COLUMBUS – If you have a CAT scan unit and a cat, it seems as though the two would eventually get together and that’s what happened earlier this month at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Members of the zoo’s medical staff used the new computerized axial tomography, or CT, scan unit to examine Tomo, a 14-year-old African lion on March 1, in an effort to identify the extent of an infection within the big cat’s gums, which would have been impossible to examine without the use of CAT imaging, said Dr. Randy Junge, vice president of Animal Health.
The CAT imaging suite is part of the 17,000-square-foot zoo renovation and expansion that was unveiled in August. Officials say it will play an integral role in understanding the interior of any animal with a hard exterior, such as a shell, spine or plates, or anything surrounded by a hard structure, like nasal sinuses or chest cavities.
During the procedure, zoo veterinary staff said they found that the infection within Tomo’s gums was localized and they expect the lion to make a full after two months of oral antifungal medication.
Tomo came to the Columbus Zoo in May 2006 from the San Diego Zoo and has fathered three litters, including the most recent two litters totaling five cubs born in 2015.
Columbus is one of only six U.S. zoos to have its own CAT imaging unit.
Before the installation of the CAT scan unit last month, the zoo would transport animals to The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine or MedVet Medical and Cancer Centers for Pets in Worthington, a more complicated process.
With this technology available on site, Zoo veterinarians will be able to perform CAT scans on large animals, like lions or gorillas, quickly and safely.