Avian & Exotic

Question 1

What are 2 potential causes of dysecdysis in snakes?

Answer 1

1) Mites
2) Incorrect humidity
3) Lack of proper substrate (contact surface)
4) Improper handling
5) Malnutrition
6) Dermatitis
7) Trauma

All may be associated with incomplete shedding of the skin (dysecdysis)

Question 2

Name one risk associated with NOT providing a 30-minute water bath/soak at least daily for captive tortoises.

Answer 2

Dehydration, decreased defecation are most common; decreased activity and alertness are also possible.

Question 3

Name 3 possible causes of abnormally soft-shelled (or shelless) eggs in laying hens.

Answer 3

1) Birds coming into lay
2) Newcastle disease/paramyxovirus
3) Infectious bronchitis
4) Egg drop syndrome 76 (atadenovirus-induced disease)
5) Avian rhinotracheitis
6) Treatment with sulfa-class antibiotics

Question 4

Turtles have a plastron and a carapace. Which is dorsal and which is ventral? Are there scutes on the carapace, the plastron, or on both?

Answer 4

Carapace is dorsal and plastron is ventral. Both have scutes (keratinized epidermal outermost coverings).

Question 5

What is the largest organ in the rabbit’s abdomen, containing approximately 40% of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract?

Answer 5

The cecum

Question 6

Name 3 possible causes for urolith formation in reptiles.

Answer 6

1) Bacterial infection
2) Dietary calcium deficiency
3) Dietary oxalate excess (e.g. feeding spinach)
4) Dietary protein excess (e.g. when dog or cat food is given to herbivores)
5) Intraluminal suture remnant
6) Vitamin A deficiency
7) Vitamin D deficiency

Question 7

What are 3 common causes of hypoglycemia in ferrets?

Answer 7

1) Insulinoma (most common)
2) Iatrogenic hypoadrenocorticism
3) Liver disease
4) Sepsis
5) Neoplasia
6) Reduced intake (in juveniles/kits)

Question 8

Lymphoplasmacytic infiltration of peripheral and central nerve tissue is a characteristic of which common avian gastrointestinal disease?

Answer 8

Proventricular dilation disease (PDD)

Question 9

This infectious disease of chickens produces upper respiratory infection due to a tropism for ciliated cells by the causative bacterium, Avibacterium paragallinarum. What is the name of the disease?

Answer 9

Infectious coryza, a disorder that produces high morbidity (highly contagious spread via aerosolization) and low mortality.

Question 10

True or false: The kidneys routinely should be palpable on an awake, adult iguana.

Answer 10

True, per cloaca. A gloved, lubricated digit is inserted into the cloaca and the kidneys are palpable within the pelvic canal, on the dorsal aspect.

Question 11

During necropsy, you identify pinworms (Passalurus ambiguus) incidentally in a rabbit. What do you tell the owner regarding zoonotic potential?

Answer 11

No concern; these oxyurids are host-specific to the rabbit.

Question 12

Periocular alopecia and truncation of whiskers in a group of mice is due to barbering. What is the underlying cause?

Answer 12

Behavioral (hierarchical); it is a result of ‘‘dominant’’ males chewing the hair of submissive cagemates.

Question 13

You want to immobilize a turtle for craniocaudal and lateral radiographs, and your seasoned technician recommends getting a roll of duct tape. As you start to tape the turtle down, the technician laughs at you. What have you done wrong?

Answer 13

You are supposed to place the roll of tape flat on the radiographic table and then just place the (untaped) turtle on top of it; with nothing for the limbs to make contact with, the turtle will be immobilized for a horizontal beam lateral projection.

Question 14

How long should a budgerigar be fasted prior to undergoing general anesthesia?

Answer 14

2-3 hours, due to small bird’s high metabolic rate and poor hepatic glycogen storage; with cockatiel-sized and larger birds in good physical condition, removing the food for the night before does not appear to be harmful. Regardless, ensuring the crop is empty prior to anesthesia is very important due to the risk of regurgitation and aspiration.

