Lecture 7/8

Question 1

(T/F) Store bought fresh foods that approximate what is eating in the wild will be adequate for the majority of zoo animals.

Answer 1

(F, store bought vegetables and fruits are rarely as nutritionally complete as their wild counterparts)

Question 2

(T/F) The effects of poor nutrition are subtle and may not be seen until animals are exposed to disease, expected to reproduce, or expected to grow.

Answer 2

(T)

Question 3

How have animals evolved to deal with food scarcity in the wild?

Answer 3

(They confine nutritionally costly processes to periods of nutritional abundance)

Question 4

(T/F) Lack of variability in food availability can induce a lack of typical signals that trigger certain behaviors in wild animals.

Answer 4

(T)

Question 5

Explain the difference between cats (strict carnivores) and dogs (facultative carnivores) in relation to nitrogen.

Answer 5

(Cats → limited regulation of urea cycle so nitrogen losses remain elevated if dietary nitrogen is low, need constant protein to keep nitrogen high; dogs → able to conserve nitrogen when dietary levels are low)

Question 6

Explain the difference between cats (strict carnivores) and dogs (facultative carnivores) in relation to carbohydrates.

Answer 6

(Cats → lack hepatic glycolytic enzyme glucokinase (i.e. cannot convert carbs into glucose) and derive most of their blood glucose from specific amino acids via gluconeogenic pathways; dogs → use glucokinase to derive blood glucose from carbs in the diet)

Question 7

Explain the difference between cats (strict carnivores) and dogs (facultative carnivores) in relation to vitamin A.

Answer 7

(Cats → cannot use plant provitamin A compounds, must have a preformed vitamin A in their diet i.e. their prey convert it for them; dogs → can use plant provitamin A to convert to retinol)

Question 8

What does feeding only muscle meat lead to deficiencies in? (Calcium, manganese, some B vitamins, and fat soluble vitamins

Answer 8

(A, B, D, E)

Question 9

Why are frozen whole prey items typically used in zoos?

Answer 9

(Better control over introduction of diseases and better control over supply)

Question 10

What vitamin should be supplemented in a fish eating animal’s diet?

Answer 10

(Vitamin E → it slows oxidative deterioration of PUFAs in fish but is destroyed in the process so needs to be supplemented)

Question 11

Produce and browse offered to omnivores is typically chosen based on what things?

Answer 11

(Food selection in the wild, food preference in captivity, observed effects on fecal consistency and body condition, and local market availability)

Question 12

In an omnivore’s diet, produce should stay below what percentage of dry matter offered?

Answer 12

(30%)

Question 13

What are the pros and cons of insects in an omnivore diet?

Answer 13

(Good source of protein, good source of fat depending on life stage (this can be a pro or con), and poor source of calcium)

Question 14

Are fore or hindgut fermenters more sensitive to diet changes?

Answer 14

(Foregut, hindgut fermenters digest food prior to it reaching the fermentation chamber so what reaches it is more tightly regulated = less likely to react to changes in diet unless severe)

Question 15

What five things must be taken into account when planning for restraint of an animal, especially one that is out of your typical scope of animal restraint?

Answer 15

(The goal of the procedure, the location considerations, the animal considerations, the human considerations, and plan “B” considerations)

Question 16

What things are important in association with the preparation phase of restraint?

Answer 16

(Confirmation of appropriate supplies and equipment, prepare staff, and prepare animal (may need to be moved, may need to be fasted, etc.))

Question 17

What are the three types of restraint?

Answer 17

(Behavioral, physical, and chemical)

Question 18

Why is it important to still know how/be prepared to physically or chemically restrain an animal you have trained to behavioral restraint?

Answer 18

(Bc if the animal is sick or scared, behavioral restraint has a much less likely chance of working → need to know how to still find other ways to restrain the animal)

Question 19

Give some examples of non-mechanical equipment used for manual restraint?

Answer 19

(Nets, Y poles, gloves)

Question 20

What type of restraint is associated with using box chutes, stanchions, crushes/squeeze chutes, and drop-floor chutes?

Answer 20

(Mechanical physical restraint)

Question 21

(T/F) Most hoofstock will refrain from struggling when they no longer have foot purchase (the purpose of drop-floor chutes), allowing long procedures to be performed.

Answer 21

(F, short procedures)

Question 22

What is the purpose of neuroleptic drugs?

Answer 22

(To attenuate the stress response undergoing intensive management for capture, translocation, isolation, or adaptation to environmental changes)

Question 23

What is the mechanism of action of neuroleptics?

Answer 23

(Block D2 dopamine receptors → produce a state of lucid relief from anxiety)

Question 24

(T/F) Narcoleptics are reversible.

Answer 24

(F)

Question 25

(T/F) Recommended dosages for narcoleptics are inversely proportional to body size so as the bigger an animal gets, the smaller their narcoleptic dose will get.

Answer 25

(T)

Question 26

Why can reducing the fear response in large animals complicate things?

Answer 26

(It reduces avoidance behavior, increases an animals reluctance to move, and increases aggression)

Question 27

What is the mechanism of action of alpha 2 agonists?

Answer 27

(Not like it’s in the name or anything, sympathomimetic agents that selectively stimulates alpha adrenergic receptors)

Question 28

What does the peripheral vasoconstriction induced by alpha 2 agonists cause?

Answer 28

(Hypertension, bradycardia, poor mm color, and 2nd AV blocks)

Question 29

Which of the alpha 2 agonists used in zoological medicine most significantly causes the peripheral vasoconstriction side effects?

Answer 29

(Medetomidine)

Question 30

What is the mechanism of action of benzodiazepines?

Answer 30

(Facilitates the binding of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA at various GABA receptors throughout the CNS)

Question 31

What group of animals is the memory loss side effect of benzodiazepines useful for?

Answer 31

(Primates)