News and Stories

Full allergy test reveals sensitivities to weeds, grasses, and more!

CINCINNATI (April 7, 2025) – Allergy season is here, and the itchy reaction that many people experience also affects some animals.  One animal in particular, Kuvua, a female okapi at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, has struggled with skin issues for years. The vet staff and okapi care team have suspected that allergies were the cause but testing to confirm that can be invasive.

Photos and Videos

“Kuvua has happily participated in many voluntary treatments that help condition and treat her skin when it becomes itchy,” said Cincinnati Zoo veterinarian Dr. Jessica Heinz. “Baths, skin oils, topical cleansers, and other anti-itch treatments and medications got her through itchy spells, but this past winter nothing provided relief.”

She was losing fur along her neck from scratching, so the Zoo’s veterinary staff determined that it was time to do targeted allergy testing with the hopes of creating an immunotherapy treatment to help reduce her allergies.

“This is no small task,” said Heinz. “Kuvua, and probably any animal, would not hold still for 82 tiny skin pricks for the allergen testing, so an anesthetized procedure was necessary.”

Anesthetizing a 16-year-old, 700-pound okapi is not without risk, but Kuvua did well, and vets were able to give her a full health exam as well as skin biopsies, cultures, and cytology to confirm the allergy diagnosis.

 The Zoo invited Dr. Joya Griffin, a veterinary dermatologist from Animal Dermatology Clinic of Louisville, to perform the allergy testing. Dr. Griffin created a test panel of 82 allergens to help determine what makes Kuvua itch. And Kuvua responded! She had an inflammatory reaction to nearly half of the allergens tested, indicating that she has at least a mild to moderate sensitivity to a variety of grass, weed, tree and insect allergens.

“Dr. Griffin will use this information to formulate a custom allergy immunotherapy treatment that Kuvua can receive on her tongue to help lessen her reaction to the allergens over time,” said Heinz. “Other zoos have seen benefit with allergy immunotherapy in their okapi so we are hopeful that it will help Kuvua. Unfortunately, it usually takes several months to see the benefits of this type of therapy so the team will continue with her other allergy treatments.”

Guests may notice that Kuvua has some funny-shaped shaved areas and some balding on her neck from testing and itching, but the animal care team is optimistic that things will improve.

Cincinnati Zoo opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. Members can enter the Zoo one hour early.  Cincinnati Zoo Memberships, sponsored by Thomas & Galbraith, are on sale now – April 30.

Download the new mobile app featuring a GPS-enabled digital map to find Kuvua and your other favorite animals, food locations, and to receive special announcements.