Question 15

Exudative diathesis (with extravascular leakage of plasma and blood), nutritional muscular dystrophy, and encephalomalacia (crazy chick disease) are recognized syndromes caused by deficiency of which vitamin in poultry?

Answer 15

Vitamin E deficiency

Question 16

Which classes of organisms are considered pathologic and should not be apparent in the fecal Gram’s stain of a healthy pet passerine?

Answer 16

A healthy passerine’s fecal Gram stain preparation should be free of bacteria, yeast, and Macrorhabdus spp. organisms. This is in contrast to psittacines, where the Gran stain commonly identifies bacteria.

Question 17

What is the treatment of choice for ferrets with estrogen toxicosis?

Answer 17

Ovariohysterectomy

Question 18

What are ratites?

Answer 18

The family of flightless birds that includes ostriches, emus, cassowaries and kiwi.

Question 19

Circovirus infection in pet birds can cause which clinical disease?

Answer 19

Psittacine beak and feather disease

Question 20

An owner states that her adult rabbit begins to eat and then stops after only a few bites. There is hypersalivation. You reach for your otoscope for what reason?

Answer 20

To examine the caudal part of the oral cavity. When overgrown, dental malocclusion due to excessively long molars and premolars produces these characteristic signs.

Question 21

Your necropsy of a middle-aged male chameleon reveals a liver that is dark brown to black, and multiple patches of black, and multiple patches of black coloration throughout the mesentery. What is your interpretation?

Answer 21

Normal finding in the chameleon and many reptiles.

Question 22

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

Answer 22

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

Question 23

What is the most common clinical disorder caused by herpesvirus infection in tortoises?

Answer 23

Stomatitis and rhinitis

Question 24

A malnourished cockatiel has wet feathers surrounding the mouth, and halitosis. An oral swab shows budding yeasts cytologically. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Answer 24

Candidasis

Question 25

Name 2 physical signs of hyperkeratosis in birds.

Answer 25

Overgrowth of the beak, overgrowth of nails, chronically retained pin feathers.
It is typically caused by vitamin A deficiency.

Question 26

Exotic Newcastle disease virus is shed through which body systems in infected birds?

Answer 26

Respiratory and gastrointestinal (feces)

Question 27

What is the most common vector of avian poxviruses?

Answer 27

The mosquito; poxviruses require an injury such as a mosquito bite wound to enter the body

Question 28

Which vein is most accessible for avian blood collection?

Answer 28

Right jugular vein

Question 29

Which animal has an ear cavity and a tympanic membrane: an iguana or a snake?

Answer 29

An iguana; snakes have neither (they are deaf) and rely mainly on smell and sensation of ground vibrations for sensory input.

Question 30

A hamster fed a seed-based die develops skeletal muscle dystrophy. What is the deficient nutrient?

Answer 30

Vitamin E

Question 31

What are three acceptable methods to euthanize a chicken?

Answer 31

1) Cervical dislocation
2) Decapitation
3) Injectable barbiturate
4) Inhalation (Carbon dioxide, other)

Question 32

What is the main reason an owner would want you to castrate his/her healthy green iguana?

Answer 32

Intact male green iguanas can become very aggressive (notably towards the owners) during the breeding period.

Question 33

Chinchillas ‘‘dust bathe’’ (roll in sand and dry earth) daily for self-grooming. What is an expected complication of excessive dust bathing in pet chinchillas that justifies curtailing the duration of dust baths?

Answer 33

Conjunctivitis due to excess aerosolized dust.

Question 34

What is the most common cause of epiphora in rabbits?

Answer 34

Dental disease (most commonly incisor malocclusion), resulting in blockage of the nasolacrimal duct, or irritation of the globe from tooth root elongation or abscessation.

Question 35

When examining a bird, there are important indicators of when the patient is too compromised to safely be handled. Name 3.

