Critical care, surgical management, xenotransfusion, and long-term monitoring in a maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) with severe traumatic injury

Abstract

This case report describes the advanced critical care, surgical management, and one-year outcome of a free-ranging adult male maned wolf ( Chrysocyon brachyurus ) presenting with severe polytrauma and concomitant renal dioctophymosis. The animal was rescued with a severely contaminated open tibial fracture associated with extensive soft tissue necrosis and active myiasis, rendering limb-sparing procedures unfeasible. A high pelvic limb amputation was therefore performed as a life-saving intervention. Diagnostic imaging and ultrasonography revealed extensive destruction of the right kidney caused by Dioctophyma renale , and right unilateral nephrectomy was subsequently undertaken following clinical stabilization. Thirteen adult nematodes were recovered from the renal capsule, along with one free parasite in the abdominal cavity. Due to severe anemia and hemodynamic instability, intraoperative xenotransfusion using packed red blood cells from a canine donor was performed after compatibility testing, resulting in cardiovascular stabilization without adverse reactions. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the animal demonstrated satisfactory functional adaptation to three-limbed ambulation under captive conditions. Serial clinical, hematological, biochemical, blood gas, and ultrasonographic evaluations over a one-year follow-up period revealed no evidence of renal dysfunction. This report provides novel clinical data on the use of xenotransfusion and complex surgical interventions in a maned wolf, contributing to the limited literature on advanced trauma management in wild canids.

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