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Animal Nutrition > Small Animal Exotics Nutrition > Flashcards

Small Animal Exotics Nutrition Flashcards

1
Q

What is important to remember about a physical exam of herbivorous mammals?

A

Prey species- pay attention to signs of distress
• Start exam by observation from a distance • BCS, bodyweight should be evaluated every time • Care must be given to gentle abdominal palpation • Oral evaluation

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2
Q

What is a rat? What can they be used for?

A

A good representative of most murine
species
• Used as pet, research animal

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3
Q

What is important about rats in terms of their teeth, gall bladder, lifespan ect?

A
  • Teeth: incisors continuously grow
  • Requires gnawing on material to wear teeth • Lacks a gallbladder to store bile
  • Adapted to small frequent meals • Omnivorous • Cannot vomit • Short life span: 2-3 years
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4
Q

What kind of food do rats eat? What is Neophobic? How do we know what they need? What can provide them nutritionally what they need

A

• Rats are highly adaptable in their diet
and can eat a variety of foods
• May be neophobic- will not try new
foods unless exposed to them at a
young age
• Since rats are used as lab animals, their nutritional requirements are well researched and understood
• Commercial pellets can provide a rat
their entire nutrition with no need to
supplement

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5
Q

What are rats prone to? How can this happen? What kind of watering device is ideal?

A
  • Rats are prone to becoming
    overweight or obese
    • This can be the result of excess treats
    or fruit
  • Water is best provided in sipping bottle as this prevents spilling
    Food should be stored in a dry cool place
    and consumed within 6 months
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6
Q

what can cause obesity in a rat? What does obesity predispose rats to?

A

• Rats evolved to eat anything and will
overconsume high fat and high
carbohydrate treats • Seed based diets, table scraps can be
high fat/high calorie
• Rats on high quality formulated pelleted
diets rarely become obese
• Obesity predisposes to osteoarthritis,
pododermatitis, neoplasia, renal
disease

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7
Q

What is important about guinea pig teeth? What do they need in order to do this, What kind of fermenters are guinea pigs?

A

Guinea pigs have continuously
growing molars, premolars and
incisors • These require roughage to wear down
and prevent malocclusion and dental
disease • They are monogastric hindgut
fermenter herbivores
• Long colon • Large cecum

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8
Q

What kind of stools do guinea pigs have?

A
  • Guinea pigs have two types of stool
  • Regular feces/pellets
  • Cecotrophs
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9
Q

What are cecotropes?

A

• Cecotropes are the product of the
cecum, and are partially fermented • Cecotropes are high in B vitamins,
vitamin K, amino acids, and short-
chain fatty acids • Guinea pigs would typically produce cecotropes at night and ingest them right away ( sometimes called night feces)

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10
Q

Is it normal to see cecotropes in the cage? What could be a reason for this?

A

It is abnormal to see many cecotopes on the bottom
of the cage
• Can indicate a disease/obesity
• Can occur in wire bottom cages
• Obese guinea pigs
• Arthritic guinea pigs

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11
Q

What do guinea pigs lack naturally and what do they need supplemented?

A

• Lack L‐gulonolactone oxidase
• Cannot convert glucose to vitamin C and
require dietary vitamin C

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12
Q

What is the recommended guinea pig diet?

A

Feed hay ad-lib
• Hay is important for GI motility, normal
GI microflora, normal occlusion
• Alfalfa/legume hay in juveniles (high in
protein, calcium)
• Grass hay in adults
• Formulated high quality pellets
(additional vitamins and minerals)= 1
Tbsp/g.pig/day
• Vitamin C supplement- minimum 2
mg/g.pig/day
• Vegetables and fruit
(peppers, parsley, kiwi,
cabbage)

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13
Q

What quantity of water is needed for guinea pigs? What is the ideal waterers and feeders for guinea pigs?

