Giant pandas are large mammals. From the perspective of veterinary clinical science, giant panda diseases are generally divided into infectious, internal, surgical, obstetrical, and parasitic diseases. However, their unique food habits and digestion physiology make some of their diseases different from those caught by other animals. Therefore, it is important, whether for individual heath, breeding research, or population conservation, to properly handle disease prevention and treatment based on their own characteristics. 

I. Anaesthesia 

Giant pandas are still a kind of carnivore taxonomically, with developed masseter muscles, sharp teeth, and agile limbs, although they have developed the physiological characteristics that come from feeding on plants, particularly bamboo because of long-term evolution and changes in the natural environment. What people see as adorable and meek can be very fierce and unmanageable when they are upset. Even if they’re sick, it’s still hard to get close to them. Without anaesthesia to calm them, a vet cannot conduct clinical examinations, infusion therapy, surgical and obstetrical operations, or semen collection and artificial insemination. Thus, a giant panda doctor must be familiar with how to anaesthetize giant pandas. 

Monitoring an anaesthetized giant panda

II. Infectious Diseases 

Infectious diseases pose a major threat to the population health and safety and are divided into viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases. Before scientists have completely understood a new infectious disease, it is nigh impossible to prevent said disease, which might cause serious losses, or even strike a blow to all captive giant pandas. 

Canine distemper is an acute infectious disease caused by canine distemper virus, which is highly contagious and lethal. In recent years, it has been found in many giant panda conservation agencies and become the most fulminating infectious disease threatening the safety of captive giant panda populations. In the 1980s, some giant pandas died from hemorrhagic enteritis caused by EIEC O152 spread among the captive populations, which was introduced by rescued wild giant pandas. In addition, rotavirus caused weaned baby giant pandas to exhibit intractable diarrhea and chronic malnutrition syndrome, and giant panda viral enteritis that resulted from parvovirus did significant harm to the entire captive population. 

Fortunately, major breakthroughs have been made in treating and preventing known giant panda infectious diseases thanks to scientists working together all over the world. They have screened out a preventive vaccine against canine distemper and found effective treatment and prevention measures for hemorrhagic enteritis caused by EIEC O152, the intractable diarrhea, and chronic malnutrition syndrome suffered by weaned babies caused by rotavirus and other diseases. 

A baby giant panda suffering from flatulence

III. Internal Diseases

 Giant panda internal diseases cover a wide range, including the digestive system, respiratory system, urinary system, nervous system, nutrition & metabolism, toxicity, and hemopoietic system, of which the first two are the most common. 

While the anatomical structure of giant panda’s digestive system show they are carnivorous, their food preference makes them herbivore. Regardless, they are highly likely to be infected with digestive diseases. Nan Nan, a giant panda at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, has a healthy appetite and plump figure. She is “the most beautiful plump giant panda on Futou Mountain”. But cute Nan Nan once suffered from an intestinal obstruction. In December 2016, Nan Nan showed symptoms, including agitation, abdominal pain, and raising her tail and was unable to defecate. After being examined, she was preliminarily diagnosed with an intestinal obstruction and underwent a surgery, where the vets removed 8 dung masses, weighing 2.8 kg, from her intestinal tract. Consequently, she recovered with no complications thanks to the intensive care from her caregivers. The surgery required vets to shave off her fur around the abdomen, and Nan Nan looked like she was wearing a top, garnering widespread attention. Since then, Nan Nan became the first successful case of surgical dung removal. 

Giant panda Nan Nan after recovering from her operation 

IV. Surgical Diseases 

The most common diseases that require surgery include trauma, fractures, craniocerebral injuries, tumors, etc. As giant pandas cannot stop scratching their wounds, interfering with the wound healing, the key to successful treatment is the care given to giant pandas after the surgery. 

