The Zoo Pharmacy and Treatment of Zoo Animals

There are currently over 2,400 zoos in the United States, and all of them have animals that require routine veterinary care and, occasionally, more invasive medical procedures. The “first responders” and first line of defense in a zoo medical program is a qualified and dedicated keeper staff. Zoo animal handlers and veterinary support staff know the animals under their care on an individual basis, and they observe them daily.¹ Any abnormalities that arise, such as anorexia, inactivity, abnormal feces, or changes in behavior that may reflect early medical problems will first be seen by these personnel.

Many zoo animals, prey species in particular, instinctively conceal overt signs of illness until a disease process is well advanced. Thus, it is important that keepers are aware of the significance of what may seem to be inconsequential changes in an animal’s appearance or behavior. Like some individuals in domestic animal species, past interactions with the veterinarian may arouse some animals’ responses, which can also mask subtle changes that staff might otherwise notice.¹

All reputable zoos will have a veterinarian on staff or on-call; these will generally be veterinarians who have dedicated themselves to treating wildlife in a zoo setting. Any untoward observations make by zoo keepers or other staff will first be reported to the veterinarian.

Veterinary Assessment and Treatment

Once the veterinarian has assessed the animal and rendered a diagnosis, the treatment will be similar to that of domestic species, except in the method of drug administration and restraint. Occasionally, other veterinary experts or specialists are consulted for advice or assistance with complicated medical or surgical cases.¹

While capture of animals in a zoo setting isn’t as challenging a proposition as in the field, anesthesia is often necessary for both invasive and noninvasive procedures. Anesthesia for noninvasive procedures is commonly utilized for the safety of the investigators and the animals. Even minimally invasive procedures can be stressful for the animal and result in injury during restraint.²

Many procedures routinely accomplished on domestic animals with minimal restraint will require anesthesia of zoologic species for the welfare and safety of both zoo animals and personnel.¹ An anesthetic plan should be developed for each anesthetic episode; this should include the anesthetic drugs and doses to be used, other needed pharmaceuticals, monitoring equipment and any other special equipment to perform the procedure at hand.¹

Drugs used for the immobilization of zoo animals, like those used for wildlife in the field, should be potent, allowing for the use of small volumes. They should have a high therapeutic index and minimal toxic side effects to decrease the risk of morbidity or mortality. The drug dose should be calculated to deliver an adequate volume in a single dose to ensure effective, rapid immobilization within the maximum safe dosage margins for the drug in question.² The administration of a reversal agent is useful to decrease recovery times, and to enable the animal to defend itself. Reversal agents also antagonize the side effects of anesthetic agents and facilitate rapid recovery in emergency situations.³

Unless conditions dictate otherwise in the medical sense, it is often preferable to leave an animal under treatment at its home exhibit where stressors are reduced. Animals that have undergone surgical or other procedures should be returned to their enclosures/exhibits as soon as is reasonably possible for the same reason. This can also prevent disruptions in social hierarchies, which may cause difficulties with reintroductions to an established group.¹

Challenges in the Zoo Pharmacy Setting

Veterinarians, like physicians, have traditionally prescribed drugs manufactured by major pharmaceutical firms. If those medications aren't mass-produced, or the dosages, flavors or forms don't meet a particular animal's needs however, veterinarians are increasingly turning to compounding labs.⁴ The traditional role of compounding pharmacies is to make drugs prescribed by doctors for specific patients with needs that can't be met by commercially available drugs.⁵

Exotic animals generally are healthy, but special long-term medications can be needed for problems like cardiac disease. And like people, some older animals develop joint conditions or arthritis.⁴ The need for compounded drugs is growing, as veterinarians and medical doctors become more adept at devising drugs and dosages to target health problems.

In recent years, the role of compounding pharmacies has expanded, according to David Miller, RPh, CEO of the International Academy of Compounding Pharmacists (IACP), the trade group representing the compounding industry.⁵