Exotics: Common Problems in Pet Rodents Flashcards
What are the main risk factors for guniea pigs with diarrhoea?
- Uncommon in adults
- Young
- Immunosupressed
What are the common and less common causes of diarrhoea in guinea pigs?
Common:
* Diet- inadequate fibre/high simple carbohydrates
* Bacterial infections- tyzzer’s disease
* Dysbiosis/enterotoxaemia- after incorrect use of ABs, clostridial overgrowth
Less Common:
* Bacterial- salmonella
* Other bacteria through food- E.coli, yersinia
* Cryptosporidium wrari
* Eimeria caviae
* Hepatopathies
* Dental disease
What is the clinical approach to diarrhoea of guinea pigs?
- Full clinical history- diet, weight, hydration, temperature
- Supportive care- supplemental heat, fluids, maropitant
- Faecal testing, culture, bloods ± abdominal scan
- What are most calculi in guinea pigs?
- Which locations are more and less common?
- 90% are calcium carbonate
- Bladder, urethra (most common), Ureters, kidneys (less common)
What are the clinical signs of urolithiasis in guinea pigs?
- Haematuria
- Dysuria
- Pain/vocalizing during urination
- Non-specific
- Depends on urolith location
What can be used for diagnosis of urolithiasis in guinea pigs?
- Plain radiography- Most uroliths are calcium-based and easily detectable, required sedation/GA
- Abdominal US- can be done conscious, allows for other problems to be checked
What are the treatment options for urolithiasis?
What supportive medication can be given?
- Very small uroluths <5mm diameter can pass unaided- analgesia
- Bladder- GA and cytostomy
- Urethra- GA and flush
- Ureters- GA and hydropropulsion into bladder then cystotomy
- Kidneys- usually not possible- palliative?
Supportive
* Analgesia- meloxicam, buprenorphine, gabapentine, maropitant
* Fluids
* Reduce Ca intake
* Increase water intake
- What are the two types of cystitis?
- How is it diagnosed?
- What can be given?
Often secondary to urolithiasis
1. Sterile or bacterial
2. Urinalysis ± C&S, US scan
3. ABs based on results- merbofloxacin, TMP and Sulfa, Sterile- Meloxicam ± maropitant
- What is the normal signalment for a guinea pig with ovarian cysts?
- What are the 2 main types of cysts and how do they differ?
- Older, intact females
- Serous and follicular
Serous:
* Non-functional
* Develop spontaneously during oestrus cycle
* Don’t respond to LH
* Clinical signs if too large
Follicular
* Follicles that failed to ovulate
* Hormonally active
* Respond to LH
* Variable clinical signs
What are the clinical signs of ovarian cysts?
- Serous can be completly asymptomatic
- Non-specific
- Abdominal distension and discomfort
- Palpable soft tissue mass
Follicular cysts: - Non-pruritic flank alopecia
- Mammary gland hyperkeratosis
How are ovarian cysts diagnosed?
Ultrasonography
* Doesn’t differentiate between serous and follicular cysts
* Allows to check for other problems
Guinea Pigs
What are the treatment options for ovarian cysts?
Medical treatment
* Only effective in follicular cysts
* Human chorionic gonadotrophin
* 2 injections 14 days apart
* Doesn’t prevent recurrence
Surgery
* Surgery- GA and spay
* Percutaneous US guided drainage of cysts: temporary relief, refill quickly
- What is the most common neoplasia of guinea pigs repro?
- What can be the best treatment for guinea pigs with dystocia?
- When are guinea pigs typically affected by pregnancy toxaemia?
- Uterine leiomyosarcoma
- Poor prognosis- often C-section, medical treatment unrewarding
- 2 weeks before and after parturition, supportive care, poor prognosis
Generalised weakness, ketonuria, proteinuri, hypoglycaemia
What 3 main forms of lymphoid neoplasia commonly affected guinea pigs?
What is used for diagnosis?
- Usually presents as multicentric and high-malignancy form
- Epitheliotropic T-cell lymphoma
- Leukaemia caused by a retrovirus
Diagnosis:
* Cytology of peripheral lymph glands/skin
* Haematology
* US scan
How can lymphoma be treated in guinea pigs?
- Poor prognosis
- Prednisolone- SID- palliative care
- Lomustine- q 21d
- L-asparaginase
- Discuss euthanasia
What common skin conditions can affect guinea pigs?
- External parasites- mites/lice
- Ringworm/dermatophytiasis
- Cervical lymphadenitis
- Sebaceous lumps
- Pododermatitis
What is performed for guinea pigs skin conditions diagnosis?
What treatments can be given?
Perform:
* Skin strips
* Skin scrapes
* Hair plucks
* Dermatophyte culture
* FNA lumps
Treatment:
* Ivermectin injections for mites/lice
* Meloxicam for inflammation
* ABs for secondary infection
* Terbinafine for fungal infections
What lice and mites can infect guinea pigs?
Where is ringworm commonly found on guinea pigs?
Peri-ocular
Nostrils
- What causes cervical lymphadenitis in guinea pigs?
- What does it cause?
- What can it spread and further cause?
- How is it treated?
- Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus
- Abscessation of cervical lymph nodes after oral abrasions
- Pneumonia, otitis media, septicaemia
- Surgical excision, lance/flush, ABs
What are the possible DDXs for sebaceous lumps?
