Captive tapirs often exhibit debilitating eye disease, frequently in the form of corneal ulcerations. Despite the fact that this is a well-known condition, only few treatments have been established for this disease in tapirs. Here we describe a treatment protocol that successfully treated corneal ulcers and prevented loss of eyesight in captive-held South American tapirs. Two female South American tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), held at Huachipa Zoological Park, were diagnosed with corneal ulcerations. They were treated with an eye gel containing deproteinized calf serum along with antibiotic eye drops. This is a treatment that has been validated in other animals and in humans. Improvement was visible already within 48 hours. Within one to two weeks, the ulcerations had disappeared.
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
