[Intraocular melanoma in a 10-year-old female llama (Lama glama)]

A 10-year-old female llama was presented with a continually growing mass of the left eye. It displayed exophthalmus. The nictitating membrane was hyperemic. The cornea was completely opaque, vascularised, ulcerated and covered with abnormal tissue. Deeper structures of the eye were not visible. The right eye was unaffected. The left eye was removed under general anaesthesia. On histological examination, an amelanotic melanoma was diagnosed. The cornea, sclera, vitreous body and lens could not be differentiated. Fourteen months later, the llama was presented to the clinic because of a mass in the left orbita and right-sided blindness. Because of its poor general condition, the animal was euthanised. Histopathological examination revealed recurrence of the amelanotic melanoma with metastases to the regional lymph nodes and infiltration of the optical nerve, leading to the rightsided blindness.