Exotics - rabbits Flashcards
What are the two main aetiologies of rabbit dental disease?
Inadequate attrition - not getting worn down
Metabolic bone disease - jaw bone weakened
What is the correct diet for rabbits?
Lots of grass/hay
Some green leafy vegetation
Tiny amount of pellets
What indicates dental disease in rabbits on distant exam?
Epiphora - presence or absence
Obvious incisor elongation
Grossly evident abscessation
drooling
Eye globe position
What teeth are continuously growing in rabbits, hystricomorphs, scuriomorphs and rodents?
Rabbits - all
Chinchillas and cavies - all
Squirrels, chipmunks - only incisors
Rodents - only incisors
What do chincilla/cavies incisors look like?
Lower incisors longer than upper incisors
Slightly orange in chincillas
How do you do a concious intraoral examination on rodents/rabbits?
Otoscope - plastic cone
Little finger in diastema to palpate spurs
How do you examine intraorally under anaesthesia?
Head clamp/nurse positioning
Endoscopy
Radiography
How do you treat rodent/rabbit incisor overgrowth?
Regular trimming with dental burr
Removal
When do you remove incisors in rabbits?
When the teeth are never going to meet so arent functional and will just have to keep clipping them for the rest of the rabbits life
What is the name for dental problems causing blockage of the nasolacrimal duct?
Dacryocystitis
What are the essentials of cheek tooth treatment?
Take teeth out of traumatic occlusion with soft tissues
Allow normal anatomical closure of mouth
Remove loose/abscessated teeth
Will never restore normal anatomy though - jaw changes
How do you know how much of the cheek teeth to trim?
Image
When can you clip cheek teeth?
For removal of angled small spurs going into tongue ONLY
What are the issues with filing cheek teeth in rabbits?
Never do it - slow, jarring, inefficient method
Massive risk of hitting vessel at angle of jaw - fatal
What is the method of choice for crown reduction and shaping of cheek teeth in rabbits?
Burring
How do you treat rodent teeth overgrowth?
Trim - only incisors grow
In rabbits and chinchillas which is wider - maxilla or mandible?
Chinchillas - mandible is wider than the maxilla
Rabbits - maxilla is wider than the mandible
But both dont bring both sides into occlusion at the same time
How do chinchilla cheek teeth tend to overgrow?
Grow very long before getting noticed - grow forward into the diastema so dont hit anything for a while
Dont tend to form spurs which affect the tongue
Stab into buccal mucosa
What are the main GI diseases that rabbits get?
Hypomotility disorders - cant vomit
Hypermotility disorders and caecotrophs - diarrhoea
How do rabbits normally eat?
Lots of low nutritional value food (grass) continuously over long periods of time
Caecotrophs
What is the purpose of indigestible ‘long’ fibre in rabbit diets?
Dental attrition
Gut motility stimulation
What is the purpose of digestible ‘short’ fibre in rabbit diets?
Substrate for caecal fermentation (caecotroph formation)
What are the two phases of rabbit caecum motility?
1 - just gets rid of long fibre
2 - Soft faecal component phase - short fibre ferments to get extra nutrition out of grass
What are caecotrophs? How do they work?
Full of bacteria and covered in mucous
Carry on fermenting until stomach acids digest them, kill bacteria and absorb the nutrients that are left in SI
What does a high carb diet cause in rabbits?
Change in caecal flora/caecal pH
GI stasis, enteritis, caecotrophs not being eaten
What are the 5 causes of gut stasis?
Pain
Stress
Dehydration
Obesity
Abdominal lesions/obstruction/adhesion/neoplasia
What are two common causes of pain causing gut stasis?
Pain following surgery - pre-emptive analgesia needed
Urological pain - uroliths, sludgy urine
How do you tell it is obstructive and non GI stasis in rabbits?
Obstructive - sudden onset, moderate to severe depression
Marked abdominal pain
Hunched
Shock/dehydration
What does obstructive gut stasis in rabbits look like on radiograph?
Gas proximal to site of obstruction
Bubbles of gas rather than halo in stomach
What are the signs of non-obstructive GI stasis in rabbits?
Slow insidious onset
Gradual decrease in size of faecal pellets
Craving high fibre items
Normal hydration to moderate dehydration
Normal demeanor progressing to depression
What is seen on radiograph in rabbits with non obstructive gut stasis/ilius?
Impacted material in stomach/caecum
Halo of gas around them
How does duration of ileus affect prognosis in rabbits?
Longer the rabbit is not eating, the more dehydrated and impacted
Permanent and irreversible ileus can develop
What can cause impaction in the caecum of rabbits?
Cat litter as bedding
What is the most important finding on biochem/haem of ileus in rabbits?
Gradual increase in blood glucose indicates blockage
How do you treat obstructive ileus in rabbits?
Aggressive fluid therapy
Analgesia
Surgery - ex lap
What are some common sites of GI obstruction in rabbits?
Ileocaecal valve
Sacculus rotundus
Pylorus
What are some common GI FBs in rabbits?
Locust bean pods
Fur mats
How do you treat non obstructive ileus in rabbits?
