Week Five: Small Mammals (Part 1) Flashcards
What is the type of ferret you should not see in a clinic?
Black Footed Ferrets (Mustela nigripes)
Ferrets don’t have ____, so they are more prone to ______ during surgery.
Sweat glands; hyperthermia
Reproduction of ferrets:
Females are what type of ovulators?
Seasonally polyestrous induced ovulators
Explain a ferrets nutrition requirements/what you should be feeding them
Obligate carnivores, dry ferret foods, supplements only for specific health concerns, limit treats
What are zoonotic concerns with ferrets?
Influenza is the most common
Potential concerns: leptospirosis, listeriosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, tuberculosis, rabies
Epizootic Catarrhal Enteritis in ferrets
AKA Green slime disease or ECE
Highly contagious within ferrets, green diarrhea, dehydration, anorexia, wasting
Tumors in ferrets (include what is the most commonly occurred tumor)
Adrenal gland most common
Signs: hair loss, vulvar enlargement in spayed females, prostatic hyperplasia, behavioral change, muscle wasting
Other cancers in ferrets: lymphoma, insulinoma
Myofascitis in ferrets
Inflammation of muscles and fascia, affects young animals, signs include pain, fever, reluctance to move, diarrhea, vomiting, anorexia, neutrophilic leukocytosis
What are some preventative procedures for ferrets?
Distemper and rabies, heartworm prevention
Restraint methods for ferrets
Scruffing, controlling head with fingers, light stretch of hind quarters, towel
What is oryctolagus cuniculus?
Domestic lagomorphs
Behavior of rabbits
Timid, submissive, chew and gnaw, not very playful with humans, naturally urinate and defecate in designated area, may spray to mark territory
Rabbits digestive system
Herbivorous with open-rooted teeth, hind gut fermentation, cannot vomit, cecotrophy (night stool),
Most common WBC in rabbits
Lymphocytes
Rabbits have _____ instead of ______ (type of cells)
heterophils; neutrophils
What can wire cage floors cause in rabbits?
Pododermatitis
Nutrition of rabbits
Metered pelleted diets, free choice hay, fresh foods in small quantities, drink twice the volume of what they eat
Snuffles of rabbits
Bacterial upper respiratory tract disease, typically caused by Pasteurella multocida or Bordetella bronchiseptica and Staphylococcal species
Signs: sneezing, mucopurulent nasal discharge, conjunctivitis
No prevention available, treatment is supportive
GI diseases of rabbits
Caused by Coccidia, Rotaviruses and coronaviruses, E. coli, Lawsonia, and Clostridium, high fiber diets can help prevent many issues
Otoacariasis in rabbits
Ear mite infestation by Psoroptes cuniculi
Signs: pruritus, head shaking, stress, ears painful to touch
Treatment: environmental cleaning, antiparasitic drugs
Pododermatitis in rabbits
Decubital ulcers (bed sores)
Caused by: poor sanitation, environmental moisture, excessive rabbit size, wire bottomed caging
Treatment: Changing cage environment, debriding, treating, bandaging, and re bandaging wounds
Blue fur disease of rabbits
Moist dermatitis with secondary pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, perineal urine or diarrhea scald (hutch burn), face, neck, and dewlap area (slobbers), Pseudomonas create a blue-green pigment
Treatment: dry the environemtn, clipping fur in lesion areas, treating lesions, offering water from a bottle
Malocclusion of the incisors of rabbits
Causes: Incomplete or inadequate wearing of teeth, skull shape leading to malocclusion, trauma
Treatment: Tooth trimming
Traumatic vertebral subluxation and fracture of rabbits
Occurs secondary to struggling against restraint, improper handling, sudden jumping, starling a caged rabbit
Zoonotic disease concerns of rabbits
Dermatophytosis (ringworm, trichophyton mentagrophytes, microsporum canis), salmonellosis, rabies
Restraint of rabbits
Grasp scruff with one hand and support the body and hindquarters within the other arm, tuck head into the crook of the elbow
When placing rabbit down: place back legs down first
Blood collection and venous catheters of rabbits
Sites: ear arteries or veins (auricular artery is large and central- use 22-27 gauge needle/catheter)
Jugular vein, saphenous vein, cephalic vein
Sex determination of rabbit
Doe will have dewlap, vulva directly below anus, buck will have an ensheathed penis located below the anus
Euthanasia of rabbits
Barbiturate overdose injected into lateral marginal ear vein
What is mus musculus
Mouse
What is rattus norvegicus
Domestic rat
Rats have no _____
They do have a ________ gland that produces red staining around eyes during times of stress
Gallbladder; Harderian gland
What is meriones unguicaulatus
Gerbil
What is unique about gerbils?
Some have seizures
Thymus does not atrophy in adulthood
What are the types of hamsters we deal with? Which one is the most aggressive?
Golden and Syrian
European
Russian dwarf (most aggressive)
What is diastema?
Gap between incisors and cheek teeth in hamsters
What is a tail slip?
Degloving the tail
What are harderian glands and where are they located?
Located behind both eyes, secrete porphyrin during stress (look like red tears or blood)
What would make a good cage for rodents?
Escape proof, chew proof, easily cleaned, solid flooring
You should remove uneaten food from rodents within…
4-6 hours
What is acariasis?
Mite infestation (myobia, myocoptes, radfordia), spread through exposure, signs: alopecia, dermatitis, rough hair coat, skin lesions, excessive scratching
What is barbering?
Dominant mice chew on the whiskers and hair of subordinate mice
Ring tail in rodents
Avascular necrosis of the tail, occurs in mice and rats,
Cause: low humidity
Treatment: amputation before the necrotic area
Commonly seen endoparasites in rodents
Pinworms, tapeworms
Treatment: antiparasitic medication, full environment clean up
Moist dermatitis in rodents
Sore nose (accumulation of Harderian gland secretions), wet tail (diarrhea, severe enough to cause death)
Zoonotic concerns with rodents
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) (contact with infected tissue, urine or bite wounds. Headache, fever, muscle aches, malaise, and meningitis) Staphalococcus, streptococcus, pasturella, kelbsiella, salmonella
Restraint for rodents
Scoop out of enclosure, tail lift in mice and rates, create grip surface
Signs of aggression in rodents
Chattering, vocalizing, thumping feet, roll on back to kick and bite
What is the most common cause of death related to surgical procedures in rodents?
Hypothermia
Venous access in rodents
Lateral tail vein in mice, rates, gerbils
Recommended blood volume limits in rodents
Mice: 0.14 mL
Gerbil: 0.3 mL
Hamster: 0.65 mL
Rat: 1.3 mL
Euthanasia for rodents
Isoflurane overdose in an induction chamber
