Small Animal Exotics exam 2

Definitions

• Domesticated: Altered during many generations of specific breeding by humans to enhance certain qualities that are often put into service by humans

  • Dog→ Cat→ Ferret → Rabbits

• Domestic: Bred locally but not where it originated, remain genetically wild, but can grow accustomed to living alongside humans.

Prey Species

• Stress Response: Hide then bolt

  • Restrain gently, lighting, keep away from predictors (+ smells), secure footing, quite enviro, Midazolam, Torb, Ketamine, Alfax

    • avoid inhalants

• Hide illness until advanced

  • Difficult to recognize

  • “Acute manifestation of a chronic illness”

• No menace response

• Higher Metabolic rates

  • Supplemental heat, glucose

• Pain signals unfamiliar or hidden

Mammal Core body temperature

• Higher in sm eutherian mammals vs larger ones

  • Significance: Calories in/out, rapid weight loss, hypothermia, hypoglycemia

• Lower in marsupials: Torpor, Opossums, Sugar Gliders, Hedgehog

Nutritional support

• Monitor: weigh pet on g scale daily

• Formulations: oxbow, labeler

• Palatable food

  • Carnivores: baby food, liverwarst, anchovy paste

  • Hedgehogs: pina coloda mix, mealworms

  • Rabbits: dandelion, bitter greens

Pharm management with exotics

• Use exotic animal formularies ONLY

  • not Plumbs

• Most drugs are ELDU

• Have reversals ready

• Midazolam: is your friend

  • use for prey restraint, resp distress

• Butyryl: not a fix all

• can mask or delay diagnostics

Monitoring

• Unknowns: Definitive values may not be known

• Machines: may not be calibrated for exotics, sm sizes, magnification

  • use less alcohol with equipment

• Anesthetic: monitor hypothermia, hypoglycemia, procedure length

Adapting surgery to small patients

• Vetovation: sealing vessel

  • splectomys’s, spays, rapid hemostasis

  • ligature subsitute

• Lasers/Electrosurgery: precision, sm spaces

Ferret lifestyle

• Life span: 5-11y

• Lifestyle: Co-habitable, Domesticated

• Repro: seasonally polyestrous, BM depression + anemia if not bred/spayed

Ferret Preventive medicine

• Tattoo: descented + neutered

• Distemper vax

  • distemper = 100% mortality

  • 8ws, booster in 3wks, then annually

  • Type I hypersensitivity rxn

• Rabies vax

  • defensor 1-3, IMRAB 3, Nobivac 1

  • 3m then annually

• HW meds: advantage (L) or revolution (OL)

• Veinpuncture: Jugular, Cephalic, Lateral/medial saphenous, CVC

• IV: tough skin, guid hole, cover tube

Ferret Anatomy

• Cardiac:

  • lower Cardiac auscult position

    • lower on sternum/ribcage

    • Gentle compression of anterior mediastinum

  • NORMAL Sinus arrhythmia

• GIT: SHORT

• Deafness: white w black eyes, badgers, albino

Ferret disease

• Distemper

  • CS: Mucopurulent ocular/nasal discharge, Hard Pad

• Ear mites: Otodectes cynotis

  • CS: asymptomatic

• Adrenal dx

  • CS: symmetrical tail alopecia #1

  • MOA: reticularis issue NOT CUSHINGS

• Prostatic dx: 2nday to adrenal dx

  • Hyperplasia: TX addean dx, caterterize, flutamide

  • Cystic: catheterize, harder to tx

  • AUS to evaluate

• Insulinoma

  • CS: bld glucose <65gm/dL, seizures

  • MOA: FUNCTIONAL beta islet cell tumor

  • TX: Prednisone, Diazoxide, SX

• Lymphoma

  • MOA: Most common hematopoietic neoplasia of

    ferrets

  • TX: poor prognosis

Feces and urine issues in ferrets

• Melena

  • CS: upper GI bleeding

  • MOA: Helicobacter mustelidae

• ECE

  • MOA: Covid carriers

  • CS: green slime, bird seed poop, Elevated liver enzymes

  • TX: supportive, amoxicillin, Gastroprotectants

• Uroliths

  • TX: SX is nessisary

  • MOA: infection, plant proteins, genetics

Hedgehog Lifestyle

• Lifestyle: Solitary, Nocturnal, Great climbers, swimmers, Not domesticated, Torpor at low temps

