Cristina V Valenzuela-Venegas¹, Lesly J Cabrias-Contreras¹, Julie M Cavin², Bert Rivera-Marchand³, Roberto Sánchez-Okrucky⁴ and Antonio A Mignucci-Giannoni^1,5*

¹ Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
²Gulf World Marine Park, Panama City Beach, Florida, USA
³Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
⁴The Dolphin Company, Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico
⁵Center for Conservation Medicine and Ecosystem Health, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts

*Corresponding Author: Antonio A Mignucci-Giannoni, Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center, Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico and Center for Conservation Medicine and Ecosystem Health, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts.

Received: December 19, 2023 Published: January 16, 2024

Abstract

Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) are a little-known species, distinguished by their particular rostrum. At the time of the study, only six individuals were under human care in North America at the Gulf World Marine Park without any urinalysis reference. This facility has a pod of sixteen common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Urinalysis is a rapid, easy, and inexpensive laboratory tool that presents essential information to veterinarians about a patient’s overall health status. Also, it is possible to diagnose health diseases before showing symptoms. Urine samples from both species were collected and analyzed to determine baseline parameters in the rough-toothed dolphins for the first time and compare them with those of the common bottlenose dolphins. Urinalysis was performed by voluntary voided under medical operant conditions and analyzed for all 22 dolphins for gross, chemical, and microscopic findings. The values obtained were used to establish the standard parameters for urinalysis to help veterinarians and dolphin facilities to perform better daily physical routine examinations of rough-toothed dolphins. In addition, a comparison between rough-toothed and common bottlenose dolphins showed no significant differences in urine values. These results help to understand the similarity between these two species in terms of renal function and to develop better care procedures in rescue and rehabilitation facilities that maintain dolphins under human care.

Keywords: Urinalysis; Clinical diagnosis; Rough-toothed dolphins; Common bottlenose dolphins