Answer 35

1) A panting bird with an unrestrained head that is not looking for something to bite
2) You can place something in its mouth without it trying to bite
3) The bird’s grip with its feet is weak or non-existent
4) The bird’s eyes close during the physical exam
5) If in doubt, set it down

Question 36

Your imbecilic brother-in-law shows you his ‘‘hilarious, piano-playing’’ iguana: there are rhythmic tremors of the digits of the forelimbs. What is the most likely explanation?

Answer 36

Muscle tremors caused by severe hypocalcemia, typically due to nutritional deficiency.

Question 37

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

Answer 37

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

Question 38

Besides tracheal intubation, name the other safe, effective means to ventilate an apneic bird.

Answer 38

Air sac canulation

Question 39

While you are handling a gecko, a large portion of its skin suddenly detaches and remains in your hands. What is the most likely cause?

Answer 39

Normal defense/escape mechanism (not indicative of nutritional, endocrine or other similar disease)

Question 40

Malnutrition and liver disease are characterized by changes in the number and distribution of bacteria on the fecal Gram stain of birds. In the later stages of malnutrition and liver disease, which changes are generally shown?

Answer 40

Increase in Gram-negative rods, and presence of yeast.

Question 41

Why would a small litter size predispose a jill to prolonged gestation, leading to fetal death?

Answer 41

In ferrets, small litters may not provide sufficient hormonal stimulus to trigger parturition.

Question 42

Which birds comprise the passerines?

Answer 42

Members of the order Passeriformes (the largest of all avian orders) e.g Finches, canaries, cardinals,…

Question 43

Infection with which of the following organisms would be appropriately treated or prevented using monensin?

A) Bordetella avium
B) Eimeria spp.
C) Escherichia coli
D) Salmonella spp.

Answer 43

B) Eimeria spp.
Since monensin is a coccidiostat.

Question 44

An adult rabbit is acutely depressed and weak. You identify signs of severe abdominal pain and a tympanic cranial abdomen. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Answer 44

Gastric outflow obstruction (classically due to a trichobezoar) causing gastric dilation

Question 45

On a Gram stain of feces of psittacines, should the normal intestinal flora be Gram+ or Gram-?

Answer 45

Gram +; Normal fecal flora of psittacines is comprised of 100% Gram +, non-spore forming rods and cocci

Question 46

Which organism is responsible for necrotic enteritis, a disease of chickens characterized by liquefactive necrosis of the intestine?

Answer 46

Clostridium perfringens

Question 47

What is the most simple, gentle restraint technique of ferrets that appears to relax and immobilize them for simple procedures?

Answer 47

Suspension of the ferret’s body by grasping the loose skin at the nape of the neck (holding by the scruff)…

Question 48

Name 2 adverse consequences that may occur as a result of chronic (excessive) egg-laying in a cockatiel.

Answer 48

1) Egg-binding/dystocia
2) Yolk coelomitis/peritonitis
3) Osteoporosis

Question 49

What is the most common skin tumor of ferrets?

Answer 49

Mast cell tumor; Mast cell tumors in ferrets release vasoactive substances but rarely metastasize.

Question 50

You recommend to the owner of ornamental fish that he add malachite green to the tank water once daily for three days. Which disease are your treating?

Answer 50

Mycoses (such as Saprolegnia spp.) or any of a number of protozoal infections (e.g. Dactylogridis spp./gill flukes, Ichtyopthirius multifilis/’‘ick’’) can be treated this way.

Question 51

Several weanling pups in a litter of mice have severe diarrhea and rectal prolapse; two have died. The causative organism is Citrobacter freundii. What is the disease?

Answer 51

Transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia. At necropsy, intestinal mucosal thickening is a pathognomonic finding.

Question 52

Is the green iguana (Iguana iguana) naturally an herbivore, an insectivore, or a carnivore; and is it oviparous or viviparous?

Answer 52

It is an herbivore (plant-eater) and it is oviparous (lays eggs).

Question 53

Which family of etiologic agents causes duck virus enteritis, infectious laryngotracheitis of chickens, Pacheco disease, and Marek’s disease?