A

10‐40 ml of water per 100 g body
weight • Automatic waterers better than sipper
bottles
• Pre‐masticated food spit into sipper
bottle, causing clogs
• Raised, mounted feeders are preferred
• Prevent overturning

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14
Q

What is guinea pig scurvy? What are the clinical signs? How do you diagnosis it? Are there any lab tests?

A
  • Many subclinical cases
    • Clinical sigs: rough hair coat, anorexia,
    diarrhea, teeth grinding, swollen and painful
    joints, secondary infections, delayed wound
    healing, lameness, internal hemorrhage
    • Diagnosis based upon dietary history
    • Serum ascorbic acid levels validated but rarely used
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15
Q

What should you give to all sick guinea pigs as a supplement?

A

All sick GP should receive vitamin C
parenterally 100 mg SQ/ per day

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16
Q

What is important about rabbit teeth? What kind of teeth? How do they maintain them?

A

• Continuously growing incisors,
molars and premolars
• Rabbits have two sets of incisors (peg
teeth) • Require roughage for gnawing and
mastication to wear teeth

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17
Q

What kind of stomachs do they have? What stool do they produce?

A

Monogastric, hindgut fermenting
herbivores
• Long colon and large cecum • Produce cecotropes
- fermentation creates cecotropes

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18
Q

Why cant rabbits vomit?

A
  • Well developed cardiac sphincter
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19
Q

Is calcium absorption dependent on vitamin D? What is Vitamin D required for? What are their calcium requirements?

A
  • Calcium absorption is independent of
    vitamin D in rabbits
    • Vitamin D is needed for phosphorus absorption in rabbits
    • Rabbits have similar calcium requirements to other species but are very efficient in calcium absorption
    • Rabbits normally have high blood calcium
    • Much higher than dogs or cats
    • More calcium is excreted in the urine
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20
Q

Why do rabbits have high blood calcium?

A

They are efficient at ingesting calcium

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21
Q

What are the feeding guidelines for rabbits?

A
  • Grass hay – ad libitum in adult rabbits
    • Juvenile rabbits may benefit from alfalfa/legume hay
    • Formulated pellets – 1/4 c per 3 kg body
    weight
    • “Treats” – vegetables, limited fruit ( avoid high sugar)
    • Water ad libitum via bowl or sipper bottle
    • High water consumption of 120 ml/kg
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22
Q

What nutritional diseases can you see in rabbits?

A
  • Rabbits have a very sensitive GI tract
  • They rely heavily on the normal GI microbiota to protect that gut and for normal digestion
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23
Q

What is the concern with antibiotics and rabbits?

A

• Use of certain antimicrobials such as beta-lactams can be fatal in rabbits (and guinea pigs and chinchillas too) (especially orally, given injectable will be safer, but still can cause issues)
• Especially if given enterally (per-os)
• Causes GI dysbiosis
• Can lead to bacterial translocation
Severe overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria.

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24
Q

In rabbits: What is GI stasis? What causes it? What are consequences of it? How can you tell if the animal has gi stasis?

A

• GI stasis or ileus can occur for a
variety of reasons:
• Illness
• Pain
• Heat/temperature
• Dental disease
• Diet (inadequate fiber)
• It can progress to severe dysbiosis,
impaction and can be ultimately fatal

( listen with stethoscope for gut sounds/ motility sounds)

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25
Q

In rabbits: What is the common presentation of gI stasis in terms of diet? What are the clinical signs?

A

• Common presentation- rabbit fed an all
pelleted diet without hay, or ‘party mix diet’,
or due to diet change
• Inadequate fiber intake contributes to poor
motility
• Clinical signs:
• Hyporexia/anorexia , Low fecal production- feces hard, small , Diminished GI sounds- borborygmi, Lethargy

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26
Q

How can pain cause GI stasis in rabbits?

A

Pain activates sympathetic, which will inhibit parasympathetic which is responsible for GI motility.

27
Q

What is the treatment of GI stasis in rabbits?

