Exotics Flashcards
reptile key anatomy
- regulate body temp externally
- chelonia shell has nerves and blood supply
- no diaphragm
- air is drawn in by body movement
- single body cavity (coelom)
assessing the reptile
- hide illness well
- weight (environment dependant)
- resp rate (difficult to see)
- defecation/urination
- activity
- shedding
- environmental temp
blood sampling of lizards
- ventral tail vein (advance until you hit bone then pull back a bit)
blood sampling of snakes
- ventral tail vein (tricky)
- cardio-centesis
blood sampling of chelonia
- right jugular
- subvertebral sinus (underneath dorsal shell)
fluid therapy of chelonia
- soaking
- oral
- intracoelomic
- epicoelomic (cranial insertion above plastron)
- subcutaneous
- Iv
- intraosseous
- 10-30ml/kg/day
assisted feeding
- stomach tube/oesophagostomy tube
- electrolytes and amino acids
analgesia
- difficult to assess
- NSAIDs and opiates
- meloxicam usually safe (ensure hydrated)
parasites
- wet prep or faecal floatation
- worms (ascarids and strongyles)
- protozoa (flagellates and ciliates)
common medical presentations
- anorexia (environmental)
- impaction
- metabolic bone disease
metabolic bone disease
- imbalance between Ca and PO and lack of vit D3
clinical signs of metabolic bone disease
- shell deformity
- fractures
- rubber jaw
- weakness
- muscle tremors/seizures
- bones not as dense on x-ray
metabolic bone disease treatment
- UV light
- Ca and vit D supplementation
abscesses
- usually solid
dysecdysis
- difficult shedding
snakes- retained spectacle - provide humidity
mouth rot
- usually caused by shedding disease
what is an exotic animal?
animals that don’t fit into other categories
- small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish
- anything not farm animal, equine, dogs or cats
the exotic consult
- ideally 30 mins, at least 20 mins
- often need to do diagnostics, consult literature
communication with owner before consult
- advise on transport
- request faecal sample
- food
- photos of home environment
- pre-consult questionnaire
transport (rabbits/rodents, reptiles, snakes, birds, birds of prey, fish)
- rabbits/rodents= standard box/carrier
- reptiles= provide heating (hot water bottle)
- snakes= pillow case
- birds= cages
- birds of prey= travel box or on hand
- fish= double plastic bag in water proof box, bring second bag of water
housing for exotics
- birds= heated tank (30*C)
- reptiles= vivarium
- rabbits- avoid predators, temp (<22*C)
first aid
- ABC’s
- stop any haemorrhage
- warmth for birds and reptiles
- oxygen supplementation (not reptiles)
- analgesia
chlamydophila psittaci
- carried by birds, intracellular bacteria
- air born, bodily fluids
- affected birds present with systemic signs or symptomless
- causes flu like symptoms in ppl
mycobacterium spp
fish tuberculosis
mycobacterium spp symptoms
- local non healing ulcers
- reduced appetite, weight loss, body deformities
- causes localised lesions in people
- aquarists nodule
mycobacterium spp prevention
- cover any wounds with waterproof bandage and gloves
- wash hands well
- wash fish equipment in separate sinks
dermatophytosis
- fungal infection (ringworm)
- spread through contact
- trichophyton mentagrophytes
- causes scaly itchy patches in ppl
- common in hedgehogs
salmonella
- causes GI upset, can lead to septicaemia
- common in reptiles
- part of gut flora in captive reptiles (normal)
- shed in faeces
- always assume animal is positive
routes of euthanasia in mammals
- Iv or into liver/kidney
- rabbit= ear vein
- rodents/ferrets= cranial vena cava
routes of euthanasia in reptiles (snakes, lizards, chelonia)
- Iv then pith (needle into brain)
- snake= intracardiac or liver
- lizard= tail vein (cran. vena cava in small species)
- chelonia= jugular or subcarapacial sinus
routes of anaesthesia in birds
- gaseous anaesthesia then iv jugular/tibiotarsal vein (in larger birds) or into liver
routes of euthanasia in fish
- anaesthesia followed by pentobarbitone injection/severing spinal cord behind gill covers
prep for surgery
- pre-empt problems
- blood loss, catheter, prep fluids
- heat loss, avoid alcohol use (cools body)
- apnoea- pre-oxygenation
- clipping
- skin may tear easily (rabbits)
- raise chest when positioning for surgery
hypoglycaemia as post-op complication
- high metabolism
- if not eating post-op, check blood glucose
- syringe feed
gut stasis as post-op complication
- encourage to eat asap after surgery
- syringe feed
- prokinetics (ranitidine)
- analgesia
- monitor for droppings, may not produce any for 24hrs
suturing in small mammals
- absorbable monofilaments are best
- monocryl, caprosyn
- avoid catgut (esp rabbits)- causes pyo-granulomatous reaction as it dissolves
- buried skin suture as may chew out
- tissue glue?