• Husbandry: hides, solid wheels, run for miles, alone

• Diet: Insectiviour

  • bugs, boiled eggs, fruit/veg, cat food

    • NO raw eggs/meat/dairy

  • Obesity prone

• Repro: polyestrous

Hedgehog Preventive medicine

• Restraint: via hind legs

  • Sedate to exam and IV injections

• Injections: epaxial (IM), mantle/hood (SQ), IO proximal feme

• Blood draw: Cranial vena cava

• Meds: No antibiotic sensitivities

  • Like pina colada meds

• Misc:

  • No vaccines or neutering

  • Protein Erinacin: Immune to snake venom

Hedgehog Anatomy

• Bones: Tibia/fiba are fused distally, Radius and ulna are fused

• GIT: Simple monogastric, No cecum

• Dental: brachydont teeth

• Coat: Panniculus has quills

  • shed regularly, not barbed, Hollow

• Repo: No scrotal sac, Os penis

Hedgehog pathogenic disease

• Salmonella: shedders

• Mites: Chorioptes, caipirinha (mange), notoedres

  • CS: weight loss, quill loss

  • TX: Selemectin, carbaryl/permethrin, fipronil, clean enviro

• Fungal: Trichophyton erinacei, Microsporum

  • MOA: zoonotic?

  • CS: crusty, quill loss

  • TX: Azoles, griseofulvin, lime sulfur

Anastesia for Exotic paitents

• Sedate to exam and IV injections

• Premed:

  • MIDAZ + TORB

  • ALFAX + MIDAZ

• Induction/Maintenance:

  • Midaz + butorphanol

  • Alfaxalone

  • Iso/sevo

Hedgehog Physiological dx

• Wobblers

  • MOA: Progressive, fatal demyelinating, Inbreeding, seen @ 18-24m

  • CS: ascending ataxia, paralysis

  • ID: Biopsy Spinal cord

  • TX: supportive care only

• Hepatic lipidosis

  • CS: lethargy, icterus, inappetence

  • TX: force feed, fluids, tube

• DCM: 81% ATN

Neoplasia in Hedgehogs

• MOA: mostly metastatic

• Types:

  • Uterine adenocarcinoma: Bloody discharge

  • SCC: Mouth

  • Fibrosarcoma: Jaw and long bones w/ firm, rapidly progressive swellings

Euthanasia in small exotic mammals

• inject around the bottom of the xiphoid process

• 30 degree angle toward heart

• Sx anesthesia required

Guinea pig behaviour

• Lifespan: 4-6y

• Lifestyle: Diurnal, nonburrowing, Social, Gregarious, Domesticated

• Husbandry: prone to heat exhaustion, single tier cage, NO CEDAR/PINE bedding, House in groups

Chinchilla behaviour

• Lifespan: 10-15y

• Lifestyle: Crepuscular, Burrowing, Mountain range habitat, Social, Gregarious, Domesticated

• Husbandry: multi tier cage, dust bath (Anorexia if not given), House in groups

Guinea pig diet

• Type: herbaiviour

  • Hay AAT, herbs, veggies, Pellets

• Considerations: Cant vomit, Lack L-gluconolactone oxidase

  • Only fast for a few hrs

  • Supplement vit C

Chinchilla diet

• Type: herbaiviour

  • Hay AAT, herbs, Pellets

  • No dried fruits/greens

    • scant

• Considerations: Cant vomit, No dried fruits/greens (scant)

Preventive medicine for chinchillas and Guinea pigs

• Fecals: Giardia, Coccidia, Crypto,

  • Tapes, Hooks, Rounds, Pinworms

• Meds: Antibiotic sensitivity, NO vax

  • metronidazole, clindamycin lincomycin, erythromycin,

    ampicillin/beta lactams

• Spay: flank method

  • Can be intubated

    • challenging and need capnograph if done

• Venipuncture: Cranial vena cava, jugular

Guinea pig and Chinchilla restraint

• Guinea pig

  • Restrain at shoulder

  • dont scruff

• Chinchilla

  • Base of tail

    • “Fur Slip”

