Wildlife Final Exam Flashcards
List some signs of dehydration in wildlife.
- Assume 10% dehydration in all wildlife
- Mental dehydration
- Skin tent remaining tented
- Congested CRT
- Filling of basilic vein >1 second
- Pale & tachy MM
- Cool temperature of extremities
- Ocular dehydration
- Increased HR
- Decreased BP
Discuss the aetiology, species, clinical signs & treatments of metabolic bone disease.
Aetiology:
- Secondary to renal or nutritional hyperparathyroidism
- Associated with normal or inverted Ca:P
- Dietary imbalances of Ca, P or Vit. D
- Concurrent renal disease
Species:
- New world monkeys - juveniles (cannot synthesise D3), birds, felids, herbivorous reptiles & amphibians
Clinical signs:
- Osteodystrophy of jaws & facial bones
- Rickets - bowing of long bones
- Swelling of femurs
- Paralysis associated with fractures of vertebrae
- Pathological fractures
- Chelonians (turtles / tortoises) have soft shells
Treatment:
- Dietary management
- Provision of UVB light
- Calcium injections when acute
- Oral Vit. D3
Discuss fluid therapy in wildlife.
Fluid deficit:
% dehydration x bodyweight (kg) x1000ml
- Give 50% of fluid deficit on day 1
- Give 25% of fluid deficit on day 2
- Give 25% of fluid deficit on day 3
Provide maintenance in addition on a daily basis:
- Maintenance mammals: 40-60 ml/kg/day
- Maintenance reptiles: 5-10 ml/kg/day
- Maintenance birds: 50ml/kg/day
- Bolus is useful in birds 20ml/kg IV or IO (intraosseous infusion)
Routes of administration:
- IV, IO, PO, SC (always provide supplementary heat)
Types of fluids:
- Crystalloids
- Colloids
- Mannitol (decrease in BP in the brain)
What are the 3 P’s general principles of anaesthesia?
The 3P’s = planning, preparation & procedure
Planning phase:
- Age, species, sex
- Health status of the animal
- Where is the animal
- Choice of drugs
- Available personnel
- What could go wrong?
Preparation - the animal:
- The animal: Food, water, disturbances, confinement, safe surroundings, recovery location
- The personnel: Training, pre-briefing, assign roles & responsibilities, safety
- The equipment: drugs, drugs by their delivery system, monitoring & emergency response
- The dart: buddy system, label syringes & protective clothing, patient, distance & wind direction
Procedure:
- Minimise the duration
Capture Myopathy - discuss aetiology, species, clinical signs, necropsy signs & treatment
Aetiology:
- Lactic acid build-up & anaerobic conditions
- Possible Vit. E deficiency
Species:
- Ruminant, equids, ratites & macropods
Clinical signs:
- Swollen muscles
- Stiffness
- Lameness
- Myoglobinuria
- Sudden death
- Ruptured muscles
Necropsy:
- Lesions commonly found in muscle sites: semimembranosus / semitendinosus, triceps & biceps, pectorals, epaxial muscles
Treatment:
- Prevention
- IV fluids; bicarbonate to reduce acidity, muscle relaxants & antioxidants
When should you euthanise wildlife? How do you euthanise?
- All exotic animals
- Fractures with minimal chance of restoration to full function: fractures around or in joints, old compound fractures with bone necrosis, communicated fractures that would warrant amputation, fractures that have or will cause distal necrosis, prolonged wing paralysis, multiple fractures of the wing, leg or body, significant ruptured tendon involvement
- Multi-system or extensive trauma
- Large areas of skin loss
- Animals in extremis (near death) showing signs of emaciation
- Chronic disease e.g. metabolic bone disease
- Blindness, loss of permanent vision or vision so impaired that movement & prehension is affected
- Excessive feather loss which cannot grow back
- Tail injuries in climbing animals which means full function cannot be restored
- Old age - not likely to live very long
- Paralysis - spinal fracture or degenerative condition which will mean a poor prognosis
- Specific infectious diseases that if introduced may affect the wildlife population
- Underdeveloped - chances of survival are relatively low
- High chance of imprinting if destined for release
- Insufficient resources to continue expensive treatment or to return the animals to the wild
Acceptable euthanasia methods:
- Cervical dislocation
- Anaesthesia followed by pentobarbitone injection (preferred option)
- Pentobarbitone injection: IV, IC, IP or Oral
- *Dilute lethabarb 1 in 4 with saline to reduce concentration & irritation potential if using non-IV route
List some signs of disease in birds.
