anorexia in small mammals Flashcards
what are the key points of the history you need to find out about when deling with a small mammal with anorexia?
- Diet?
- Faeces - Quantity? Appearance?
◦ owners can mistake caecotrophs for diarrhoea - Any recent changes?
- Inside/outside?
- Stress? Pain?
- Any new pets?
what issue does stress cause in small mammals? (think about anatomy)
Stress causes hypomotility in hindgut fermenters which can then lead to anorexia and other problems such as gut stasis, gastric ulcers and bloat.
what are the main differences of the clinical exam with a small mammal in comparrison to a dog, and what is the difference with the head examination between species of small mammals?
Main differences to a dog:
* Auscultate the GIT in hind gut fermenters. (rabbit, chinchillas, guinea pigs, degus)
* Checking things like ear canals and joints may not be part of every exam in a dog, but they should be in a hind gut fermenter! (ear infection in lop rabbit can cause pain which causes stasis)
differences between species:
* Dental examination methods (may differ between species e.g. guinea pig vs rat - rat has continuously growing incisors so need to look at these, but not continuously growing molars, so only need to look at molars if complaint is about the mouth, eg dropping food)
* In species with aradicular hypsodont pre-molars and molars, always use an otoscope to examine molars, tongue, cheeks. (rabbits, g.pigs)
what are the differences of the clinical exam of a ferret compared to a cat?
- Different handling techniques - scuffing is often used.
- Splenomegaly is common and often an incidental finding
what types of dental disease can small mammals suffer from and what are the causes of this?
Reduced wear:
* Not enough fibre (vegetation/hay)
* Selective eating (will eat the soft tasty bits not the high fibre)
Weaker Teeth:
* Sugary treats and fruit
* Vitamin C deficiency (guinea pigs)
◦ decreased in food, when exposed to sunlight
* Selenium deficiency
* Ca/P imbalance (metabolic bone disease)
which surfaces of the teeth overgrow in rabbits and what problem can overgrown teeth cause in guinae pigs and why?
rabbits:
upper teeth spurs on buccal aspect
lower teeth spurs on lingual aspect
Guinea pigs are the same as rabbits. Only their lower cheek teeth curve slightly inwards, this is normal. But it means when they overgrown they form an arch and trap the tongue, will drool and not be able to swallow food
what are the clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease in small mammals?
- Anorexia
- Reduced/ no faecal output
- Small dry faecal droppings
- Diarrhea
- Hunched up/lethargic
- Faecal staining (+/- myiasis)
- Dribbling/wet front paws
- Caecotrophs accumulation (rabbits)
- Anal Impactions (guinea pigs)
what parasite is not covered by general wormers and therefore what should rabbits have done regularly?
coccidiosis, is not covered by general wormer, rabbits should have FWEC, to see what level and type of parasites they are okay with and when parasites are causing problems they can then be treated
what are the causes of gut stasis?
It is a clinical sign rather than a diagnosis, but it needs to be specifically treated.
causes:
* Pain
* Stress
* Incorrect diet
* Lack of caecotrophy
* Gastrointestinal bacterial Infection, viral, parasites etc
what are the two types of causes of gastric bloat?
- Physiological obstruction e.g. gastric stasis due to pain or diet.
- Physical obstruction e.g. foreign body, neoplasia, GDV.
what are the normal commensals of hind gut fermentors?
what bacteria are not found inthe GIT of rabbits?
what bacteria normally overgrows with dysbiosis, whis is this seconday to?
what are the clinical signs of bacteria enteritis?
- Normal commensals = Bacteroides, Enterococcus, Staphylococcus & E.coli.
- Lactobacillus are absent in rabbits.
- Dysbiosis = Microbial imbalance, usually an overgrowth of clostridia and/or coliformes secondary to diet change, stress or oral antibiotics.
- Enteritis (bacterial) clinical signs: Anorexia, diarrhoea, haematochezia, dehydration, shock and death..
what are the clinical signs of dysautonomia in small mammals?
Dysautonomia - Idiopathic malfunction of the autonomic nervous system.
Clinical signs:
GI stasis, dry mucous membranes and conjunctiva, mydriasis, bradycardia, urine retention, megaoesophagus, Mucoid enteritis, large intestine impaction.
May be found dead with food impacted in mouth.
what tpyes of impactions happen in rabbits and Guinae pigs?
Caecal impaction
Occasionally occurs in adult rabbits.
Aetiology is often unclear, may be secondary to stress or ingestion of substances e.g. cat litter.
Anal impaction
Common in older male guinea pigs
Gentle manual expression
what bacteria is carried by a lot of ferrets without clinicla disease? what diseases can this bacteria increase the risk of?
Helicobacter mustalae:
* May increase risk of gastric neoplasia, gastric ulceration, and possibly liver disease
* Can cause megaoesophagus.
Neoplasia
* Lymphoma and adenocarcinoma are common
* Possibly secondary to Helicobacter mustelae.
* Often find enlarged lymph nodes on exploratory laparotomy (histology required)
why is imaging helpful for dental examination in small mammals?
- Essential because 2/3rd of the teeth are sub-gingivial.
- Acquired dental disease is progressive and tooths/bone are often abnormal and used to stage dental disease.
- Radiographs are helpful but CT is the best.