A

• Treatment:
- Usually these cases do not require
surgery, even if there is an impaction
- Fluids (try not to use ear vein, not ideal even though its easier, not ideal for large volumes)
- Assisted (syringe) feeding
- Pain control (avoid narcotics that slow
GI motility)
- Correct underlying disease
• Correct diet
• Dental disease
• Pain etc

28
Q

What commercial diets are good for rabbits to prevent GI stasis?

A
  • There are several commercial diets that can be used to provide assisted nutrition to herbivores
  • These consists of blends of chopped hay that can be mixed with water and provided through a catheter-tip syringe
  • Choose a diet that provides the longest fiber possible with consideration to the animal’s size and route of feeding
  • very fine powdered fiber is less likely to stimulate gastrointestinal motility
  • Fine fiber particles may enter the cecum and undergo fermentation instead of reaching the colon, where longer fiber promotes motility

Brands: Oxbow Critical Care, Oxbow Animal Health, Murdock, NE, USA; Emeraid Herbivore, Lafeber’s, Cornell, IL, USA

29
Q

In Rabbits: Why is GI surgery ( laparotomy) not ideal for impaction?

A

Rabbits GI is so sensitive, if you go in for laparotomy it is 50/50% if they will survive and high risk of damaging enteric nervous system) Pain with surgery can also make surgical intervention worse.
Dont do surgery if you can help it.

30
Q

What are the energy requirements of rabbits? How do you syringe feed a rabbit? When should you abort trying to provide assisted feeding?

A

• Energy requirements: RER= 70 X Bodyweight (in kg)0.75 • Feeding with a syringe should be done slowly, allowing the patient to chew and swallow
• Do not feed a patient that is reluctant or when struggling, make sure they are also fully awake and able to masticate or they risk aspiration.
(though they tolerate it well normally)

31
Q

What urinary disease occurs in rabbits and guinea pigs?

A

• Urolithiasis is a common presentation
in rabbits and guinea pigs
• The etiology is not completely
understood, but likely involves diet
and body condition
• The vast majority of uroliths in
rabbits and guinea pigs are calcium
carbonate in composition

32
Q

What clinical signs can you see in a rabbit or guinea pig with urolithiasis? How can it be diagnosed? What will you feel on physical exam/ palpation?

A
  • Presentation: depression, anorexia, lethargy, hematuria, stranguria, and teeth grinding.
  • The urinary bladder may be palpably enlarged and firm (particularly in rabbits)
  • Imaging with abdominal ultrasound or radiographs would confirm the diagnosis.
33
Q

What treatments occur for rabbit urinary disease? How may you prevent reoccurrence? What are high calcium items? What food source may help reduce urinary calcium excretion?

A
  • Surgical treatment may be necessary according to location. Cystotomy may be needed with large cystic calculi.
    • Diet change may help prevent
    recurrence
    • Review the diet for any high calcium
    food items
    • Alfalfa hay
    • High calcium leafy greens
  • Grass hay may also reduce urinary calcium excretion compared with legume hay and increased water intake.
34
Q

What is the concern with dental malocclusions in rabbits? What can contribute to it? How severe can it become, and what complications can occur?

A

• Dental malocclusion in rabbits and
rodents is much more prevalent in
animals fed a low roughage diet
• Party mixes, grains, excess fruit can all
contribute
• Vicious cycle- dental disease may make it
- In guinea pigs- hypovitaminosis C may be a
contributing factor
harder to chew fiber
• Malocclusion may be quite severe and
may develop to secondary abscessation
which may have a significant negative
impact on quality of life

35
Q

What are important considerations about dental malocclusions? What treatments are available for dental malocclusions?

A
  • Important to consider the molars and
    premolars- not only the incisors
  • Use drill when trying to trim teeth, clippers can cause splinters/ fractures of teeth.
  • Treatment: often repeated procedures are
    required to evenly reduce crown height with a high-speed burr
    • Diet change- once malocclusion is resolved increase fiber intake to encourage proper teeth wear
36
Q

Are ferrets normally intact when sold? What family do they belong to?