What is the best treatment option?
- Sebacous cyst
- Sebaceous adenoma
- Trichoepithelioma
- Trichofolliculoma
Surgical removal
What disease cannot affect guinea pigs?
1. Hyperthyroidism
2. Hyperadrenocortisim
3. Insulinoma
4. Fibrous osteodystrophy
5. Hypovitaminosis C
6. Mammary gland neoplasia and mastitis
7. Pneumonia
8. Heart Disease- pericardial effusion, DCM
9. Black leg
- 9- Black leg
Yeh I didn’t really know how to ask that
What are the differing clinical signs of URT and LRT infection?
URT
* Sneezing
* Nasal discharge
* Porphyrin staining around notrils
* ‘Noisy breathing’
LRT
* Increased RR and effort
* ‘noisy breathing’
* Crackles, muffled heart sounds
- What can increase risk of resp disease in rats?
- What viral, bacterial and fungal agents can cause disease?
- Stress/immunosupression, environment (cage ventilation)
- Viral
* Sendai virus
* Paramyovirus
Bacterial
* Mycoplasma pulmonis
* Streptococcus pneumonis
* Corynebacterium kutscheri
Fungal
* Pneumocystitis carinii
How is respiratory disease diagnosed in rats?
- Clinical exam: high level of suspicion
- GA and radiography- assess nasal cavities and thorax
- Culture and Sensitivity- not done routinely
- Virus PCR- not routine
How are resp diseases in rats treated?
Broad spectrum ABs- minimum of 3 weeks
* Doxycyline
* Marbofloxacin
* Azithromycin
NSAIDs- meloxicam
Nebulization- saline or hypertonic saline
Furosemide- secondary lung oedema
What are the 2 most common mammary gland neoplasias in rats?
- Mammary fibroadenoma- most common, benign, associated with repro changes
- Mammary adenocarcinoma- less frequent, malignant
How can mammary neoplasia in rats be treated?
Surgery:
* Best option
* Fibroadenomas- likely to recur
* Some locations can be more challening
* Effect of spay: redcues incidence
Medical
* Cabergoline- prolactin antagonist
* Palliative care if surgery not possible
* Euthanasia
- Where is the zymbal gland found in a rat?
- What neoplasm often forms there?
- What is the treatment?
- Specialised sebaceous gland on rate ear canal
- Locally invasive carcinomas
- Surgical removment difficult, palliative care
What are the signs of pituitary adenomas in rats?
How is it treated?
Signs: Neurological
* Paresis/paralysis on FLs
* Loss of vision
* Ataxia
* Progressive
Treatment
Surgery not realistic
Cabergoline q3 days
NSAIDs
Confirm with MRI or CT
What are the signs of pituitary adenomas in rats?
How is it treated?
Signs: Neurological
* Paresis/paralysis on FLs
* Loss of vision
* Ataxia
* Progressive
Treatment
Surgery not realistic
Cabergoline q3 days
NSAIDs
Confirm with MRI or CT
What are common presentations for hamsters with skin conditions?
- Alopecia
- Pruritis
- Skin masses
- Skin ulcers and scabs
- Inflammed skin
What are common skin conditions in hamsters?
- Demodecosis-
- Hyperadrenocorticism
- Epitheliotropic lymphoma
- Bacterial dermatitis
- Hypothyroidism
- Ringworm
- Skin neoplasia
How is skin disease in hamsters diagnosed?
- History/clinical exam
- Skin samples
- Skin imprints
- Hair plucks
- GA and US
- Bloods
- Biopsy
- C&S
- How can hyperadrenocorticism be diagnosed in hamsters?
- What species of hamster more commonly get epitheliotropic lymphoma, How is it diagnosed?
- Plasma cortisol 0.5-1ud/dl. PUPD
- More common in syrians, skin biopsies, prednisolone
When would the following drugs be used for treatment of skin diseases in hamsters?
Ivermectin SC
Meloxicam PO
Broad spectrum ABs
Ivermectin
* Demodex, other mites, lice
Meloxicam
* history of pruritis, skin inflammed
Broad spectrum ABs
* TMP and Sulfa
marbofloxacin
- What species more commonly evert cheek pouches?
- What are possible causes?
- What is the approach to managment/treatment?
- Dwarf species
- Food impaction, inflammation, abscess, neoplasia
- GA, complete clinical exam, flush/clean, suture transcutaneously, remove in 7-10 days
- What causes ‘wet tail’ in hamsters?
- What are common causes?
- What can severe cases lead to?
- Enteropathies with diarrhoea
- Lawsonia intracellularis, enterotoxaemia (C. difficile), tyzzers (C. piliforme), diet, GI parasites (uncommon)
- Prolapse and intussuception
- What supportive care can be given to hamsters with diarrhoea?
- What can be used for diagnosis?
- SC fluids, glucose, thermal support, ABs, supplemental feeding
- Faecal wet mount, gram staining, culture
- What causes hepatic cysts?
- What species of hamster is predisposed?
- What are the progressive signs?
- What is the diagnosis?
- How is it treated?
- Developmental defects of bile ducts
- Syrian
- Abdominal enlargment, dyspnoea, alopecia, lethargy, weight loss
- US scan
- Surgical removal, aspiration, palliative care