References

1. Jefferson TA. “Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis”. In: Wursig B, Thewissen JGM, Kovacs K. Editors”. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Associated Press: San Diego (2018): 838-840.
2. West KL., et al. “Steno bredanensis”. Mammalian Species 43 (2011): 177-189.
3. Davis RW., et al. “Physical habitat of cetaceans along the continental slope in the north-central and western Gulf of Mexico”. Marine Mammal Science 14 (1998): 490-507.
4. Manire CA., et al. “Blood chemistry and hematology values in healthy and rehabilitate rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis)”. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 54 (2018): 1-13.
5. Baird RW., et al. “Site fidelity and association patterns in a deep-water dolphin: Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) in the Hawaiian Archipelago”. Marine Mammal Science 24 (2008): 535-553.
6. Wells RS and Scott MD. “Bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, Common bottlenose dolphin”. In: Wursig B, et al. Editors”. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Associated Press: San Diego (2017): 118-125.
7. Caballero S., et al. “Phylogeography, genetic diversity and population structure of common bottlenose dolphins in the Wider Caribbean inferred from analyses of mitochondrial DNA control region sequences and microsatellite loci: Conservation and management implications”. Animal Conservation 15 (2012): 95-112.
8. Leatherwood S and Reeves RR. “The Bottlenose Dolphin”. Academic Press: San Diego (1990).
9. Mignucci-Giannoni AA. “Marine mammal captivity in the northeastern Caribbean, with notes on the rehabilitation of stranded whales, dolphins and manatees”. Caribbean Journal of Science 34 (1998): 191-203.
10. Shane SH., et al. “Ecology, behavior and social organization of the bottlenose: A review”. Marine Mammal Science 2 (1986): 34-63.
11. Ramírez K. “Marine mammal training: The history of training animals for medical behaviors and keys to their success”. Veterinary Clinics of North America Exotic Animal Practice 15 (2012): 413-423.
12. Jiménez-Zucchet, et al. “Baseline urinalysis values in common bottlenose dolphins under human care in the Caribbean”. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 31 (2019): 426-433.
13. Gunn-Christie RG., et al. “ASVCP quality assurance guidelines: control of preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical factors for urinalysis, cytology, and clinical chemistry in veterinary laboratories”. Veterinary Clinical Pathology 4 (2012): 18-26.
14. Callens AJ and Bartges JW. “Urinalysis”. Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice 45 (2015): 621-637.
15. Birukawa N., et al. “Plasma and urine levels of electrolytes, urea and steroid hormones involved in osmoregulation of cetaceans”. Zoological Science 22 (2005): 1245-1257.
16. Daniels RL., et al. “Effects of freeze-thaw cycle on urine values from bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)”. Aquatic Mammals 39 (2013): 330-334.
17. Pantoja TMA., et al. “Amazonian manatee urinalysis: Conservation applications”. In: Povilitis T. Editor. Topics in Conservation Biology, IntechOpen: Rijeka, Croatia (2012): 57-80.
18. Simerville JA., et al. “Urinalysis: A comprehensive review”. American Family Physician 71 (2005): 1156-1162.
19. Parrah JD., et al. “Importance of urinalysis in veterinary practice-a review”. Veterinary World 6 (2013): 640-646.
20. Pantoja TMA., et al. “Urinary parameters of Trichechus inunguis (Mammalia, Sirenia): Reference values for the Amazonian manatee”. Brazilian Journal of Biology 70 (2010): 607-615.
21. Malvin RL and Rayner M. “Renal function and blood chemistry in Cetacea”. American Journal of Physiology 214 (1968): 187-191.
22. McCutcheon H., et al. “Health status and translocation success of wild and rehabilitated possums”. In: National Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference Proceedings 2007, Fremantle, Western Australia (2007).
23. Barsanti JA and Finco DR. “Laboratory findings in urinary tract infections”. Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice 9 (1979): 729-748.
24. Fang LS and Bada JL. “The blue-green blood plasma of marine fish”. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 97 (1990): 37-45.
25. Piech TL and Wycislo KL. “Importance of urinalysis”. Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice 49 (2019): 233-245.
26. Sweeney JC and Ridgeway SH. “Procedures for the clinical management of small cetaceans”. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 167 (1975): 540-545.
27. Martini-Johnson L. “Urinalysis”. In: Hendrix CM and Sirois M. Editors. Laboratory Procedures for Veterinary Technicians. Mosby Elsevier: St. Louis (2007): 151-180.
28. Sink CA and Weinstein NM. “Practical Veterinary Urinalysis”. Wiley-Blackwell: Ames (2012).
29. Aguilar-Shea AL., et al. “Síndrome de olor a pescado (Trimetilaminuria), la dieta es importante”. Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética 20 (2016): 254-257.
30. Wamsley HL and Alleman AR. “Physical and chemical aspects of urinalysis”. In: Cowell RL Editor. Veterinary Clinical Pathology Secrets, Elsevier Mosby: St. Louis (2004): 146-154.
31. Patel HP. “The abnormal urinalysis”. Pediatrics Clinics of North America 53 (2006): 325-337.
32. Reine NJ and Langston CE. “Urinalysis interpretation: how to squeeze out the maximum information from a small sample”. Clinical Techniques in Small Animal Practice 20 (2005): 2-10.
33. Renner MS. “Urinary indices in the captive killer whale (Orcinus orca).” In: Proceedings of the IAAM 33^rd Annual Conference, International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, Albufeira, Portugal (2002).
34. Ortíz RM. “Osmoregulation in marine mammals”. Journal of Experimental Biology 204 (2001): 1831-1844.
35. Venn-Watson SK., et al. “Clinical relevance of urate nephrolithiasis in bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus”. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 89 (2010): 167-177.
36. Venn-Watson SK., et al. “Hypocitraturia in common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): Assessing a potential risk factor for urate nephrolithiasis”. Comparative Medicine 60 (2010): 149-153.
37. DelGiudice GD, et al., “Blood and urinary profiles of free-ranging desert mule deer in Arizona”. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 26 (1990): 83-89.
38. Chew DJ and DiBartola SP. “Interpretation of Canine and Feline Urinalysis”. The Gloyd Group: Wilmington (1998).
39. McFee WE and Osborne CA. “Struvite calculus in the vagina of a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)”. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 40 (2004): 125-128.
40. Cuha HA., et al. “Phylogenetic status and timescale for the diversification of Steno and Sotalia dolphins”. PLOS ONE 6 (2011): e28297.
41. Dohl TP., et al. “A porpoise hybrid: Tursiops x Steno”. Journal of Mammalogy 55 (1974): 217-221.

Citation

Citation: Cristina V. Valenzuela-Vegegas., et al. “Urinalysis Reference Intervals between Rough-Toothed Dolphins (Steno bredanensis) and Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) Kept Under Human Care".Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 6.2 (2024): 67-78.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Antonio A Mignucci-Giannoni., 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.