Christiaan Blignaut, [30 Jan 2023 at 21:20:51]: Evening all, I don't have much experience working with giraffe. A client lost a 20+ year old female today. She died suddenly, without any visible illness (no wounds, discharge, pink mucous membranes etc). She wasn't part of a herd but had two calves with her the youngest being 8 months old. Any specific issues to look out for with giraffe? Is her age maybe a factor? This happened on a farm in the Klein Karoo. I did not get to see the carcass, unfortunately. Henry Labuschagne, [31 Jan 2023 at 08:10:36]: No PM, no answers. Dx : Idiopathic acute death. Alex Lewis, [31 Jan 2023 at 08:13:10]: Are they eating eucalyptus? Adrian Tordiffe, [31 Jan 2023 at 08:26:24]: Browse in the Karoo is often not ideal for giraffes... if she was pregnant her energy demands may have been high and acute death due to protein/energy malnutrition is a possibility 🤔 Henry Labuschagne, [31 Jan 2023 at 08:45:51]: Agree. Christiaan, how long has she been on the farm? Ask the owner to check rumen contents for bones or tortoise shell to at least rule out botulism. Botulism is unlikely to cause acute death though.
