Companion Animal Exam 3

why are goldfish considered the best start pets

don’t need heat, eat basically everything, not super predatory, sociable (can be kept together), reproduce well in captivity, freshwater

why is selecting fish social type important

schooling means you’ll need more than 1 to keep the fish from being lonely, solitary means you can’t have more than 1 or they’ll fight

what to think about in terms of selecting fish tank size

size of the fish, height vs length? (swim level), glass (which is sturdier) or acrylic (which is bendable and you can have fun shapes)

should jellyfish have glass or acrylic tank

acrylic: can’t have any corners so they’ll need acrylic for a non-square shape

mechanical filtration

needed to filter particles out of the water; snails are common methods (need to be removed if the tank is treated for algae)

chemical filtration

may be used to change the water chemistry (pH, salinity, etc.); check how long you need to wait before putting fish back into heated water

biological filtration

of #1 importance in a tank (the reason there’s a filter) — bacteria live in the filter and makes fish waste less harmful (removes nitrogen from the tank)

waste toxicity from most to least toxic

ammonia → urea → uric acid (ammonia takes the most water to get out)

ammonia

produced by fish as waste, diluted by water

nitrate

least harmful form of nitrogen, can be removed by plants or in water changes

stages of nitrogen breakdown (bacteria)

NH₃ → NO₂^- → NO₃^-

lighting guidelines for fish

fluorescent (doesn’t heat the water); too much lighting can be as bad as not enough (should have it on a cycle) — too much light will cause an algae bloom

fish food guidelines

typically made of fish meal; floating vs sinking food?; consider fish size: big fish won’t eat flakes, small fish can’t eat pellets; make sure to vary type of diet depending on fish…frozen, live freeze dried, fish

fish heating guidelines

tropical fish: 76-82 degrees; goldfish and koi: below 76 degrees (goldfish can handle cold temperatures very well); marine fish: 72-78 degrees

water guidelines

pH from 6-9 (most tropical tanks at 7 and saltwater fish are usually best ~8.6); small water changes once a week are better and safer than a big water change once a monthw

why will fish die if water remains unchanged

anoxic pockets can form

fish decoration guideline

places to hide; avoid chemically treated items (shells, toys, etc); no colored rocks — natural colored rocks/sand only

why are saltwater/marine tanks less popular

salt is an added expense, cycling the tank takes 6-8 weeks before fish can be added, most large stores refuse to sell saltwater fish because of the sourcing (they use cyanide and dynamite around coral reefs to stun the fish) — only clownfish are able to be bred in captivity; saltwater or more sensitive, and therefore harder and more expensive to maintain

pathogens that can affect fish

bacteria, protozoa, fungus, viral, parasitic — most common fish disease is Ich (parasitic)

difference between treat and cure

treating managing symptoms, curing fixes underlying problems (fish medicine is not really regulated)

fish reproduction

can either be egg layers or live bearers (egg layers don’t have high success of offspring but is less energetically expensive); a female can lay up to 1000 eggs across the span of multiple days; depending on species, male or female will take care of eggs/babies (called fry); put fry into separate breeding tank as they are prone to being eaten

fish price

fish can be cheap pets but people don’t realize that costs can add up — tanks, decorations, water conditioner, heaters, food, water fillers, water testing supplies (if everything goes perfect); nitrate reducers, pH uppers/downers, meds, new fish, full service aquarium maintenance company (if everything does not go perfect)

weird things people keep

stingrays, arowana, arapaimas, sharks, corals (“faux reefs”), frogs

arthopods

largest phylum (jointed limbs)

arachnida

2 body segments, carapace, head, abdomen (includes tarantula, jumping spiders, 2 families of scorpions)

pan crustacea

2 sets of antenna, with head and thorax often fused (includes crabs, lobsters, shrimps)

hexapoda

bugs (previously called insecta); 6 legs, most diverse class of animals, 3 body segments and 3 pairs of legs on the middle segment (includes mantis, roaches, ants, etc)

myriapoda

not insects because they have many body segments and many pairs of legs (millipedes and centipedes)

ecdysis

molting/shedding (all arthropods must do this to grow); if they get dehydrated, they can’t form liquid layer between new and old skin and can’t shed (fatal)

arthropod enclosure guidelines

gallons vs dimensions, light, temperature, humidity — depending on the species, they can or can’t regulate internal water; decor should be species specific and secure

what do detritivores eat

their substrate

uricharea

urichating hairs cause rashes and itch

bug grooming?

they naturally groom themselves, if not it could be due to poor husbandry

sutures

gaps of non-ossified tissue that remain between individual bones during growth form

bone types

long, short (wrist, hand bones), sesamoid, flat (ribs, scapula), irregular

doliocephalic

270 degrees, very long snout

mesaticephalic

235 degrees, eyes in the middle

brachycephalic

200 degrees, flat with eyes in the front — includes some cat breeds like persian and exotic

comparison head types

humans (100 degrees), cats (187 degrees)

condyle

ball things on the end of the bone

2 general functions of skeleton

support and storage

cat bones and muscles vs humans

cats have 40 more bones but 100 less muscles than humans

axial skeleton

made up of skull, vertebral column, ribcage, and sternum

skull

30+ bones: houses special senses, responsible for mastication of food, suspends tongue and larynx

teeth

• dogs have 42, cats have 30, humans have 32

• hollow root means continual growth

  • puppies and kittens receive baby teeth by about 6 weeks and are replaced by 6 months

vertebral column

• 33+ bones — 5 regions (cervical - 7, thoracic - 13, lumbar - 7, sacral - 3, caudal - 20-23) — every single mammal has 7 cervical vertebrae

