Avian And Exotic Flashcards by Jessica Ernst

In birds, dysfunction of which body system is most likely to cause green urates?

Hepatic. Green, bile-stained urates may be observed in feces during liver disease. Birds lack biliverdin reductase and form biliverdin instead of bilirubin as the primary breakdown product of heme

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What is the cause of “slobbers” in chinchillas?

Molar malocclusion

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At what age are guinea pigs sexually mature?

2 months in females, 3 months in males

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How long should a ferret be fasted prior to elective surgery?

6 hours is more than sufficient to empty the gastrointestinal tract

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Why is heparin the preferred anticoagulant in birds and reptiles as opposed to EDTA?

The blood from some birds and reptiles hemolyzes when collected in EDTA

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What is the average litter size for guinea pigs?

2-4 (a range of 1-13 young has been reported)

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Which clinical signs might make you suspect that a snake has mites?

Cutaneous-pruritic or nonpruritic dermatitis, dysecdysis

Systemic-anorexia, failure to thrive, dehydration, persistent soaking in water

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Which fungus is found in the droppings of starlings and has been associated with systemic mycotic infection in dogs and humans?

Histoplasma capsulatum

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What are the differential diagnoses for a soft shell in a pet turtle?

Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism
Bacterial infection
Fungal infection
Trauma
Normal-softshell turtles-Apalone spp

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If not restrained carefully, rabbits can kick and sustain a spinal fracture. At which vertebra does this typically occur?

Seven lumbar vertebrae

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This gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog is used in medical treatment of adrenocortical disease in the ferret.

Leuprolide acetate

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What external parasite would be the most likely cause of intense pruritis and dorsal truncal alopecia in the guinea pig?

Mites (mange), notably Trixacarus caviae in the guinea pig

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If you are trimming a budgerigar’s beak and find that it bleeds easily, what is the most likely underlying disorder?

Nutritional imbalance. With poor nutrition, the vessels grow closer to the tip and bleed more profusely. Also brudgerigars and other parrots do not normally require beak trimming

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Can an intraosseous catheter be placed in a bird’s ulna, or would doing so cause fluids to be administered into the respiratory system?

The ulna can be used in birds for placement of an intraosseous catheter, as its cavity contains marrow, not air sac

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What is the most common type of diarrhea in chinchillas?

Inappropriate feeding

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The presence of eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions in respiratory and conjunctival epithelium is pathognomic for which disease in chickens?

Infectious laryngotracheitis

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What is the most common cause of dyschezia and hematochezia in young ferrets?

Coccidiosis

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Besides mosquito bites, name 2 other routes of transmission of West Nile virus in birds

Consumption of infected animals
Ingestion of infected mosquitos
Close contact between birds

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Why may excessive handling of fish lead to heavier external infections with pathogens and possible life threatening ulcerations on the skin?

Excessive handling disrupts the mucous layer of the epidermis which protects it from the environment

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What is the most common cause of dyschezia and hematochezia in young ferrets?

Coccidiosis

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What is the most common cause of diarrhea in chinchillas?

Inappropriate feeding

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The presence of eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions in respiratory and conjunctival epithelium is pathognomic for which disease in chickens?

infectious larygnotracheitis

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How long should a ferret be fasted prior to elective surgery?

6 hours is more than sufficient to empty the GI tract

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what is the normal gestation period for ferrets?

40-42 days

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Which tendon may be cut in order to pinion a bird (prevent it from flying)?

extensor carpi radialis tendon

which serum biochemical parameter is the best indicator of renal disease in birds?

uric acid it is the end product of nitrogen catabolism in birds other causes of hyperuricemia include ovulation and postprandial

what is the most common cause of diabetes mellitus in ferrets?

iatrogenic | usually secondary to pancreatectomy to treat insulinoma

How many nipples do guinea pigs have?

How is ringtail-a condition characterized by annular constrictions on the tail of rats-prevented?

by ensuring the ambient humidity is always at least 50%

This oral tumor in prairie dogs may be associated with maloccluded incisors and dyspnea

Odontoma

Erythema on the chin of ferrets followed by swelling and crust formation around the lips and chin is characteristic of which viral disease?

canine distemper

what is the most common cause of hindlimb ataxia in ferrets?

hypoglycemia caused by the insulinoma

What is the most commonly diagnosed heart disease in ferrets?

dilated cardiomyopathy

Which infectious agent most commonly causes gastritis in ferrets in North America?

Helicobacter mustelae

This murine virus causes acute respiratory infection, the clinical signs of which are chattering and respiratory distess

Sendai virus

What is the composition of "red tears" (chromodacryorrhea) shed by rats when they are stressed?

Porphyrin secretion by the harderian glands

What is the main cause of gout in birds?

Vitamin A deficiency

What is the average lifespan of a pet chinchilla

10 years (up to 20)

the dermatophyte most commonly isolated from guinea pigs and chinchillas is:

trichophyton mentagrophytes

Yur healthy amphibian patient consumes its shed skin. What does this likely indicat?

Healthy patient | Abnormal to not eat its shed skin

What is "ophthalmia neonatorum" of ferrets?

Infection of the unopened eyes of kits

Which zoonotic pathogen of wild rabbits and rodents may cause cutaneous lesions, respiratory disease or meningitis

Francisella tularensis

Besides the common indicators of dehydration (enophthalmos, tenting skin, dry mucous membranes), what is an avian specific method of evaluating hydration status?

Refill time and turgidity of the basilic (wing) vein

Cystic rete ovarii characteristically may cause abdominal distension, anorexia, lethargy, hair loss and decreased fertility in which rodent species?

