessive effort and stress. Muscle damage is reflected in altered blood chemistry, especially an elevation in the levels of certain enzymes and other biochemical parameters. With the aim to investigate the occurrence of this pathology in wild guanaco shearing activities, we determined plasma levels of CPK, LDH, AST, as well as BUN and Creatinine in 98 free-ranging guanacos (Lama guanicoe) that were captured, sheared and released at La Payunia reserve, Mendoza, Argentina, during 2006, 2007 and 2009. In comparison with reference values reported for free-ranging and captive guanaco, we found that 18.4% of the animals presented high values of BUN, CPK and LDH. This proportion includes two guanacos that died during or soon after the shearing of suspected CM. In addition, 26.5% had elevated CPK, which suggests that they suffered different degrees of muscle damage, though clinical evidence of CM was not observed. The enzyme levels were not associated with the time from capture to release, which ranged from 4 to 30 hours, or the actual shearing time. Our results suggest that guanaco may suffer subclinical capturemyopathy during capture and/or shearing procedures, but that the time required to complete the procedure might not be a crucial factor.