At the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Mao Dou is a domineering and strong giant panda that likes fighting with his partners, so he is nicknamed “Street Big Dou”. No matter how invincible the bear is, it will meet its match. Mao Dou could not place his right hind limb on the ground after fighting with other in March 2018. After a series of check-ups, Mao Dou was diagnosed with a femoral fracture and was immediately prepped for surgery. Thanks to the intensive care from the medical team, Mao Dou recovered his liveliness and appetite, and his wound properly healed. In the end, he went back to kindergarten and a class appropriate for his age. He also went viral on the Internet for his “pants-off” photo. 

Mao Dou undergoing femoral fracture surgery 

V. Obstetric Diseases 

This classification includes pseudopregnancy, miscarriages, difficult labor, vaginitis, endometritis, ovarian cysts, fallopian tube blockages, infertility, and more, among which the first two are most common. The newborns weigh as much as 1/1000 of their mother’s weight, so it is quite rare for the giant panda mother to experience a difficult labor for small fetus. However, there is a significant chance of it occurring when a giant panda mother experiences weak uterine contractions during delivery. 

In 2004, giant panda Er Ya Tou was about to have a baby. However, it showed no antenatal reactions like contractions and Valsalva maneuvers 14 hours after her first water broke. Experts found the fetus in the uterus through a B-mode ultrasound and pushed the dead fetus out of her body using a conservative treatment that combined Traditional Chinese medicine and modern medicine. This allowed the team to avoid a risky surgery and protected Er Ya Tou to the greatest degree. This is the first difficult labor that affected a giant panda that was reported globally.  

Er Ya Tou feeding her children 

VI. Parasitic Diseases

The parasites that affect giant pandas include endoparasites and ectoparasites. So far, scientists have found 22 parasites in giant pandas. The most common parasitic diseases include ascariasis, psoroptic acariasis, demodicidosis, ixodiasis, etc. 

There is an obvious difference between captive and wild giant pandas when it comes to infection rates and intensities of parasitic diseases. In captivity, giant pandas have a low infection rate and intensity and will not be seriously threatened due to excellent medical care. But those in the wild without medical care have a far higher infection rate and intensity than their captive counterparts, which is the primary causal factor of weight loss and death in wild giant pandas.   

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has been dedicated to rescuing wild giant pandas. The Base has discovered that all wild giant pandas in each rescue were infected with roundworms, one reason that wild giant pandas lose weight and have anemia and poor growth and development. One rescued wild giant panda was found to be infected with as many as 1,605 roundworms. In the 1980s to 1990s, the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding rescued and treated 63 sick wild giant pandas and cured 58 of them. Those were sent to giant panda enclosure units at home and abroad and were the basis of the national population of captive giant pandas. 

Medical check for a giant panda（left）

Clinical diagnosis and treatment for a giant panda(right)

VII. Research Achievements 

The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding has overcome the following problems in the prevention and control of giant panda diseases:

1. Prevention and treatment for hemorrhagic enteritis of giant pandas (infected with EIEC O152);

2. Prevention, treatment, and cure for parasitic diseases of captive giant pandas; 

3. Prevention and treatment for chronic malnutrition syndrome of giant pandas; 

4. Prevention and treatment for viral myocarditis of giant pandas; 

5. Prevention and treatment for acute intractable diarrhea of weaned baby giant pandas (infected with the rotavirus);

6. Evaluation of the immune protection effects of the canine distemper attenuated vaccine on giant pandas infected with the canine distemper virus;

7. Evaluation of the immune protection effects of the canine parvovirus attenuated vaccine on giant pandas infected with the parvovirus;

8. Evaluation of the immune protection effects of the canine parainfluenza attenuated vaccine on giant pandas infected with the parainfluenza virus;

9. Safety assessment of the recombinant ferret distemper vaccine on the giant panda population;

10. Prevention and treatment for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus pneumonia of giant pandas;

11. Radical treatment of giant panda pulpitis;

12. Pathogen identification and prevention and treatment for giant panda infectious hematuria;

13. Giant panda inhalation anesthesia and anesthesia monitoring.