Answer 53

Herpesviridae

Question 54

When assessing the abdomen of a normal bird, should the area between the caudal end of the sternum and the pubic bones be concave or convex?

Answer 54

Concave. If this area is convex, then abdominal distension is present.

Question 55

In parrots, the syrinx is the ‘‘voice box’’. Where is it located?

A) At the bifurcation of the trachea
B) At the level of the larynx
C) In the caudal aspect of the oral cavity
D) In the infraorbital sinus

Answer 55

A) At the bifurcation of the trachea

Question 56

Name 3 anatomic sites for obtaining a venous blood sample from a mouse?

Answer 56

1) Lateral tail vein
2) Retro-orbital sinus
3) Toenail clip
4) Tail clip
5) Cardiocentesis (Right atrium or ventricle)

Question 57

What are the 3 chambers of the avian cloaca?

Answer 57

Coprodeum, urodeum, proctodeum

Question 58

Feather-picking is a common behavioral abnormality of pet birds. Name 3 non-behavioral causes of feather picking in these animals.

Answer 58

1) Ectoparasites
2) Allergic dermatitis
3) Contact dermatitis (sprays, shampoos, etc)
4) Endoparasites
5) Renal disease
6) Hepatic disease
7) Air sac disorders
8) Coelomic granulomas
9) Enteritis
10) Neoplasia
11) Zinc toxicosis
12) Lead toxicosis
13) Nutritional deficiencies

Question 59

What is the name of the infectious stage of the Clamydophila psittaci organism?

Answer 59

Elementary Body

Question 60

Arrange the following life stages of young birds in increasing order of age (youngest to oldest): Fledgling, Hatchling, Nestling

Answer 60

1) Hatchling - 0-4 days old
2) Nestling - 4-10 days old
3) Fledgling - 10-14 days old

Question 61

Chickens in a crowded, poorly ventilated henhouse show respiratory signs. Necropsy reveals pneumonia, pleuritis, sequestered necrotic lung lesions, and caseous arthritis. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Answer 61

Fowl cholera (Pasteurella multocida infection)

Question 62

An adult boa constrictor has developed a deep bluish tinge to its skin and spectacles. What is the cause?

Answer 62

Imminent, normal shedding of skin (ecdysis)

Question 63

A large, pulsatile mass effect is visible and palpable at the junction of the proximal and middle thirds of the body of a well-fleshed milksnake. What is the diagnosis?

Answer 63

Cardiomegaly. It is important not to overinterpret cardiomegaly in emaciated snakes, where the normal heart may be easily palpable.

Question 64

Of all the avian species, quail are classically susceptible to this disease, caused by Clostridium colinum.

Answer 64

Ulcerative enteritis

Question 65

How old is an altricial bird if its feathers are beginning to sprout, its eyes are open, it has downy feathers on its head, but it cannot yet perch?

Answer 65

4-10 days old. ‘‘Altricial’’: Requiring nourishment, i.e., dependent on parental feeding.

Question 66

When administering medications or fluids to a lizard by intracelomic injection, you are careful to insert the needle in the ventrocaudal coelomic cavity, slightly off midline, to avoid two important structures. Which ones?

Answer 66

You are avoiding the lungs by being located ventrocaudally, and the ventral abdominal vein by being paramedian.

Question 67

What are 3 differential diagnoses for lameness in chickens, excluding trauma?

Answer 67

1) Rickets
2) Osteomyelitis
3) Marek’s disease
4) Synovitis
5) Femoral head necrosis

Question 68

Which one of these is common in ferrets?

A) Demodectic mange
B) Otodectic mange
C) Sarcoptic mange

Answer 68

B) Otodectic mange
Ear mites - Otodectes cynotis

Question 69

Woodchucks are prone to viral-associated malignance of which organ?

Answer 69

Liver (hepatocellular carcinoma), which explains their use in oncology research.

Question 70

Although causality has not been proven, an association exists between gastrointestinal lymphoma and which enteric bacterium in ferrets?