A

• In the US, ferrets are typically sold after
being spayed or neutered and descended by the breeding facility before they are 6
weeks of age
• Few private breeders exist (limited genetic
pool)
• Ferrets belong to the Mustelidae family that
also includes mink, weasels, badgers, etc

37
Q

What is important about the feeding biology of ferrets? What GI organs do they lack>

A

• Strict carnivores • Dentition designed for grasping and tearing
• Strong bite capable of crushing the skull of small prey
• Simple carnivore GI tract, with stomach,
duodenum, jejunum, and colon • Lack ileum and cecum, and colon is non sacculated

38
Q

What are ferrets amino acid requirements? What are their diets generally high in? Low in? Are there commercial diets available? What other diets are there?

A

• Ferrets have a requirement for
10 essential amino acids
• Diet generally high in fat
• Low glucokinase activity (like cats), diet typically low in carbohydrate
• Ferrets have a commercial diets available
• Relatively few brands
• Many grain-free diets
• Some people feed raw (or previously frozen-thawed) whole prey

39
Q

How should you offer water to ferrets? What percentage of their diet is treats? What are acceptable treats, human food, ect?

A
  • Water should be always available in spill-proof bowls or sipping bottles
  • Treat should be limited to 10% of the diet
  • Commercial high protein treats, human foods (meat, egg) are acceptable
40
Q

What does it mean to be neophobic (ferrets)? How can you account for that/ work around that?

A
  • Ferrets are neophobic and may not accept a new diet easily
  • Recommend to expose them to a variety of foods and diets at a young age
41
Q

What is the concern with ferret obesity? What are the causes? Are males or females normally larger with more adipose tissue?

A

Ferret obesity is increasingly recognized as an important nutritional disease

• Some weight gain is seasonal
• Males are typically larger and have more
adipose tissue compared with females

• Many ferret owners feed ad-libitum and mix
commercial pelleted diet with canned cat
food, and other treat items

• Excessive administration of high fat
supplements, such as Ferretone (8-in-1,
Spectrum Brands, Inc. Islandia, NY)

42
Q

How can you manage ferret obesity?

A
  • Meal feeding is preferred to ad-lib
    feeding and allows for intake restriction
    and adjustment (will go into more
    depth in dogs/cats)
    • Eliminating/reducing high fat treats
    could be sufficient in some cases
    • Encouraging play and activity may be
    helpful too
    • Area should be ‘ferret-proofed’
43
Q

What is ferret pancreatic beta islet cell neoplasia? What are the signs of hypoglycemia?

A

Also known as insulinomas
• The most diagnosed neoplasm in ferrets with a reported incidence of 22-25%
• This disease often remains undiagnosed for prolonged periods of time, due in part to free- choice feeding strategies for ferret
- Signs of hypoglycemia: Signs of hypoglycemia in ferrets include
lethargy, ptylism, and weakness
• seizures are uncommon

44
Q

What is the treatment of ferret insulinomas?

A

In an emergency- glucose or corn syrup on the gums can stabilize blood sugar
• This is not a good option long term- high blood glucose stimulate of additional insulin secretion
• Long term treatment
• High protein high fat food (‘duck’ or ‘dook’
soup recipes) can be used temporarily • Food should be available at all times • Ferrets should be encouraged to eat every 2-4
hours/ food available 24 hours/day
• Surgical treatment/glucocorticoids

45
Q

What is IBD in ferrets? Is it common? What is the most common presentation? How can it be managed?

A

• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is relatively common in ferrets
• Similar to other species, the etiology of this condition is unknown
• On histology, most common presentation is
lymphoplasamcytic infiltrates
• Some ferrets respond well to diet change, and some ‘limited ingredient’ commercial diets are commercially
available
• Some ferrets would benefit from added fiber
• This appears to be very idiosyncratic
• Best to try a small amount of fiber and evaluate the response

46
Q

What can occur with ferrets that are overweight, that become anorexic? What animal is it similar to? How can you intervene/ prevent?

