15 Dec 2023
Nine-year-old reindeer is back with her 20-strong herd from Rutland after successful treatment for tumour under her left third eyelid.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Snowflake received a blizzard of veterinary attention from the RVC's ophthalmology team.
Nine-year-old reindeer Snowflake has been treated by ophthalmology specialists at the RVC for a neoplastic lesion of the third eyelid.
Snowflake, part of a 20-strong herd based in Rutland, received treatment from the ophthalmology team at the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals for a tumour on her left third eyelid.
She had previously had a squamous cell carcinoma mass on her right lower eyelid, which was removed in 2018, but her owners spotted the latest abnormal growth in the left eye and took her to the RVC.
A team, led by Maria-Christine Fischer, lecturer in ophthalmology, Sara Lawrence-Mills, senior clinical training fellow in anaesthesia, and Carolina Palacios Jimenez, lecturer in anaesthesia, examined Snowflake.
They removed the third eyelid under sedation and applied local anaesthetic blocks and topical tetracaine eye drops. Cryotherapy was then applied to the wound edge as an adjunctive therapy. Additionally, she was diagnosed with mild cataracts in the right eye.
Few publications detail anaesthesia in reindeer and the protocol was a novel approach to maintaining a safe level of sedation in a well-domesticated animal. Use of nerve blocks to facilitate ophthalmic surgery has not been reported before and is in the process of being published.
Dr Fischer said: “Snowflake had a cancerous mass on her third eye lid. Surgical removal of the third eyelid in a reindeer has not been reported before.
“We were pleased that we could perform the surgery with Snowflake under a standing sedation and with using local anaesthetics.
“As an ophthalmologist, I am committed to preserving vision, so it’s rewarding that we were able to completely excise the tumour and did not have to remove the eyeball. It’s a very good outcome.
“I’m also pleased that Snowflake recovered quickly from the procedure, and we were able to share the protocol of the sedation and the local nerve blocks with other vets via a scientific publication. Sharing our knowledge will hopefully be beneficial for future ophthalmic surgeries in reindeer.”
