Rodents Flashcards
What is the dental formula of rodents?
1013/1013
Where can you blood sample a rat?
Lat tail vein
Femoral vein
Where can you blood sample a mouse?
Lat tail vein
Femoral vein
Where can you blood sample a chincilla?
Cranial vena cava
Jugular vein
Femoral vein
Where can you blood sample a guinea pig?
Cranial vena cava
Femoral vein
Ear vein
Where can you blood sample a hamster?
Femoral vein Cardiac puncture (euthanasia)
How do you sample the cranial vena cava (and from which animals)?
Guinea pigs and chincillas
Insert needle cranial to 1st rib and angle toward opposite hindleg.
What is the pH of urine in i) a guinea pig, and ii) a chinchilla?
i) 9
ii) 8.5
What is the specific gravity of rodent urine?
> 1.045
Where can IM injections be given?
Quadriceps m. (but avoid- PAINFUL)
What is the maintenance fluid therapy rate?
100ml/kg/day
Which is the best site for intraosseous catheterisation?
Trochanteric fossa or tibial crest
Why is nutritional support important in rodents?
Prone to hypoglycaemia and gastric stasis/hepatic lipidosis.
What is a critical complication of diarrhoea in guinea pigs and hamsters?
Enterotoxaemia
What agent causes proliferative ileitis in hamsters?
Lawsonia intracellularis
What are the clinical signs of proliferative ileitis?
Lethargy Anorexia Weight loss Abdominal pain Watery foul smelling diarrhoea DEATH within 24-48 hours!!
How is proliferative ileitis treated?
Tetracycline orally + supportive therapy
Which antibiotics are responsible for antibiotic associated diarrhoea in hamsters?
PLACE: Penicillins Lincosamides Aminoglycosides Cephalosporins Erythromycin
Kills normal gut flora allowing Clostridium spiriforme to proliferate
What are the most common respiratory diseases of rats?
Mycoplasma pulmonis
What are the most common respiratory diseases of guinea pigs?
Bordatella bronchiseptica
Streptococcus pneumoniae
What are the most common respiratory diseases of mice?
Cilia-associated respiratory bacillus
Sendai virus
What is the cause of urolithiasis in guinea pigs?
Diets high in calcium/oxalate, bacterial infections
What are the clinical signs of urolithiasis in guinea pigs?
Dysuria
Haematuria
Stranguria
General depression
How is renal disease treated in rodents?
Reduce dietary protein intake (4-7%)
What is the cause of flystrike in guinea pigs?
Older/obese guinea pigs can’t reach anus to eat caecal pellets at night, so perineum becomes caked in faeces
What is the cause of pregnancy toxaemia in guinea pigs?
Obese pregnant female
Toxic form: foetal displacement causes impaired uterine blood supply, causing ischaemia, foetal death, DIC
Metabolic form: stressor -> toxaemia
What are the clinical signs of pregnancy toxaemia in the guinea pig?
Depression Anorexia Abortion Salivation Ketonuria + ketones on breath Convulsions Coma -> DEATH
How is pregnancy toxaemia in the guinea pig treated?
Dextrose + fluids OR propylene glycol, steroids, calcium gluconate
What are the Vitamin C daily requirements of guinea pigs?
10mg/kg (as like primates they can’t synthesize it from glucose)- need 30mg/kg in pregnancy/illness
What are the clinical signs of hypovitaminosis in guinea pigs?
Rough hair coat Scaling of pinnae Lethargy Weakness Wasting Hypersalivation Anorexia Unsteady gait Painful locomotion Gingival H+ Loose teeth Loose foul-smelling faeces
How is hypovitaminosis C treated in the guinea pig?
50-100mg/kg daily of vitamin C (resolves within 7 days)
What is the common species predilection and cause of conjunctivitis in rodents?
Chinchillas- dust baths causing ocular irritation
What are the common mammary tumours in i) rats and ii) mice?
i) Benign fibroadenomas
ii) Malignant adenocarcinoma
What is the cause of cavian leukaemia?
Lymphosarcoma- assoc w/ type C retroviral infection
What is the most and second most common cancer in hamsters?
- Melanomas
2. Epitheliotropic lymphoma
What are the common causes of torticollis in rodents?
Central lesions e.g. pituitary adenomas
Bacterial infection (secondary to respiratory infection)
Aural papillomas/polyps (GERBILS)
What is the common cause of symmetrical alopecia in guinea pigs and gerbils?
Cystic ovarian disease
When should food be removed pre-anaesthesia in rodents?
NEVER- DO NOT FAST as prone to hypoglycaemia and gut stasis. May remove 1 hour before in guinea pigs and chinchillas to ensure there is no food in the pharynx
When do guinea pigs become sexually mature?
Female: 4-6 weeks
Male: 9-10 weeks