A

• Like cats, overweight ferrets that are
anorexic may develop complications
associated with a catabolic state,
including hepatic lipidosis
• Therefore, nutritional intervention is
important to prevent this
• There are formulated powdered, high
fat and high protein diets that ferrets
regularly accept

47
Q

What is ferret urolithiasis? What diet can cause this? What occurs with the metabolism of plant proteins?

A

• Ferret fed diets high in plant-based proteins, such as yellow corn, are at risk to develop struvite urolithiasis (magnesium ammonium phosphate)
• For example, low quality dog or cat
food
• Metabolism of plant proteins produces
more alkaline urine than the typical acidic
urine of ferrets
• Struvite uroliths develop in alkaline pH
• Usually, these struvite uroliths are sterile
and not due to an infection (unlike in
dogs, like cats)

48
Q

What is cystine uroliths? What causes them? What is the causes in dogs? Ferrets? Why does cystine form uroliths but other non essential amino acids do not ?

A

• Cystine uroliths are cysteine dimers
• Cystine is a non-essential amino acid that comes from the diet or metabolized from methionine
• In dogs, a hereditary trait can cause urinary
leakage of multiple amino acids to the urine,
including cysteine
• Etiology in ferrets is unknown ( Some authors have reported an anecdotal relationship between feeding a high legume
protein diet, rich in protein and sulfur amino acids, and cystine urolithiasis • For example, some grain free ferret diets)
• Other amino acids do not dimerize whereas
cysteine dimerizes into a water insoluble compound
• This builds over time and forms crystals and uroliths

49
Q

What are potential treatments of ferret urolithiasis? Prevention of reoccurrence?

A

• Treatment: there are no dissolution diets for ferrets for either struvite or cystine
• Surgical removal is needed when the urolith causes clinical signs
Prevention of recurrence:
• Cystine forms more easily in acidic urine,
therefore urine alkalization with potassium citrate or other supplements may be helpful • Struvite forms more easily in alkaline urine, therefore supplement that acidify the urine
such as methionine supplements may help (but may increase risk of cystine???)
• Urine dilution is always recommended for
prevention
• This may be achieved by feeding a high moisture
diet, diluting the food with additional water if needed

50
Q

What can be given to acidify urine in ferrets? Alkalize?

A

Acidify: Methionine
Alkalize: Potassium citrate

51
Q

What are sugar gliders? Where are they found? What kind of food do they like? What kind of digestive system do they have? What is important about their large intestines?

A

• Sugar gliders are small, omnivorous,
nocturnal gliding possums
• Found throughout the northern and
eastern parts of mainland Australia,
Tasmania, New Guinea
• Able to glide in the air
• Attracted to high sugar foods
• Hindgut fermenters
• Well-developed cecum that utilizes
bacterial fermentation to break down
complex polysaccharides

52
Q

What do sugar gliders feed on in nature?

A

• In nature sugar gliders feed on
• Sap and gum of the eucalyptus and
acacia tree
• Pollen
• Nectar
• Manna (a sugar deposit from the sap
oozing from wounds on tree branches
or trunks)
• Honeydew (sugar secreted by sap-
sucking insects)
• Variety of insects and spiders

53
Q

What are the components of a sugar gliders diet in captivity?

A

• Commercial formulated diet should account for about 50% of the diet
• Calcium-loaded insects (crickets, mealworms, waxworms, cockroaches, moths) • Fruits, nuts, and vegetables should be offered only in moderation
• Nectar/sap substitute (eg, fructose /sucrose/glucose or honey diluted to 10% with water)
• Nectar should account for up to less than 50%
of the diet
• Several nectar substitutes are commercially
available
• Acacia gum powder • Nectar diets meant for lory birds
• Eggs, lean meat, newborn mice can be
provided occasionally

54
Q

When should food be offered to sugar gliders? How?