Guinea Pig Anatomy

• Eyes: Round Pupil

• Dental: ALL elodont teeth, teeth roots are angulated/hidden, white teeth

• Palatal Ostium: intubation issues

  • KEEP HEAD ELEVATED

  • Hypersalivation

• Males: Large inguinal rings, Scrotal swellings either side of urogenital area

• Females: less prominent urinary papilla

Chinchilla anatomy

• Eyes: Vertical pupil

• Ears: accessible tympanic bulla

  • human auditory/aucular research

• Feet: No nails

• Dental: ALL elodont teeth, Yellow teeth

• Females: urogenital papilla

• Males: larger UG distance, lack a true scrotum

Guinea pig dx

• Urolithiasis

  • CS: Stranguria, Hematuria

  • MOA: Calcium carbonate

  • TX: Need Sx

• GDV

  • stomach/cecum

• Cystic Ovaries

  • CS: Bilateral hair loss, not itchy

• Seizures

  • MOA: Ectoparasites

    • Trixacarus Caviae

  • CS: Severely puritic

Chinchilla dx

• Dental disease

  • “Slobbers”/ Malocclusion

• Broken bones

• Uroliths

• Lymphoma

Rabbit Lifestyle

• Type: Domestic prey species

  • meat, fur, research, comp

  • Keep away from other animals

• Live: 6-16y

• Mature: 4-6m

• Husbandry: solid floor (pododermatitis), NO cedar/pine

Rabbit diet

• Frequently: always have food, always have gut sounds

  • Do not fast before sx

• Type: herbivore

  • High fiber, low CHO

  • fresh dark veggies, hay, pellets

Rabbit anatomy

• Teeth: open roots, constantly grow

• Eyes: Lg venous sinus, wide vision field

• Ears: heat reg

  • never clean

• Sex: females have dewlaps

• Resp: Obligate nasal breathers

  • Open-mouth breathing is always abnormal

• Bones: often fracture L7

• GIT: should always have food/GI sounds, cant vomit, G+ biome

  • Antibiotic sensitivities, Do not fast before sx,

• Skin: fragile

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus -2

• MOA: direct, fomites, very resistant in enviro

• CS: death <72hrs, fever, anorexia, hemorrhage

• TX: Vax (2× 21d appart)

Rabbit restraint

• Considerations: thin skin, sensitive ears, skittish

• Meds: Midazolam

• Handeling: football, C hold

  • dont scruff

Rabbit Preventive Medicine

• Fecal exams

• Claw trims: Never declaw

• Vax: RHDV2

  • No approved rabies vax

• Injections: neck nape (SQ), epaxial (IM), lateral saphenous (IV)

  • ear (IV last resort)

• Spay: 6 mo all females

  • Uterine Adenocarcinoma if intact

• Castration: May help aggression

Medications in Rabbits

• Do not use: fenbendazole, frontline, oral antibiotics, promotility drugs, cereina, Fruit juice, probiotics, Simethicone

• Dont do: baytril SQ, clean ears

Urogen disease in rabbits

• Uterine Adenocarcinoma

  • MOA: intact female rabbits, slow growing

    • watch for chest metastasis

  • ID: radio dense nipples, something between bladder-colon

  • Prognosis: poor if metastasis, ok if local when spayed

    • potentially curable

• Sludge

  • MOA: Calcium based w/ porphyrin

    • Rabbits can excrete 30X > than other animals

  • CS: red-orange

  • TX: NORMAL

• Urolithiasis

  • MOA: Calcium based

  • TX: crush w/ hemostat in females

    • dissolution does not work

Dental Disase in rabbits

• MOA: malocclusion

• CS: weight loss, dacryocystitis (messy paws/mouth)

