DISEASE AND MORTALITY IN CAPTIVE WILD DOGS (LYCAON-PICTUS)

A retrospective survey on the causes of disease and death in captive w ild dogs (Lycaon pictus) (II = 87) presented for examination and inves tigation from 1983 to 1995, revealed that 50 were less than a week old , 13 were between a week and 1 year of age, 7 were less than 5 pears o ld, and 6 were older than 5 years. The age of 11 adult dogs could not be determined. The cause of death could not be determined in the major ity of neonates but 37 probably died of exposure and 13 of septicaemia and pulmonary lesions. Various causes of trauma, including aggression and siblicide, were diagnosed in 13 wild dogs. Lesions of the lungs, kidneys, heart, pancreas, uterus, intestines and skin were diagnosed r espectively in 4, 6, 3, 3, 5, 5 and 2 of the cases. An aberrant behavi oural pattern was diagnosed in a hand-reared wild dog.