Endocrine Dermatosis and Granulosa Cell Tumor in a Red Panda
August 2004
in “
Veterinary Dermatology
”
TLDR The red panda's hair loss was caused by an endocrine issue linked to ovarian tumors.
A 9-year-old red panda at the Vienna Zoo experienced progressive hair loss over 2 years, starting at the tail and spreading to other body parts, with severe itching and mild self-mutilation at the tail. Treatments with antifungal and antibiotic therapies were ineffective. Skin biopsies indicated epidermal and dermal changes, including complete atrophy of hair follicles. An ultrasound revealed a mass near the kidneys, and upon euthanasia, necropsy showed bilateral granulosa cell tumors in the ovaries. The study concluded that the hair loss was due to an endocrine abnormality associated with these tumors.
