Panashe Trinity Mundandishe^1,2*, Silvester Maravanyika Chikerema¹, Kudzai Mupondi¹, Orgies Kudzai Mapurisa¹, Columbus Chaitezvi¹ and Musavengana Tivapasi³

¹Scientific Services, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority, Harare, Zimbabwe
²Matusadona Conservation Trust, Tashinga, Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe
³Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe

*Corresponding Author: Panashe Trinity Mundandishe, Scientific Services, Zimbambwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Harare, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.

Received: May 19, 2025; Published: June 18, 2025

Abstract

The report is about a case of a female 3½-year-old African wild dog with a pedunculated mass on ventral cervical region. The dog was immobilized using a combination of ketamine (5mg/kg) and medetomidine (0.1mg/kg). Blood samples were collected for FBC and biochemistry, and an excision biopsy was performed on the lesion. Hematology results showed an increased erythron, consistent with relative polycythaemia. The leukogram showed moderate lymphocytosis with neutrophils and monocytes on the upper limit consistent with mild to moderate chronic inflammation. Histology sections showed round cells with hyperchromatic nuclei with course chromatin, and moderate to abundant lightly basophilic, granular cytoplasm. The cells tended to form sheets or linear cords with low mitotic index, suggestive of a low-grade mast cell tumour. The dog was however, lost from the pack before surgical intervention could be performed. The report highlights the dearth of data on wild dog neoplasms and emphasizes the need for more surveillance on diseases affecting African wildlife species under threat.

Keywords: Mast Cell Tumour; African Wild Dog; Neoplasms

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Citation

Citation: Panashe Trinity Mundandishe., et al. “Mast Cell Tumour in an African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus)".Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 7.7 (2025): 09-13.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Panashe Trinity Mundandishe., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.