Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in two captive Bennett's wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus)

Abstract

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) was diagnosed during postmortem examination of 2 captive adult Bennett's wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus). The wallabies were members of a mob (herd) of 3 wallabies, and 2 died spontaneously without clinical signs of heart failure being detected. Gross lesions in both cases included marked concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle, pulmonary edema, and multifocal hemorrhage and subcutaneous edema of the hind limbs. Histologic lesions of the heart were limited to mild cardiac myofiber disarray and marked cardiac myofiber hypertrophy. A specific etiology for the HCM was not determined in either animal. The cardiac changes are similar to the left ventricular hypertrophy previously described in kangaroos.