Abdominal massage
Exercise
Probiotics
GI prokinetics - ranitidine, metoclopramide
Laxative s
Enema
Enzymes
How can you encourage feeding in rabbits?
Direct feeding by mouth
Naso-gastric tubes
How quick can you make a rabbit lose weight?
No more than 1.5% bodyweight per week - go into ketotic crisis
What is a big cause of shock in rabbits?
Diarrhoea
What can cause diarrhoea in rabbits?
Dietary upset
Bacterial overgrowth
Viral infection - rota, coronavirus
Coccidiosis
What is massive dietary change likely to cause in rabbits?
Change in caecotroph nature
May cause diarrhoea also
What can cause bacterial overgrowth in rabbits?
Poor diet
Antibiotic use
What causes hair loss in rabbits?
Normal moulting - twice a year, from head and proceeding caudally
Females have dewlap - pull fur out to line nest when pregnant
What causes dermatological disease in guinea pigs?
Vitamin C deficiency - cant synthesise so need to get from the diet
How do guinea pigs maintain their fur?
Scent/grease gland over rump - greasy fur
How do chinchillas maintain their very dense fur?
Must have daily sand bath
Avoid humidity
What is a defence mechanism that chinchillas use?
Fur-slip
What are common rabbit derm conditions?
Cheyletiella mites
Fly strike
Pododermatitis
Pasteurellosis
What are common guinea pig derm conditions?
Sarcoptic mange
Dermatophytosis (ringworm)
Cystic ovarian disease
Vitamin C deficiency
What is the most common ectoparasite seen in rabbits?
Cheyletiella parasitovorax mites - causes scurfy skin (white flakes in fur), scaling, hair loss
What type of rabbits are cheyletiella mites most common in?
Immunocompromised rabbits
Not grooming
How do you treat cheyletiella in rabbits?
Ivermectin
What is the ear mite found in rabbits?
Psoroptes cuniculi - very pruritic
How are psoroptes cuniculi mites spread?
Direct contact
Survive 3 weeks in the environment
How do you treat psoroptes cuniculi ear mite in rabbits?
Ivermectin
Analgesia
Dont pull crusting off - very painful
What is the main ectoparasite in guinea pigs?
Trixacarus caviae - sarcoptic mite
What mites are zoonotic to humans in rabbits/hystricomorphs/rodents?
Cheyletiella - rabbits
Trixacarus caviae - sarcoptic mite in guinea pigs
What is a vector for myxomatosis?
European rabbit flea
What fleas do rabbits get?
Ctenocephalides felis - cat flea
Spillopsyllus cuniculi - european house flea
How do you treat rabbit fleas?
Imidacloprid, permethrin
NOT fipronil (frontline) - will kill them
What causes fly strike in rabbits?
Perineal faecal soiling
Urine soiling/scald
Dental disease, obesity, low fibre diet - cant clean
Attract flies - lucilia (greenbottle)
eggs hatch and L2 larvae digest tissue
How do you treat shock from myiasis (fly strike)?
Fluids, analgesia, antibiotics
Feeding
Sedation, clip and clean
Ivermectin
Euthanase in severe cases
What is pododermatitis?
Bacterial skin disease (staph, strep) on feet of rabbits, G pigs causing chronic ulcerative state
What are the predisposing factors for pododermatitis?
Obesity
Vit C deficiency
Rough flooring
Wet/soiled bedding
How do you treat pododermatitis in rabbits/G pigs?
Address husbandry
Antibiotics
Analgesia
Surgical debridement
Bandages
What can chronic infection such a pododermatitis cause in G pigs?
Amyloidosis
What causes ulcers and crusts around the mouth/philtrum of guinea pigs?
Cheilitis
Predisposed by Vit C deficiency, poxvirus
What is rabbit syphilis called?
Treponema cuniculi
How is rabbit syphilis (treponema) spread?
By direct/venereal contact
Commonly in young rabbits
What are the clinical signs of rabbit syphilis (treponema)?
Reddness, oedema, ulcers, scabs in perineal/genital areas, lips and eyelids
How is rabbit syphilis (treponema) treated?
Penicillin
What is the equivalent of strangyles in guinea pigs?
Cervical lymphadenitis - strep zooepidemicus
Commensal in oropharynx - gains access to cervical lymph nodes due to abrasions in oral mucosa and causes abscesses
WHat is moist dermatitis in rabbits?
Chronic salivation from dental disease causing secondary infection of dewlap with pseudomonas - blue fur disease
What is dermatophytosis?
Ringworm
What species/age is dermatophytosis common in?
G pigs and chinchillas
Young animals
Immunosuppression, stress
Where is dermatophytosis found most commonly in G pigs and chinchillas?
Head/face
How do you treat dermatophytosis?
Itraconazole
What is myxomatosis? What does it cause?
Pox virus transmitted by arthropod vectors or direct contact
Causes facial and perineal skin lesions - thickened eyelids, conjunctivitis, anorexia, mucopurulent oculonasal discharge]
Death within 14 days
How do you treat myxomatosis?