Answer 70

Helicobacter mustelae

Question 71

Which one is TRUE regarding rats?

A) Epiphyses do not close and bones grow continuously
B) Forepaws have 5 digits, hindpaws have 4
C) Rats have left and right palatine tonsils, like dogs, cats and humans
D) The left and right lungs have an equal number of lobes

Answer 71

A) Epiphyses do not close and bones grow continuously throughout life.
In the rat, forepaws have 4 digits and hindpaws have 5; there are no tonsils; and the lungs are asymmetrical in size, where the left lung is very small and monolobar, and the right much larger and divided into 4 lobes.

Question 72

What is the most common form of neoplasia in the rabbit, affecting up to 60% of those of more than 3 years old?

Answer 72

Uterine adenocarcinoma

Question 73

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

Answer 73

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

Question 74

What is the primary cause of ingluvitis, inflammation of the crop?

Answer 74

Seed-based malnutrition; Ingluvitis can be prevented with properly formulated diets.

Question 75

Koi herpesvirus has spread worldwide and can cause devastating mortalities in koi. What are the 2 best measures to take to prevent this disease in a stock of koi and to prevent further spread of the disease?

Answer 75

1) Purchase fish from reputable sources
2) Always quarantine new fish
This includes maintaining any new fish in separate systems for at least 3 weeks at a temperature of 75 degrees F (24 degrees C). Measuring antibodies in the serum of fish may help to see if a fish has ever been exposed to the virus.

Question 76

A chick hatchery reports several dead-in-shell chicks; adult chickens show depression, respiratory difficulty, and loss of appetite. Necropsied chicks have peritonitis and culture of the viscera reveals a Salmonella species. What is this disease?

Answer 76

Pullorum disease (Salmonella pullorum)

Question 77

When and how often do birds molt?

Answer 77

Most birds lose their feathers (molt) heavily twice yearly, in the spring and autumn. Continual heavy molts, and failure to molt, are abnormal.

Question 78

Armadillos are used in genetic research because of a unique characteristic of their litters. What is it?

Answer 78

Armadillos give birth to monozygous quadruplets.

Question 79

In snakes, the plasma half-life of gentamicin given intramuscularly is:

A) 2-3 hours
B) 6-8 hours
C) 12 hours
D) More than 24 hours

Answer 79

D) More than 24 hours
It is 10-40 times longer than in mammals, justifying a q72h or q96h interdosage interval.

Question 80

What is the difference between the number of incisors in rodents versus lagomorphs?

Answer 80

Rodents have 4 incisors (2 upper, 2 lower) whereas lagomorphs have 6: the same 4 as rodents, plus 2 small additional incisors directly behind the upper incisors (‘‘peg teeth’’ in rabbits).

Question 81

Name the nematodal parasite, common in starlings, crows, and other passerines housed in outdoor aviaries, whose adult stage lives in permanent copulation within the lumen of the trachea.

Answer 81

Syngamus trachea (gapeworm or red worm)

Question 82

Which fungal disease of pet birds classically occurs after a stressful event, involves a saprophytic fungus, produces nonspecific systemic and respiratory signs, and causes thick white discharge in the trachea or white yellow plaques seen endoscopically in the air sacs?

Answer 82

Aspergillosis, a common, opportunistic, infectious (but not contagious) disease of stressed pet birds.

Question 83

A textbook specifies that an intramuscular injection for a lizard should not be administered in the tail or hindlimbs. Why?

Answer 83

Many reptiles, including lizards, have RENOPORTAL circulation in the caudal part of the body, and injection in this site could lead to nephrotoxicosis, loss of systemic efficacy, or both.

Question 84

Your radiograph of a sea turtle identifies a fish-hook in the stomach. Other than perforation, what are your two concerns?

Answer 84

1) Gastrointestinal obstruction, since fishing line attached to the hook often traps plastic and other debris
2) Leas toxicosis, since lead weights/sinkers can be attaches to the hook via fishing line

Question 85

Which zoonotic skin mite causes profuse scaling, alopecia (typically in the interscapular region), and variable degrees of pruritus in rabbits?