• functions are to protect the spinal cord and support the skull

• many dogs have intervertebral disk disease (IVDD), while cats don’t typically have a problem (munchkin cats are long backed breeds susceptible to IVDD)

ribcage

13 pairs (varies little by species and breeds); assists with ventilation and serves to protect main organs — always the same number of thoracic vertebrae as ribs

appendicular skeleton

bones of limbs and pelvic girdle

thoracic limb (front section)

• pectoral girdle: scapula (shoulder blade) and is not in dogs and barely in cats

• brachium (arm - humerus) and antebrachium (forearm - radius and ulna) — more flexible than humans

carpal bones

wrist

metacarpal bones

palm

phalanges

3x per digit — first digit (human thumb equivalent) often missing or reduced (dewclaw) — cats can commonly have a 6th digit without problem

ungual crest

location where cats are declawedp

polydachtially

extra phalange, common in cats in Key West for some reason

pelvic limb (hind portion)

• pelvic girdle: hip bone (ilium, ischium, pubis) — region affected by hip dysplasia in certain dog breeds

• leg - femur (thigh), tibia, fibula (shins)

• tarsal bones (ankle)

• metatarsal bones (body of foot)

  • phalanges (digits, one is usually missing)

digitigrade

walk on “fingers and toes” (cats)

plantigrade

walk on bottom of food; flat footed (people) — declawing a cat will make them go from digitigrade to plantigrade, making them use different muscles and causing pain

insertion point

not the same in all animals

tendons

fibrous tissue that connects muscles to bones

ligaments

connective tissue that connects to bone

joints

stabilized by a combination of tendons, ligaments, and muscles

how muscles differ in placement and number by species

rabbits have more muscles on hindlimb to jump, cheetah have muscles in back for running support, horses have more limb muscles for weight support while running

coverings and linings of the body

• protection: skin, scales, claws, and protects underlying tissues and protects from bacteria

• chemical exchange (O2, CO2, nutrients, etc.): lining of digestive tract, lungs, kidneys

• secretions: endocrine and exocrine glands (mucus, enzymes)…

• storage: excess food (subcutaneous fat), pigment deposits (little cells that have different pillars that contract to release colors)

• sensory: eye, parts of the ear

cat hearing

can hear in ultrasonic range (much higher than humans and dogs) which allows them to hear rodents

dog hearing and smelling

on average, dogs can hear things 4x farther away and smell 1 million times better than humans

reptile hearing

hear in contrabass range; reptile bones have 2 more skull bones and only a stapes

rabbit bones

hollow and lightweight, which allows them to get away fast

chameleon bone oddity

have a bone in their toungue

baby teeth name

deciduous teeth

physiological statuses that need to be fed to

maintenance, growth, lactation, gestation, geriatric

obese by definiton

20-25% over normal body weight

carb intake for dogs

65-70% of total diet; energy source

fat intake for dogs

at least 1% of total diet and can be considerably more depending on needs; up to 25-50% of daily caloric needs

condition caused by eating too much fat

steatorrhea (fatty diarrhea)

protein intake for dogs

18-25% of total diet for adult and geriatric; protein quality (exact amino acids present) are the concern

fiber intake for dogs

1-8% of total diet

what is the nrc

national research council - establishes feed requirements for domestic animals

what is the aafco

association of american feed control officials

things to avoid feeding dogs

• caffeine - stimulant that is a mimic of theobromine

• onions and garlic - all alliums contain a toxin

• chocolate - contains theobromine (not present in white chocolate)

• grapes and raisins - contain kidney toxins

• quick diet changes

lactating dog guidelines

should have food adlib, but typically don’t want to eat

puppy food

eat several times a day until they’re about 10 months old, but is breed dependant

geriatric dog diet change

need increased vitamins and minerals and decreased protein

sprinter dog general feeding guidelines

low fiber, highly concentrated protein and energy diet

long distance runner dog general feeding guidelines

• training diet: 40% fat, 40% protein

• racing diet: 50-65% fat, 30-35% protein, 10-15% carbs

  • these dogs will eat up to 8x normal intake during active period

dalmatian diet

produce uric acid instead of urea, so need more waterb

bedlington terrier diet

require low copper and high zinc diet because they store copper in their liver

giant schnauzer diet

susceptible to vitamin B12 deficiencies (can only be gotten from red meat)al

alaskan malamute diet

subject to skin diseases due to zinc deficiencies

dog breeds susceptible to obesity

lab retriever, dachshund, poodle, cocker spaniel, beagle, golden retriever, sheltie, basset hound, schnauzer