About This Project

Heart issues are common in lions, in both captivity and free ranging. Lion heart health requires periodic examinations. The cardiothoracic ratio and vertebral heart scale are among the most efficient and cost-effective methods for assessing cardiac size. The former compare the cardiac area with thoracic area , while the latter compares heart dimensions with thoracic vertebra. Comparing these measurements with cardiac biomarkers will establish mean values for lions during examinations.

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What is the context of this research?

Lions face numerous stressful and adverse environments, both in captivity and in the wild, leading to various pathological effects on multiple organs, including the heart, which is central to circulation and vital for maintaining optimal heart health throughout their lives. In animals, early diagnosis and management of cardiac issues result in more favourable outcomes compared to late diagnoses. Additionally, in sanctuaries and zoos, reduced activity may hinder the early detection of heart problems. Consequently, vertebral heart scale (VHS) and cardiothoracic Ratio (CTR) radiographic methods will furnish crucial data for veterinarians, enabling more effective care for lions and ensuring improved quality of life and welfare for these animals.

Comparing blood biomarkers such as N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), which elevates during myocardial stretch, with VHS enhances the sensitivity and specificity of mean values for detecting changes in heart size.

What is the significance of this project?

This project offers numerous advantages, including time and cost savings in diagnosing and treating lions with cardiac conditions, early detection of cardiomegaly ensures improved outcomes.
This project will also evaluate lifestyle and management standards in zoos which will serve to create criteria for assessing diet quality such as taurine insufficiency, a common cause of Dilated cardiomyopathy in felines, iron deficiency which causes cardiovascular diseases in felines and supplying reliable data for lion breeding.

Delivering high-quality data for wildlife cardiology and guaranteeing its extensive application in both captive and free-ranging situations can help identify thoracic masses and anomalies through radiographs conducted for VHS and CTR.

What are the goals of the project?

Twenty-five lions will be involved in the experiment, with inclusion criteria comprising healthy lions aged one year and older, without systemic disorders, non-pregnant lionesses, and free from any lung lesions that could interfere with thoracic radiographs.

Healthy individuals selected post-anesthesia based on physical examination, hematological, and biochemical profiles for each lion.

Determining cut-off values for both the Cardiothoracic Ratio (CTR) and the Vertebral Heart Scale (VHS) in relation to cardiac NT-proBNP readings, as well as the correlation between CTR and VHS, will yield trustworthy data and address the gaps in lion cardiology.

This initiative offers an accessible and economical approach for assessing cardiac dimensions in lions. To identify heart hypertrophy in lions promptly and administer appropriate treatment.