Skin lipoma in an Arabian leopard (Panthera paradus nimr)

Baqir, SenanAl Azri, HoriyaAl Rasbi, KhalidMastromonaco, GabrielaGartley, Cathy

Background: The Arabian leopard (Panthera paradus nimr) is the largest living felid in the arid Arabian Peninsula and classified on the IUCN red list as critically endangered. Unlike felids, neoplasia prevalence in canids such as benign lipoma and malignant liposarcoma has been long and well documented. Only until recently a plethora of reports emerged demonstrating that neoplasia occurrence in wild exotic felids is prevailed more than expected. Soft tissue tumors arise from fatty cells form either a benign lipoma or a dangerously malignant liposarcoma. Alarming though, such cellular transformation might endanger the life of an already endangered animal. Case: An intact Arabian male leopard living in captivity at the Oman wildlife animal breeding center (N23.70 E58.09 A5.80 m) aged approximately 18 years and weight 31 kg was admitted to the veterinary clinic for semen collection and routine physical examination. The animal was identified with two large adjacent subcutaneous masses on the upper rear left limb, clinically resembling that of a lipomatosis. Only one large tissue mass was surgically excised from the base with no incident of bleeding. Gross examination revealed a soft, smooth, rubbery, homogeneous, lack of internal fluid and whitish color lobule. Morphometry measurement of the mass shows that the weight, diameter, circumference, thickness and surface area were 3.6 gm...(AU)

1. lipoma
2. neoplasia
3. Panthera pardus nimr
4. critically endangered species
5. Arabian leopard