16.8.4: Reproductive disease in avian and exotic species Flashcards
What is POOS and why does it occur?
What forms of POES are there?
Clinical signs of repro disease in reptiles
- Lethargy
- Anorexia
- Bloated/ distended coelomic cavity
- Dyspnoea
- Lameness / leg paresis (tortoises mainly)
- Swelling around the cloaca
- Straining ± blood or prolapsed tissue from the cloaca
- Behaviour changes e.g. pacing, nesting, digging
Clinical signs of repro disease in birds
- Lethargy / depression
- Inappetance / reduced crop fill
- Bloated / distended
- Dyspnoea
- Seizures / tremors
- Separation from the group / being bullied (chickens)
- Lameness / leg paresis, reluctance to move or perch
- Straining ± blood or prolapsed tissue from cloaca
- Fluffed up appearance, hunched posture, wide-legged stance
- Behaviour changes e.g. feather plucking, aggression, regurgitation
Prolapses
Top L = prolapsed cloaca
Bottom R = prolapsed uterus
Causes of prolapses in reptiles
Anything that increases the pressure on the coelomic cavity
* Constipation
* Endoparasites
* Impaction
* Egg binding
* Egg in the bladder
* Cystitis / bladder stones
* Traumatic copulation (if disconnected too quickly)
* Bite wounds
Common repro conditions in reptiles
- Prolapse e.g. hemipene, cloaca, oviduct
- Impactions e.g. hemipene, femoral pores (affected by lack of humidity)
- Hypocalcaemia
- Pre-Ovulatory Ovarian Stasis (POOS)
- Post-Ovulatory Egg Stasis (POES; dystocia)
- Neoplasia
What does a tortoise need in order to lay eggs?
A nesting site - will refuse to lay if no nesting site to burrow in
True/false: some snakes require high humidity to lay eggs and will refuse if this is not present.
True
Common avian repro conditions
- Sexual frustration
- Chronic egg laying
- Abnormal eggs
- Egg binding
- Prolapse e.g. oviduct, phallus
- Coelomitis (egg yolk peritonitis)
- Salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct)
- Neoplasia
Which birds show sexual frustration commonly as pets?
- Very common problem for pet parrots who live alone
- In the wild these birds form monogamous pairings that bond for life
Behaviour that bonded birds display to each other
- Stroking
- Beak touching
- Preening/ cleaning each other
- Feeding each other
Owners do this for their birds!
What signs might a bird display if they are lonely or inappropriately bonded to their owner?
- Excessive regurgitation (especially if there are mirrors in their cage)
- Feather plucking due to frustration, stress, anxiety
- Jealousy and aggression, especially to spouses of their partner
- Excessive egg laying
How can you prevent sexual frustration / inappropriate owner bonding in pet birds?
- Share interaction and caring responsibilities equally between members of the household
- Avoid stroking the bird down its back and definitely stop if the bird starts to regurgitate
- Avoid certain behaviours e.g. mouth to beak feeding
- Do not positively reinforce courtship behaviours e.g. regurgitation, dancing, tapping (remove attention if these happen)
- Remove mirrors in their cage so they cannot self-bond
- Keep them as a pair (species-dependent); be careful rapidly reintroducing new parrots if they have been alone for a while
Which birds commonly show chronic egg laying?
- Captive cockatiels, lovebirds, budgies
- Can lay a large number of eggs in succession
- This can occur without the presence of a mate and outside the correct breeding season
- Removing the eggs as they are laid can induce the birds to lay more (double clutching)
Effects of chronic egg laying
- Uterine inertia
- Calcium depletion
- Egg binding
- Egg peritonitis / coelomitis
- Osteoporosis
Predisposing factors to chronic egg laying
- Increased photoperiod
- Food type e.g. high fat / high calorie diet (lots of seeds)
- Presence of actual or perceived mates (toys, owners, mirrors can be interpreted as mates)
- Short-circuit somewhere in repro hardwiring - some birds will chronic egg lay even if you do everything right
What is coelomitis and what are some common causes?
Coelomitis: inflammation of the coelomic cavity.
Common causes
* Ectopic eggs (eggs in coelomic cavity causes severe inflammatory reaction)
* Ovarian neoplasia
* Cystic ovarian disease
* Oviductal disease e.g. salpingitis
Image: air sacs are compressed; lack of contrast suggests filled with fluid. Coelomic cavity extends caudally too.
What is avian egg binding and what causes it?
Avian egg binding: very similar to POES in reptiles but more common as birds lay more frequently than reptiles.
Signalment: can happen in any bird but more common in smaller species e.g. budgies, cockatiels, finches, canaries
Common causes
* Laying e.g. chronic or first time layers
* Eggs e.g. malformed eggs
* Disease e.g. systemic or oviductal disease
* Husbandry e.g. lack of exercise, low temperatures, malnutrition (deficiencies in Ca, Vit A, Vit E, obesity)
* Genetic predisposition
Complications of avian egg binding
Just like in reptiles, an egg lodged in the pelvic canal may compress the pelvic blood vessels, kidneys, ureters, ischiatic nerves, leading to:
* Circulatory disorders
* Lameness, paresis, paralysis
* Pressure necrosis of the oviduct
* Metabolic disturbances (by interfering with normal defecation and micturition, and by causing ileus and renal disease)
Which species are exploratory laparotomies more common in, birds or reptiles?
More common in reptiles; high risk of coelomic surgery in birds
