Exam 1: Neoplastic Diseases in Exotic Pets

what are the comoon neoplastic diseases of ferrets

• adrenocortical adenoma and carcinoma

• pancreatic beta cell carcinoma and adenoma

• lympoma

• cutaneous mast cell

• chordoma

• SCC

what are the mammalian therapeutic regimens for lymphosarcoma

• CHOP

• cyclophosaphamide

• vincristine

• prednisolon

how are mast cell tumors described in exotic mammals

• benign

• tan, raised, hyperemic

• common skin mass

• ± surgical removal

how are chrodoma described in small mammals

• locally invasive

• common on tail and cervical

• surgery, if you can get the 2” all around margins prognosis is excellent

how is squamous cell carcinoma described in small mammals

• rare in ferrets, VERY common as hedgehog mouth bumps

• mandible/maxilla, skin

• aggressive surgical excision

• poor prognosis

how are mammary tumors described in rats

• mostly fibroadenomas, make up half of subq tumors

• female>male, intact>spay

• extensive and infilltrative

• adenocarcinomas <10% of cases

what are the predispositions of neoplastic disease in birds (at least in theory)

• species

• diet

• viruses

how are lipomas described in birds

• budgies, cockatiels

• external/sq origin in the coelum and chest (always palpate for before putting a bird on their back!)

• although benign may cause problems, bird can suffocate

• dx with baseline, aspirate and biopsy

• tx is sugery and RT

• good prognosis, guarded if liposarcoma

what is a xanthoma

• not a true neoplasia but rather multinucleated giant cells, macrophages with lipid droplets and cholesterol clefts

• cutaneous, found on coelom, chest and limbs

• locally invasive mass that is yellow to orange with thickened skin

• surgical removal, good prognosis

how is squamous cell carcinoma described in birds

• cutaneous, GI

• aggressive and invasive

• range in appearance from mass to ulcer

• dx with baseline, biopsy, endoscopy

• Tx with surgical removal and radiation (make em glow)

• px guarded to poor

how are lymphoid neoplasia described in birds

• cutaneous, visceral or hematopoetic

• lymphoma

• invasve and aggressive, px is guarded with surgery, chemo, rad

how is leukemia described in birds

• dx with extreme leukocytosis >100,000 and bone marrow aspirate

• chemo

• good to guarded px

what are important general notes on tumors in birds

• many are aggressive and locally invasive

• even if benign, can cause serious problems if they take up volume in the coelomic cavity

• must try to obtain a biopsy for definitive diagnosis and evaluation of treatment

  • be aggressive!

how are neoplasias generally described in reptiles

• locally aggressive and invasive

• be aggressive

  • prognosis is guarded to poor

how are leukemias in reptiles described

• present with lethargy, anorexia,weight loss, anemia, leukocytosis, multisystemic disease

• may be monocytic or lymphocytic

• grave prognosis

how are neoplastic diseases of fish generally described

• most are focal to multifocal

• locally aggressive/invasive with low metastasis

• visceral and cutaneous

• dx with cyto and biopsy

• tx with surgical removal, cryosurgery, RT

• cutaneous has good px, visceral has guarded to poor