Guinea pigs

Are most mammary neoplasms in rats and hamsters benign or malignant?

benign | in mice and gerbils-malignant

What is the role of brown fat tissue in rodents

Nonshivering thermogenesis during which the fat is metabolized to increase heat production

Describe the gross anatomic structure of the rabbit uterus.

bicornuate, with 2 cervices

At age 7-8 months, female Guinea pigs undergo a permanent change that predisposes them to dystocia. What is it?

Permanent fusion of the pelvic symphysis

The owner of chalmeleon was unaware of the importance of regularly exposing the animal to unfiltered sunlight. What is the risk of failing to do so?

Pathologic fractures due to inadequate vitamin D3

You suspect a chicken died of either lymphoid leukosis or Marek's disease. There are no tumors of the bursa but the spleen has diffuse tumors, whose cytology shows lymphoblasts and lymphocytes of various sizes. Which of the 2 diagnoses is more likely?

Marek's disease Lymphoid luekosis causes: tumors of the bursa of Fabricius in most (>95% of) cases splenic tuors that are mostly focal tumor cytology showing lymphoblasts of uniform appearnace (clonal origin)

What is the most common hepatic neoplasm in ferrets?

Lymphoma

Prostatomegaly with secondary urethral obstruction in a middle-aged to geriatric castrated male ferret is most likely secondary to what condition?

adrenocortical disease

Crop, gizzard, proventriculus: in which order do they occur in the avian GI tract, and what is the function of each?

Crop-storage and softening of food proventriculus-luminal secretion of HCl for digestion gizzard-grinding and digesting of touch food

``` Which one of the following is absent in snakes? 12 pairs of CNs gastroesophageal sphincter 2 kidneys pancreas ```

gastroesophageal sphincter

Improper restraint of a gerbil by the tail is classically associated with which resultant injury?

degloving of the tail | aka tail-slip

Inflammation in avians is characterized by mainly caseous exudate, due to minimal amounts of which enzyme in heterophils?

myeloperoxidase

the spirochete Treponema paraluiscuniculi is the causative organism of which venereal disease?

rabbit syphilis or vent disease

Epithelial hyperplasia is a common cutaneous response to infectious and non-infectious agents. Why may this occur more readily in fish compared to mammals?

Fish skin lacks a protective keratin layer on the outside of the epidermis

What is the causative agent of proliferative ileitis in hamsters?

Lawsonia intracellularis

A turtle is presented for evaluation of a mass protruding from the cloaca What are the most common DDx?

penile prolapse urinary bladder prolapse cloacal prolapse prolapse of the oviduct

Which type of canine distemper virus vaccine should be used in ferrets-chick embryo, canine tissue culture or ferret tissue culture adapted vaccines

chick embryo

In a mixed-bird flock, only chickens are showing depression, anorexia, diarrhea and some deaths. On necropsy, there are petechiae in muscle and prominent swelling and inflammation of the bursa of Fabricius. Which acute disease is most likely?

acute (very virulent) infectious bursal disease

Which organism causes disease in turkeys classically characterized by vertebral lesions ("crooked neck") and shortening, bowing and torsion of the tarsometatarsus?

Mycoplasma meleagridis

This cause of stranguria in the male chinchilla is more common in stud animals

Paraphimosis, also known as fur-ring

How many chambers are there in the avian heart?

four

The operculum of fish reared in captivity is often deformed. How would this affect the health of the fish?

respiration would be impaired, and the gills would be more susceptible to infection, parasitism, and physical damage operculum is the covering of the gills of a fish

Despite showing no clinical signs, rabbits or dogs who harbor this bacterium may transmit it to guinea pigs, causing the guinea pigs to develop pneumonia

Bordetella bronchiseptica

What is the most common cause of exophthalmos in rabbits?

abscess-usually tooth root | neoplasia

This coronaviral disease of chickens produces respiratory signs, often followed by renal disorders (with pale, swollen kidneys) and reproductive dysfunction.

Infectious bronchitis

What is the purpose of the "soak patch", a thin, highly vascular area of skin on the ventrum of anurans (eg toads)?

water absorption | it should not be mistaken for a defect in the skin or an area of infection or septicemia

Which virus, for which Macaque primates are the natural host, is a well-documented cause of fatal neuroptropic infections in humans?

Herpes B virus (simian herpesvirus)

In a pet bird with an unknown dietary hx, you notice incidentally on rads that the long bones have very thin cortices. There are no fx. Is this normal or an early marker for metabolic bone disease?

normal

Rabbits fed a diet with inadequate fiber are at risk for which GI disorder?

Trichobezoars | Gastric stasis syndrome

This viral cause of fever and upper respiratory disease can be transmitted from human to ferret and ferret to human.

influenza virus

A small scale rearer of pheasant chicks reports that several birds from a group had developed abnormalities of the legs around 5-weeks of age resulting in mild lameness. You perform a microscopic evaluation on the underside of some of the crusts. What is the best interpretation?

The location and appearance of these lesions is most suggestive of a Knemidocoptes mite infestation, also known as scaly leg mite. White-grey powdery debris forms between and on the surface of the scale resulting in the honeycomb crusts. The legs may become thickened and distorted. Diagnosis can usually be made by skin scraping or examination of the underside of a crust microscopically to detect the mite. The microscopic evaluation reveals two mites that look substantially different. These are the male and female Cnemidocoptes mites. The adult female, seen on the left, is almost round with short legs and devoid of suckers. The adult male is smaller with longer legs and suckers on long stalks. Treatment of choice is ivermectin.