Reptile medicine - general conditions

Question 1

What are general conditions seen in reptiles?

Answer 1

• Nutritional problems
• Retained Shed
• Dystocia
• Parasites
• Prolapses

Question 2

What are nutritional problems with reptiles?

Answer 2

• Calcium disorders - metabolic bone disease (MBD), hypocalcaemia
• Hypovitaminosis A
• Obesity

Question 3

What are causes of metabolic bone disease? Who are patient at risk?

Answer 3

Causes =
◦ Inadequate UV-B exposure (290-320 nm)
◦ Diets lacking Calcium +/- Vitamin D3
◦ Incorrect Calcium: Phosphorus ratio in diet
◦ Other conditions (e.g. CKD) can also affect Calcium metabolism
Patients at risk =
◦ Young growing individuals
◦ Herbivore species
◦ Chameleons, geckos
◦ Females in reproductive condition
◦ Individuals with CKD

Question 4

What are clinical signs of MBD?

Answer 4

• Fibrous osteodystrophy
• Abnormal shell shape

Question 5

How is MBD diagnosed?

Answer 5

• Clinical history
• Clinical exam
• Radiographs - bone density, bone deformities, osteodystrophy lesions

Question 6

How would you treat MBD?

Answer 6

• Vitamin D3
• Calcium gluconate
• Calcitonin

Question 7

What is hypovitaminosis A? Who are patients at risk?

Answer 7

• Squamous metaplasia of different epitheliums
  Patients at risk =
  ◦ Terrapins and aquatic turtles
  ◦ Individuals with unbalanced diets
  Common clinical signs =
  ◦ Blepharitis + keratoconjunctivitis
  ◦ Overgrown nails and beak (chelonians)
  ◦ Stomatitis
  ◦ Rhinitis
  ◦ Aural abscesses
  ◦ Retained shed

Question 8

How would you treat Hypovitaminosis A? Dx?

Answer 8

• Dx = history + typical lesions
• Vitamin A
• Surgical removal of conjunctival debris + aural abscesses
  *Ab eyedrops if eye lesions

Question 9

What reptiles are more prone to obesity?

Answer 9

• Tegus
• Monitor lizards
• inadequate diet + lack of exercise

Question 10

What are main causes of retained shed (dysecdysis)

Answer 10

◦ Low humidity
◦ Low temperature
◦ Poor water quality (aquatic species)
◦ Poor nutrition
◦ Dermatitis (including. Mites) and previous skin lesions
◦ Iatrogenic trauma

Question 11

How can you treat retained shed?

Answer 11

• Correct husbandry (humidity + temp) + diet
• Look for other causes (mites)
• Increase humidity/rehydrate
• Apply vaseline on affected areas
• Surgial if = retained spectacles in snakes, retained shed around eyelid, extreme amputation

Question 12

What are 2 main types of dystocia?

Answer 12

Obstructive =
◦ Reduced pelvic canal size
◦ Abnormal size or shape of eggs/fetus
◦ Non- reproductive masses (e.g. neoplasia, abscess, bladder stones)
◦ Complications during egg laying: fractured egg, adhesions to oviduct, etc

Non-obstructive =
◦ Inadequate husbandry and diet – e.g. temperature, humidity, lack of suitable egg laying sites
◦ Oviduct infections
◦ Poor physical condition of female – e.g. reduced muscle development
◦ Other health problems

Question 13

What is pre/post ovulatory dystocia?

Answer 13

• Pre-ovulatory Dystocia – Failure to ovulate and/or resorb follicles. (usually non-specific complain - not eating/more lethargic)
• Post-ovulatory Dystocia – Failure to lay eggs or give birth to fetus (repro related complaints - recent egg laying, more active, digging around substrate)

Question 14

How is s pre-ovulatory dystocia Dx? Tx?

Answer 14

• Dx = clinical exam (distended coelomic cavity), Radiographs (soft tissue masses), US - diagnostic
• Tx = medical (improve husbandry + correct health), Surgical - GA + Spay

Question 15

How is post-ovulatory dystocia diagnosed? Tx?

Answer 15

• Dx = clinical exam (distended coelom, eggs appear as lumps + palpable)
• Radiographs + US = fully diagnostic
• Tx = medical (induce egg laying), Surgical (ovariectomy +/- spay)

Question 16

How can you induce egg laying?

Answer 16

• Supportive care - keep in POTZ, fluids, egg laying tray
• Calcium gluconate
• Propranolol
• Oxytocin

Question 17

What are external parasites that affect reptiles?

Answer 17

• Ticks - only in wild
• Mites
• Ophionyssus natricis (snakes - dark colour)
• Ophionyssus lacertinus (lizards - red colour)

Question 18

What are main problems caused by mites?

Answer 18

◦ Hematophagous
◦ Very mobile
◦ High reproductive rate
◦ Females lay their eggs in the environment/vivarium
◦ Can potentially transmit other pathogens

Question 19

What are clinical signs of mites?

Answer 19

• Changes in behaviour - pruritus, hyperactivity, spending more time in water tub
• Skin changes
• mites visible (lips, eyelids, skin folds)
• retained shed (+ spectacles in snakes)
• Frequent shedding
• Dermatitis + 2ary bacterial / fungal infections

Question 20

What are potential complications of mites?

Answer 20

◦ Anemia (heavy infestations)
◦ Disease transmission =
- Aeromonas hydrophila
- Hepatozoon sp.
- Retrovirus (Boas)

Question 21

Tx of mites?

Answer 21

• Ivermectin (not in chelonias)
• Fipronil

Question 22

What are internal parasites of reptiles? General approach?

Answer 22

• Cryptosporidium
• Coccidiosis
• Oxyurids - not pathogenic
• Routine testing - wet mount, flotation, fecal smear w ziehl-nielsen + egg count

Question 23

What does crypto cause? Transmission? What does disease depend on?

Answer 23

• Affects GI mucosa
• Snakes = gastric hyperplasia (regurgitation, weight loss, swelling cranial half of body)
• Lizards = enteritis (weight loss, emaciation)
• Fecal-oral route of infection
• Subclinical carrier state common
• Clinical disease depends on =
  ◦ Patient’s immune status
  ◦ Stress
  ◦ Other pathogens present on GI tract

Question 24

How is crypto treated?

Answer 24

• NO effective Tx
• Spiramycin, paromomycin, TMP + Sulfa = all reduce CS + shedding
• Euthanasia?

Question 25

What is seen with cocci? Dx? Tx?

Answer 25

• Mostly in lizards
• instestinal cocci = isospora
• biliary cocci = choleoeimeria
• CS = weight loss, slow growth, lethargy
• Dx = in house testing - flotation
• Tx = toltrazuril / TMP + Sulfa