wound care
- difficult to keep dressings on
- tissue glue preferable
- buried sutures
- clean, dry bedding, avoid hay and straw initially (vetbed)
support for reptiles under GA
- breathe by means of skeletal muscle movement so need resp support under GA
- IPPV, ventilator, body temp
anaesthetic monitoring of reptiles
- difficult (can’t monitor breathing cause ventilator)
- doppler probe to monitor HR
- capnograph
prep for surgery- reptiles
- iodine/chlorohexadine needs times to soak between scales
- alcohol not recommended (cooling effect)
- clear plastic drape to visualise patient
post-op recovery- reptiles
- gradually reduce resp rate (1bpm)
- breathing stimulated by low O2 not high CO2
- oxygen too high= won’t breathe
general surgical techniques
- incision made between scales
- wound closed with monofilament
- sutures are everting suture pattern (scales curl in)
- avoid cat gut/polyfilament due to tissue reaction
key anatomical features of rabbits
- light skeleton, powerful hind legs
- nasal breather, larynx not easily visible
- open rooted teeth
- can’t vomit, stomach never truly empties
- coprophagia (re-eating droppings)
- male has open inguinal canal
- female has 2 cervixes
- venous plexus behind eyes (increased bp can cause protrusion)
assessing the rabbit
- posture
- HR (rapid)
- RR (fast and shallow)
- temp (38.3-39.4)
- weight
- droppings (round and plump)
hospital environment for rabbits
- non slip floor
- correct temp (suffer from heat stress)
- no predators
- companions
- out of cage exercise
blood sampling in rabbits
- lateral saphenous
- marginal ear vein (small samples)
- cephalic
- jugular (need good restrain)
volume= max 10ml/kg
pain medications in rabbits
NSAIDs= meloxicam (unless dehydrated)
opioids= buprenorphine
fluid therapy in rabbits
- crystalloids are first choice
- colloids can be used to increase bp in hypovolaemia
- blood transfusion
fluid maintenance rate in rabbits
100ml/kg/24hrs
- double dogs and cats
buster collars in rabbits
- stressful
- coprophagia
- can still chew through fluid lines
syringe feeding in rabbits
- 1ml syringe (end cut off to increase size of hole)
- finely ground grass based food
- still need long chain fibre (plants)
parasites in rabbits
- mites (cause hair plucking)
- cheyletiella parasitivorax, listrophorus gibbus, psoroptes cuniculi
- fleas
- coccidia
- worms
GI stasis in rabbits
- emergency!!
- reduced or stopped intestinal motility
clinical signs of GI stasis in rabbits
- anorexia
- absence of droppings
- bloated abdomen
- abdominal pain
causes of GI stasis in rabbits
- pain
- stress
- inappropriate diet (too high carbs)
- neoplasia
treatment of GI stasis in rabbits
- analgesia (buprenorphine)
- fluids
- prokinetics
- syringe feeding
- treat underlying cause
blood glucose levels in rabbits
- <5= pathology, inappetence
- 5-10= normal
- 10-15= stress, low pain
- 15-20= significant pain
- 20+ = likely to be GI obstruction
respiratory infections in rabbits
- pasteurella spp.
- can cause abscesses, upper resp problems, pneumonia
vestibular disease in rabbits
- head tilt/circling
- caused by middle ear infection, E cuniculi
E-Cuniculi (encephalitozoon cuniculi)
- microsporidian parasite
- primary pathogen of kidney
- affects CNS
- shed in urine, possible zoonosis
symptoms of E-cuniculi
- head tilt
- ataxia, hindlimb weakness
- urinary incontinence, renal failure
- cataracts
treatment of E-cuniculi
fenbendazole
faecal clagging in rabbits
- impaction of caecotrophs around bum
caused by: - obesity, dental disease, too much carbs, back pain
myxomatosis- pox virus in rabbits
- spread by biting insects and direct contact
- symptoms: swelling around eyes and genitals, ocular discharge
rabbit haemorrhagic disease- calicivirus
- spread by fomites or direct contact
- symptoms: sudden death, haemorrhage from mouth, nose or anus
BWRC’s 3S’s of wildlife rescue
- sure= if in doubt call specialist
- safety= own safety comes first
- stress= minimise stress on animal (warm, dark, quiet)
treat or euthanise wildlife
- balance stress of treatment vs chance of successful return to wild
- unethical to release animals for potential for future complications (orthopaedic implants)
advantages of perm. captivity vs euthanasia
- animal isn’t killed
- protects against extinction
disadvantages of perm. captivity vs euthanasia
- quality of life
- public display can cause stress
anaesthesia in fish
- inhalational
- phenoxethanol (aqua-sed)
- can stay out of the water for 5 mins to examine
diagnostics in fish
- mucus scraping
- gill and fin preparations
- bacteriology
- bloods
- radiography
- ultrasonography
mucus scrapings
- run cover slip or scalpel blade over dorsal/pectoral fin
- microscopy
gill and fin preparations
- should be liver colour
- snip of gill/fin
how to give meds to fish
- in water (not antibiotics)
- in food
- injection
- topical
ulcer disease in fish
secondary to septicaemia or trauma
treatment of ulcer disease in fish
- GA, debride
- clean with iodine and pack ulcer
- inject antibiotics
- treat underlying problem (parasites, water quality)
fish first aid advice (7 steps)
- test water quality (if NH4 high, add zeolite
- quarantine affected fish
- change 30% of water, replace with fresh
- add salt (2g/L) to reduce stress (remove zeolite, formalin)
- stop feeding
- improve aeration
- do not add meds indiscriminately
amphibians
- frogs
- toads
- newts
- salamanders
husbandry of amphibians
- poikilotherms (provide appropriate temp)
- light (most nocturnal)
- UV light (required for ca2+ metabolism)
- water (some aquatic, need land)
- high humidity
common problems in amphibians
- water quality
- skin infections (bact., fung.)
- chytridiomycosis (fungal disease)
- foreign bodies
- metabolic bone disease
commonly kept invertebrates
- giant African land snails
- spiders
- millipedes
- stick insects
- scorpions
common problems in invertebrates
- shedding difficulties (need humidity)
- mites
- nematodes (milky around mouth)
- worms under microscope
- traumatic injuries