• ID: sedated exam

• TX: can live w/o incisors

Ocular disease in rabbits

• High atropinase

• Phacoclastic uveitis

  • TX: enuculation

    • tricky because lg venous sinus

• Thymoma

  • CS: Exophthalmos bilaterally

  • ID: Check thoracic chest compliance

  • TX: Sx, radiation

Ear Mites in rabbits

• MOA: Psoroptes cunicul, 21d cycle

• TX: ivermectin/selanectin

  • NO cleaning or frontline

Nasal disease in rabbits

• Dx: snuffles

  • Blocked NL duct

  • Tooth root abscess

• MOA: Pasteurella

  • culture ≠ causation

Fur mite sin rabbits

• MOA: Cheyletiella parasitovorax, non burrowing

  • zoonotic

• CS: walking dandruff, asymptomatic

• TX: Revolution topically q2 weeks

Stasis in Rabbits

• Core body temp: Normal

• Duration: anorexia > 12 hours

• Palpation: Non painful

• BG/ Hepatic Enzymes: Normal

• Rads: Food in stomach, stomach touches body wall

• TX: nutritional support

Obstruction in rabbits

• Core body temp: Hypotermia

• Duration: anorexia < 12 hours

• Palpation: Painful caudal to abdomen

• BG: >300mg/dl

• Rads: stomach passes L2, distended stomach (fried egg)

• TX: Hydro, lidocaine, fluids, warm, SX

Liver Lobe Torsion in rabbits

• Core body temp: Hypothermia

• Duration: anorexia < 12 hours

• Palpation: Painful cranial to abdomen, prolonged CRT

• ALT: >3x elevated

• POCUS: right caudate lobe

• Rads: food in stomach

• TX: Hydro, lidocaine, Hypertonic saline, warm, SX, transfusion

  • Medical management alone >60% fatality

Wry neck in rabbits

• MOA: ?

  • Otoconia, Iatrogenic, Otitis

• CS: head tilt

• Prognosis: may be permeant, may recover, may reoccur

Pasteurella Multocida in rabbits

• #1 infectious agent

• MOA: Ubiquitous

  • resp, organ systems

• ID: poor screening or definitive testing

Encephalitozoon Cuniculi in rabbis

• MOA: Ubiquitous

  • Urine, neuro, renal trophism

• CS: Phacoclastic uveitis, Head tilt

• ID: poor screening or definitive testing

Rat Lifestyle

• Lifespan: 4-6y

• Lifestyle: Social

  • female-female or male - female pairs only

    • male - male pairs = aggression

• Behaviour: “boggle” eyes when chewing

  • happy

• Physical: Larger, benign neoplasia

• Husbandry: Litter trainable

Mice Lifestyle

• Lifespan: 1-2y

• Lifestyle: Solitary

• Physical: Smaller, Neoplasia is more malignant

Preventive medicine in rats and mice

• Meds: NO vax, give fluids SC in dorsal neck and upper back

• UA: Proteinuria normal in males

• Venipuncture: Subgingival vein, Lateral saphenous veins, Tail, jugular, mandibular, retro-orbital, cardiac

• Spay: Female rats are healthier

  • Pyometra, Ovarian tumors, Prolactinoma, Mammary tumors

  • Paralumbar ovariectomy technique

Anatomy

• Resp: Obligate nasal breathers

• GIT: Cant vomit, no gallbladders (rats), no tonsils, stomach is partly glandular/non-glandular

• Repo:

  • Female: 3 pr thoracic, 2 pr inguinal mammary glands, open inguinal canals.

  • Males: no nipples

• Dental: Only incisors hypsodont, long incisors roots, mandibular symphysis not fused (fibrous)

• Eyes: Chromodacryorrhea, Harderian lacrimal gland

  • Porphyrin, red-stained tears

Rat and mice Neoplasia

• MOA: often benign in rats, malignant in mice

  • mammary, lung, zymbal’s gland, lymphosarcoma

• Pituitary Adenoma

  • CS: Walk abnormally and Head tilt

  • MOA: Females> Males

  • TX: Carbergoline, Bromocriptine, Steroids, Antiseizure meds, Prophylactic antibiotics

Rat Diseases

• Respiratory Dx

  • MOA: Mycoplasmosis or Sendai virus (paramyxovirus)

    • direct contact, aerosol, intrauterine transmission

  • CS: porphyrin staining, sneezing, labored breathing, anorexia, death

• Tyzzer’s Dx

  • MOA: Clostridium piliforme

    • fecal-oral transmission

  • CS: Unthriftiness, Death

  • TX: none, sanitation

• Rat Bite Fever

  • MOA: Streptobacillus moniliformis

  • CS: fever, vomiting, joint pain, rash