- Anorexia or change in food preference (one of the very first signs)
- Change in voice or lack of vocalisation
- Decreased activity, perching in one spot exclusively
- Falling off the perch
- Remaining at the bottom of the cage (possible foot / wing injury, depressed, aspergillosis, egg-bound)
- Increased sleepiness
- Exercise intolerance, decreased BCS, aspergillosis
- Change in behaviour, sudden shyness or aggressiveness
- Fluffed appearance, difficulties with thermoregulation
- Droopy eyes
More obvious signs of disease:
- Postural abnormalities (crouched appearance, favouring one leg, drooping wing & head tilt)
- Nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing
- Laboured breathing (dyspnoea)
- Regurgitation & vomiting
- Changes in faeces, colour & consistence
- Straining
- Bloated / distended abdomen / overgrown beak, abnormal feather / moulting
Beak and feather disease. Discuss species, clinical signs, epidemiology, transmission, diagnosis & treatment.
Species:
- Wild birds & captive psittacine, ravens, pigeons, geese, gulls & canaries
- ##Key threatening process in Aus.
Clinical signs:
- Peracute: septicaemia, pneumonia, enteritis, rapid weightloss & death
- Acute: depression, diarrhoea, crop stasis, feather abnormalities & death
- Chronic: progressive appearance of abnormally developed feathers during each successive molt i.e. retention of feather sheaths, haemorrhage within the pulp, deformed curled feathers & constrictions at the base of the feathers
- Older birds: loss of powder down, beak changes may also occur. Palatine necrosis & oral ulcerations.
Epidemiology:
- Peracute: neonatal death
- Acute: young or fledgling birds, death within 1-2 weeks
- Chronic: birds 6-12 months in first moult, but dies 6-12 months later (if immunosuppressive disease)
Transmission:
- Incubation period: 3-4 weeks up to 12 months
- Vertical transmission
- Virus in feather dust, faeces & crop epithelium
- Virus is very stable in environment
- Rainbow lorikeets can be latent carriers
Diagnosis:
- Made by clinical signs & lab tests
- PCR on feather or affected blood
- HA detects virus in blood & feathers
- HI measures antibodies in serum
- HA +ve & HI -ve = active infection
Treatment:
- No treatment
- Birds usually succumb to secondary infections
Psitticosis (Parrot fever / ornithosis = chlamydia psittaci). Discuss aetiology, species, clinical signs, diagnosis, PM findings, treatment & control.
Aetiology:
- Chlamydia psittaci
- Distribution worldwide
- **Zoonotic (resp signs in humans) & notifiable!
Species:
- Many avian species
Clinical signs:
- IP: 3-7 days > 3 months
- Acute: URT signs - conjunctivitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, dyspnoea, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, bright green faeces, CNS at late stages
- Chronic: poor feather coat + repeated episodes of ‘colds’ & chronic diarrhoea
- Asymptomatic chronic carrier: no sign of disease - acutely ill when stressed OR shed the organism intermittently when placed under stress > infection in birds & humans (cockatiels are common shedders)
Diagnosis:
- History, clinical signs, radiographs
- Leucocytosis, monocytosis, increased AST & bile acids
- Swabs from conjunctiva & faeces
- ELISA or direct immunofluorescence testing
- PCR on faeces
- PCR on choanal or chloacal swabs
- Impression smears of liver / spleen > Machiavello stain or Diff quick fixative
- Fresh tissue samples for culture
PM findings:
- Pericarditis, enlarged liver & spleen, myocarditis, conjunctivitis, sinusitis, polyserositis, meningoencephalitis
Treatment:
- Doxycycline (or oxytetracycline) - even after successful treatment can never guarantee a bird free of the organism
- Supportive therapy
- 45d of treatment with birds in quarantine
Pb (lead) disease in birds. Clinical signs, diagnosis & treatment.