Prevention - vaccination (nobivac myxo annual)
Vector control
What is atypical myxomatosis?
Benign fibromatous swellings
What are the signs of hypovitaminosis C (scurvy) in G pigs?
Rough hair coat
Scaling of ears
Poor wound healing
Secondary bacterial skin infectoins
How do you treat hypovitaminosis C in g pigs?
Correct diet
Supplement - degrades quickly so give in food, vegetables, add to drinking water (cant overdose)
What is a common endocrine disease in guinea pigs?
Cystic ovarian syndrome
What are the signs of cystic ovarian syndrome in guinea pigs?
Non-pruritic symmetrical alopecia over dorsum and flanks
Abdominal distention
More dominant
How do you treat cystic ovarian disease in g pigs?
Ovariohysterectomy
What are other causes of symmetrical non-pruritic flank alopecia in g pigs?
Late pregnancy - resolves after parturition
What benign neoplasm do guinea pigs get on their dorsum - central pore with discharge?
Trichofolliculomas
What non neoplastic mass do g pigs tend to get?
Sebaceous cysts - blocked sebaceous gland in skin
What is a normal rabbit resp rate?
30-60bpm
What is a very common cause of respiratory infection in rabbits?
Pasteurella multocida - URT bacterial infection
What is pasteurellosis related to in rabbits?
Stress related - overcrowding, aggression, concurrent disease
What are the 4 manifestations of pasteurella in rabbits?
Upper resp tract disease
Otitis media/interna
Pneumonia
Abscesses in lungs/thorax
How do you diagnose pasteurellosis?
Deep swabs from nares
Radiography
Usually just treat on suspicion
How do you treat pasteurellosis in rabbits?
Difficult - 2-3 months of antibiotics by culture and sensitivity given by nebulisation
Supportive care - NSAIDs, oxygen
What is a common cause of respiratory disease in guinea pigs?
Bordetella bronchiseptica
What are the clinical signs of bordertella in g pigs?
Anorexia
Oculonasal discharge
Dyspnoea
Abortion
Pneumonia
Death
What is the treatment/prognosis of bordertella in guinea pigs?
Antibiotics, nebulisation, supportive care
Guarded prognosis
What are the 3 bacteria causing resp disease in guinea pigs?
Bordertella bronchiseptica
Strep pneumoniae
Chlamydophila caviae
What can cause viral respiratory disease in rabbits?
Myxomatosis
Viral haemorrhagic disease - calicivirus
What can cause non-infectious resp disease in rabbits?
Neoplasia
Allergic/irritant rhinitis/bronchitis
What does high blood glucose suggest in a rabbit?
Exceeded renal threshold due to stress/pain
What is sludge in a rabbits bladder? What is it due to?
Calcium carbonate - irritant
Low water intake - low fibre levels
What do sludgy bladders cause?
Urinary overflow incontinence - sludge fills up bladder so there is less space for fluid
Scald - leads to flystrike
How do you treat sludge bladder in rabbits?
Increase water intake - high fibre, soak hay, ad lib water
Encourage emptying of bladder - large cage to allow posturing, good access to litter areas, exercise
What small animal tends to get urolithiasis?
Guinea pigs
What is the most common neoplasia in a rabbit?
Uterine adenocarcinoma - neuter them
What animal do you do a vasectomy in?
Ferrets
What are the indications for neutering rabbits?
Population control
Behaviour modification - territorial aggression in does
Disease prevention - uterine adenocarcinoma
How do you bring female ferrets out of oestrus?
Mate with a vasectomised ‘hobble’
When is it easiest to vasectomise a ferret?
In early summer - much thinner so less fat
What type of castration is best to do in which age of rabbit?
Open - older
Closed - younger
When is it best to do a ovarohysterectomy in rabbits?
Between 5-7 months - less developed, less fat
Why is rodent castration difficult?
Permanently open inguinal rings, large testes
How do you spay rodents?
Ovariectomy
Dont have to worry about uterine neoplasia like in rabbits
What is the most commonly used induction agent in rabbits?
Med/ket/butorphanol (DKT)
IM - short procedures
IV - long procedures
What are the risks of intubation of rabbits?
Can traumatise larynx
Can push food into larync
Overinflation injuries possible
Difficult to visualise
What are the different intubation methods in rabbits?
Blind intubation
Otoscope +/- stylet
Flecknell laryngoscope
V-gel
What reflexes can you use to monitor anaesthetic?
Not eye reflexes - abolished with DKT
Jaw movements - light
Hindfeet withdrawal - abolished first, then fore as deepens
How do you minimise stress in the vets for rabbits?
Avoid noise, smell of predators
Provide food, hay
Provided bonded pair rabbit
Relieve/avoid pain
How do you give perioperative fluids?
IV - in ear vein, not too big cannula
What is a common consequence of abdominal surgery in rabbits?
Adhesions
What is the best way of stabilising a rabbit leg fracture?
External fixation
What pathogen causes neuro problems eg. head tilt and hindlimb paralysis?
Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi)
How do you treat E. cuniculi?
Fenbendazole