Answer 85

Cheyletiella spp. mites (‘‘walking dandruff’’)

Question 86

Ferrets are susceptible to all the following infectious diseases except one. Which one?

A) Canine distemper
B) Feline panleukopenia
C) Heartworm disease
D) Rabies

Answer 86

B) Feline panleukopenia

Question 87

In a 5 year-old budgerigar, progressive hindlimb paralysis is the main manifestation of a renal neoplasm. Why would renal infiltration cause this specific neurologic deficit?

Answer 87

Because the sciatic nerve courses through the renal parenchyma in budgerigars and most other species of birds.

Question 88

Normal bird droppings consist of feces and a white liquid. What is the name of the liquid and what gives it the white color?

Answer 88

Urates. Uric acid gives them their color.

Question 89

Oviduct trauma or infections, obesity, nutritional imbalances, and oviduct fatigue are possible predisposing causes for which urogenital disorder in female birds?

Answer 89

Egg binding. Infertility would also be an acceptable answer.

Question 90

An African grey parrot acquires this disease by inhalation of infected feather dust and initially develops clubbed, fractured feathers, leading to symmetrical, diffuse, near-total feather loss in the ensuing year. The bird ultimately dies of secondary infections. What is the disease?

Answer 90

Psittacine beak and feather disease

Question 91

What is the primary anatomical site of gas exchange in the avian patient?

Answer 91

Parabronchial tissue in the lung

Question 92

Which diet predisposes rabbits to gastric stasis syndrome?

A) High carbohydrate/low fiber
B) Low carbohydrate/low fiber
C) Diet has no significant effect on this syndrome

Answer 92

A) High carbohydrate/low fiber
Fiber promotes peristalsis

Question 93

You have a gerbil and a hamster side-by-side. How do you know which is which?

Answer 93

The gerbil has a slimmer longer body shape than the hamster, the gerbil’s hindlimbs are much longer (allowing it to jump or stand virtually upright), and gerbils have longer, haired tails.

Question 94

What is the minimum recommended duration of treatment for Chlamydophila psittaci infection in avian patients?

Answer 94

45 days

Question 95

What is the function of the crop in birds?

Answer 95

It is a food storage organ. It allows birds to rapidly ingest food items in a short period of time and then retreat t save coverage to digest the meal, and to ingest and store feed in the evening before roosting, thus providing for overnight energy needs.

Question 96

A commercial flock of several hundred chickens needs to be vaccinated. What are 3 ways you could administer the vaccine?

Answer 96

1) In the drinking water
2) By aerosol
3) By topical ocular application
4) By injection
5) In feed
6) In ovo

Question 97

In birds, what is the inhalant toxin associated with non-stick cookware and what does it cause?

Answer 97

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon), which causes pulmonary congestion, pulmonary edema and/or hemorrhage, and death; associated with non-stick pans, self-cleaning ovens, and other PTFE-coated cooking utensils.

Question 98

You perform a necropsy on a 12 year-old hyacinth macaw that died after exhibiting lethargy, anorexia, and diarrhea. You note hepatosplenomegaly and evidence of pneumonia. Histologically, Cowdry type A inclusion bodies are present in the spleen and liver. What is the diagnosis?

Answer 98

Pacheco’s disease, a herpesvirus (circovirus) infection that is sometimes called herpes hepatosplenitis.

Question 99

What is the most common underlying problem leading to trichobezoars (hairballs) in rabbits?

Answer 99

Gastric hypomotility, which is typically caused either by inadequate coarse fiber content of the diet, or by anorexia (in turn potentially caused by dental disease, systemic illness, etc.)

Question 100

When tube feeding a pet bird, you must choose to pass the tube directly into a central round opening at the base of the tongue or to the side of that opening. Which do you choose and why?

Answer 100

To the side. The central round opening at the base of the tongue is the tracheal opening, and intubation and administration of food would cause potentially fatal aspiration.