Clinical signs:
- Paralysis, PU/PD (with possible haematuria, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle weakness, paralysis, ataxia, blindness, seizures, death)
Diagnosis:
- History, clinical signs, radiograph, CBC, erythrocyte ballooning, haemolytic anaemia
- Increased amylase
- *Want to see lead in blood: 0.4ppm is diagnostic, 0.2ppm is suspicious
- Necropsy kidney & liver
Treatment:
- Elimination of the lead via laxative, intestinal chelator (MgSO4), peanut butter or surgery & chemotherapy
- Ca EDTA binds to lead in serum - inject IM give 5d on & 5d off
Zn (zinc) disease in birds. Causes, clinical signs, diagnosis & treatment.
Causes:
- Ingestion of cage wires
Clinical signs:
- PU/PD, GI problems, decreased fertility, weight loss, weakness, ataxia, anaemia, cyanosis, hyperglycaemia, seizures & death
Diagnosis:
- Serum level >2ppm is diagnostic
- Zinc toxicity usually has a less favourable prognosis than lead toxicity
- Necropsy pancreas
Treatment:
- Same as lead poisoning
- Remove zinc wire from GIT
- Supportive therapy
Chytridiomycosis in frogs. Aetiology, transmission, clinical signs, diagnosis, PM findings, treatment & control.
Aetiology:
- Associated with African clawed frog
- Used for pregnancy testing in women
- Spread of fungus around the world (30% threat to species)
- The impact of the disease on frogs is the most spectacular loss of vertebrate biodiversity due to disease in recorded history
Transmission / C/S:
- Infected animals can be asymptomatic carriers (IP 8-15 days)
- Transmission by motile zoospores or direct contact
PM findings:
- Discolouration of skin & thickening / sloughing of skin, erosions of abdomen, pelvis, thighs & feet
Diagnosis:
- Skin smear, PCR, culture, histopath
Treatment:
- Daily 5 min baths in itraconazole + supportive care (electrolytes & terbinafine (antifungal))
Control:
- Use of bleach as disinfectant to control (fungus can survive up to 7 weeks)
Describe the process of tuberculosis testing in captive animals.
- Diagnosis is based on results of delayed hypersensitivity to intradermal injection of tuberculin - purified protein derivative (PPD)
- PPD is an antigen
- Make sure animal is restrained
- Site of skin test: palpebrum, abdominal skin, forearm
- Inject intradermally into upper eyelid of both eyes - R eye avian TB (0.1ml intradermally) & L eye bovine TB (0.1ml intradermally)
- Alternative is mammalian old TB
- If inflamed indicates type 2 hypersensitivity response
List the different sites for bleeding animals & which species each site is used for.
Lateral tail vein:
- Especially macropods
Cephalic vein:
- Especially koalas, wombats
Brachial vein:
- Birds
Femoral vein:
- Especially macropods, bandicoots, possums
Jugular vein:
- Especially macropods, bandicoots, possums
Ventral coccygeal vein:
- Especially small possums
Medial metatarsal vein:
- Wombats & birds
Bill sinus or bill venous sinus:
- Echidnas & platypus
Discuss methods of rhino capture & restraint (including drugs).
- Combination of chemical + psychological restraint (3P’s: planning, preparation & procedure)
Psychological / physical:
- Lead rhino with food into crush / chute with bars
Chemical:
- Use potent opioids
- Very sensitive - therefore low dosages
- Resp depression + muscle stiffness
- Butorphanol-based combinations (alpha-2 i.e. medetomidine)
- Positioning affects quality of anaesthesia
Discuss Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD) - aetiology / epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission, clinical signs & treatment.
Aetiology / epidemiology:
- Rarely seen in devils <2 years old
- Caused population decline >60%
- No sex predilection & 100% mortality (no treatment)
Pathogenesis:
- Major mechanism of immune escape: tumour cells lack MHC-1 molecules. Their role is to allow the immune system to detect invading cells > the immune system is unable to detect invasion.
Transmission:
- Biting
C/S:
- There is often more than one primary tumour
- Visible signs of DFTD begin with lumps of soft tissue around the mouth which ulcerate
- Tumours are locally aggressive, destroying the underlying bone of the jaw which interferes with feeding
- Tumours may also cover the eyes
- Devils usually die within 6 months from organ failure, secondary infection or metabolic starvation
Treatment:
- No treatment (100% mortality)… up until recently
- Immunotherapy has recently been discovered to cause a regression in DFTD under lab conditions
