Sugar Gliders Flashcards
π Case 1
A 4-month-old sugar glider has been fed mostly bananas, apples, and yogurt drops. It now presents with hindlimb weakness.
β What is the likely diagnosis?
A) Obesity
B) Hepatic lipidosis
C) Metabolic bone disease
C) Metabolic bone disease β
π Case 2
A breeder offers 2:1 produce to feed ratio in a weaned joeyβs diet and feeds daily waxworms.
β What is the most appropriate change?
A) Increase fruit content to promote growth
B) Switch to 1:1 feed:produce and limit waxworms
C) Add more honey and maple syrup for energy
B) Switch to 1:1 feed:produce and limit waxworms β
π Case 1
A 1-year-old intact male sugar glider housed alone presents with repeated penile trauma and bloody urine. Owner reports he often licks his genital area.
β What is the most appropriate first-line management?
A) Increase cage size and feed more fruit
B) Neuter the glider and enrich the environment
C) Prescribe naloxone to block enkephalin receptors
B) Neuter the glider and enrich the environment β
π Case 2
A sugar glider is prescribed meloxicam and fluoxetine for genital self-mutilation. The owner continues to hand-feed treats every time the glider shows distress.
β What is the best advice for this client?
A) Ignore the behavior and offer enrichment preemptively
B) Continue treats to build positive association
C) Use a laser pointer for redirection when the behavior starts
A) Ignore the behavior and offer enrichment preemptively β
π¦ Case 1
A 6-year-old male sugar glider is presented for lethargy, icterus, and ataxia. Post-mortem histology shows hepatocellular carcinoma and biliary hyperplasia. Rhodanine staining reveals copper pigment.
βWhich finding is most strongly associated with hepatic copper accumulation in this case?
A) Hepatocellular carcinoma
B) Icterus
C) Ataxia
B) Icterus β
π¦ Case 2
A 7-year-old female sugar glider is euthanized due to hepatic mass. Histology confirms fibrosis, necrosis, and cholestasis. Copper staining is marked and ICP-MS confirms 610 ΞΌg/g.
βWhich hepatic histologic finding in sugar gliders has the highest odds ratio for copper accumulation?
A) Fibrosis
B) Cholestasis
C) Necrosis
B) Cholestasis β
π Clinical Case 1
A male sugar glider is presented for lethargy and a firm abdomen. On exam, he shows a swollen cloacal area and signs of dysuria.
β What is the most likely cause of AKI in this patient?
A) Urolithiasis with urethral obstruction
B) Renal Klossiellosis
C) Paracloacal gland impaction
C) Paracloacal gland impaction β (Correct β can obstruct urine flow and cause postrenal AKI)
π Clinical Case 2
A sugar glider with recent penile trauma is urinating poorly. The forked portion of the penis is necrotic, but urethra is intact.
β What is the BEST surgical approach?
A) Full penile amputation
B) Amputation of forked portion only
C) Perineal urethrostomy
B) Amputation of forked portion only β
π¦ Case 1
A 6-year-old male sugar glider presents with lethargy and obesity (BCS 9/9). Biochemistry reveals ALP 720 U/L, cholesterol 250 mg/dL. Ultrasound shows a hypoechoic hepatic mass near the right kidney. Cytology shows mild vacuolar change and lymphocytic infiltration. The owner declines biopsy.
βWhat is the most appropriate next step in management?
A) Begin enrofloxacin for bacterial hepatitis
B) Start silymarin and monitor with serial imaging and bloodwork
C) Assume lymphoma and initiate chemotherapy
B) Start silymarin and monitor with serial imaging and bloodwork β
π¦ Case 2
A sugar glider has had a chronic elevation of ALP (>600 U/L) for over a year. Multiple cytologies show well-differentiated hepatocytes with vacuolar change. CT reveals a 1.6 cm heterogeneous mass from the caudate lobe. No signs of systemic illness. Owner declines surgical biopsy.
βWhich diagnosis is most consistent with the findings and imaging?
A) Hepatic carcinosarcoma
B) Hepatic lipidosis
C) Cholangiocarcinoma
A) Hepatic carcinosarcoma β
π Clinical Case 1
A breeder presents a colony of sugar gliders with sudden deaths and intermittent diarrhea. Several of the affected animals are older and one is a pregnant female. Culture confirms Salmonella enterica.
β What is the MOST appropriate recommendation in this scenario?
A) Begin enrofloxacin therapy for all individuals
B) Depopulate and disinfect all enclosures
C) Treat only symptomatic animals with metronidazole
B) Depopulate and disinfect all enclosures β
π Clinical Case 2
A newly purchased sugar glider develops watery diarrhea and dies within 24 hours. Other animals in the colony appear healthy. Culture is pending.
β What is the BEST next step to protect the colony?
A) Add antibiotics to the colonyβs drinking water
B) Quarantine and monitor the group, disinfect all enclosures
C) Begin corticosteroid therapy to reduce inflammation
π Case 1
A family moving from Japan to the U.S. wishes to bring their sugar glider with them. They request veterinary assistance to prepare import documentation.
β What should you advise?
A) Inform them sugar gliders cannot legally be exported from Japan
B) Assist with quarantine documentation and export permits
C) Recommend sedation and shipment via air freight
A) Inform them sugar gliders cannot legally be exported from Japan β
π Case 2
A new client in Quebec wants to adopt a sugar glider and keep it legally.
β What is the MINIMUM requirement for legal ownership?
A) A signed veterinarian certificate and liability insurance
B) A simple online registration
C) No restrictions β sugar gliders are considered domestic
A) A signed veterinarian certificate and liability insurance β
πΎ Case 1:
A 1-year-old sugar glider presents 10 days after microchip placement with a dorsal wound. The lesion is 1 cm wide, necrotic, and contains plant debris. Histology reveals Gram+ cocci and granulomatous inflammation.
What is the most likely pathogenesis?
A. Penetrating trauma from cage enrichment
B. Implant-induced foreign body reaction and self-mutilation
C. Primary bacterial dermatitis due to contaminated diet
B. Implant-induced foreign body reaction and self-mutilation β
πΎ Case 2:
Four sugar gliders from the same colony develop dorsal wounds after microchip placement. One dies despite antibiotics and wound care. Necropsy reveals Morganella morganii and Streptococcus sp.
What contributed most to the fatal outcome?
A. Anesthetic complications
B. Systemic spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria
C. Allergic reaction to suture material
B. Systemic spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria β
π¦ Case 1: The Itchy Newcomer
A 1-year-old female sugar glider presents 9 days post-microchip implant with a 1.0 cm dorsal wound and signs of scratching. She is housed with 8 others and has a history of recent relocation.
Which of the following is the most likely contributing factor to self-mutilation in this case?
A. Dietary calcium deficiency
B. Isolation stress
C. Implant-induced foreign body reaction
C. Implant-induced foreign body reaction β
π¦ Case 2: The Quiet Decline
A sugar glider presents with a reopened dorsal surgical wound, anorexia, and weight loss. Cultures later reveal Morganella morganii and Streptococcus sp. resistant to common antibiotics.
What best explains the treatment failure and clinical decline?
A. Ineffective wound debridement
B. Early discontinuation of meloxicam
C. Multidrug-resistant bacterial sepsis
C. Multidrug-resistant bacterial sepsis β