A

Food should be offered in the evening,
when sugar gliders are active
• Preferred on an elevated platform,
because gliders feel more secure
eating up high, as they would in trees in
the wild

55
Q

What are sugar gliders prone to in terms of nutritional related diseases? What would you see with this condition? What can be a cause?

A
  • Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism is not uncommon in sugar gliders fed a high
    sugar/fruit diet
    • Calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus deficiency or skewed Ca:P ratio
    • Should rule out kidney disease although less common
    • These animals usually have poor skeletal
    mineralization
    • Multiple fractures- can include spinal fractures too
    • Seizures due to hypocalcemia may occur
56
Q

What is the treatment of nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism in sugar gliders?

A

• Treatment:
• If fractures are present- adjust the caging to provide less climbing and gliding
opportunities
• The cage should have smooth sides so that the glider cannot climb
• A plastic container may work or a large aquarium
• Place food and water in shallow dishes on the bottom of its cage
• Do not provide any climbing structures
• Some sugar gliders may not be able to groom, and may need the owner to help
clean them regularly
• Calcium globionate given for several
months until bone quality improves
• Calcitonin may be provided
• Consider analgesia such as meloxicam.
- Seizures can be controlled with calcium lactate.

57
Q

What diagnostics can you use for secondary hyperparathyroidism?

A

Recheck within 1-2 weeks of starting on treatment
- Radiograph after 6 weeks to check the mineralization
of its bones. • A lengthy treatment as many gliders take 3 to 6
months to recover • Recovery may not be complete in some cases due to
bone remodeling

58
Q

What other nutritional diseases can sugar gliders have?

A

• Sugar gliders are also at risk of
becoming obese due to excess caloric
intake and lack of exercise
• They are also prone to hepatitis
associated with iron storage disease if
fed too much high iron foods such as
meat and some leafy vegetables

59
Q

what are hedgehogs? What do they prefer in terms of climate? What variations are there? What kind of stomach do they have and can they vomit?

A

• Most common species of domesticated
hedgehog is the African Pygmy hedgehog
• Hybrid of the White-bellied or Four-toed
Hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris) and the Algerian Hedgehog (A. algirus)
• Smaller than the European hedgehog
• Domesticated species prefer a warm climate (above 70 °F) and do not naturally hibernate
• Several color mutations exist (albino, pinto) • They are omnivores with a simple stomach • Vomiting reflex present

60
Q

What is the hedgehog diet?

A

• Commercially prepared hedgehog diets are
preferred
• Lower fat cat food can also be used
• Additional acceptable food items such as
cooked meat, eggs, mealworms, crickets, earthworms, waxworms and fruits and vegetables can be provided in small amounts
• Food intake should be adjusted as
hedgehogs are prone to obesity

61
Q

What shouldn’t you feed to hedgehogs?

A
  • Dairy
  • Hard nuts/seeds
  • Raisins
  • Garlic/onion
  • Avocado
  • Raw meat
  • Wild caught slugs, insects
62
Q

What nutritional related disease a9s common in hedgehogs? How is it managed? What causes it? What is the prognosis?

A
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy is common in hedgehogs
  • Etiology is unclear-genetic? Nutritional?
  • Possible benefit to providing taurine and carnitine supplementation
  • Medical management with pimobendin, furosemide
  • Prognosis is poor
63
Q

What other nutritional related diseases can you see in hedgehogs ? Are they common? How are they managed? What causes them How can you detect them

A

• Diarrhea may be the result of infectious disease, but also can be associated
with some commercial diets or inappropriate foods such as milk
• Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant

• Hepatic lipidosis is relatively common especially in sick overweight
hedgehogs

• Diagnosis is supported by testing for hepatic enzymes, plasma bilirubin, and bile
acids

Animal Nutrition (27 decks)

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