State-of-the-art improvements in how we feed and provide medical and surgical care for exotic mammals has resulted in a greater lifespan for these beloved family pets. Many exotic mammal owners are dedicated to the health and well-being of their pets and expect the best in medical care including perioperative care. Utilizing the practice team to provide superior medical and surgical care is the goal.
When performing surgery in ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs and rodents one must take into consideration the small size, rapid metabolic rate and unique physiology of these species. Perioperative supportive care including fluid therapy, prevention of hypothermia, and pain management are essential in ensuring the successful outcome of these small surgical patients. In general, ferrets are very hardy surgical patients and can withstand a high degree of surgical trauma, whereas rabbits and guinea pigs are sensitive surgical patients that require minimal tissue handling and close anesthetic and post operative monitoring.
Over the past twenty-five years, avian husbandry and medicine have undergone drastic changes, including a significant increase in domestically raised pet birds and major advances in avian nutrition. Despite the potentially adverse psychological effects of incubator hatching and hand-raising (which is a separate but critical concern), these changes have resulted in birds that are living longer. Just as in human medicine, coping with the process of aging is a necessary consequence of greater longevity.
The average life span for the domestic ferret is six to eight years, the domestic rabbit seven to ten years, the guinea pig three to four years and for the rat two to three years. Veterinarians consider the ferret and rabbit to be middle-aged at three years and geriatric at five or more years of age, while a two year old rat is already entering its senior years.
The group of animals commonly referred to as "fish" is a paraphyletic group of some 30,000-plus described species (www.fishbase.org). That is, it includes all of the descendants of the common ancestor of the vertebrates (subphylum Vertebrata) with the exception of the tetrapods (subclass Tetrapoda–amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, totaling around 23,000 species), a fairly significant branch of the subclass Sarcopterygii alongside lungfish and coelacanths.
An excellent resource for information on the testing, treatment, zoonotic and legal implications of this disease can be found in the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) Psittacosis Compendium (www.nasphv.org).
Metabolic bone disease: Inadequate calcium and Vitamin D3 intake may present as generalized osteopenia and/or folding fractures.
State-of-the-art improvements in how we feed and provide medical and surgical care for the pet rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has resulted in a greater lifespan for this beloved family pet. The rabbit is the most popular exotic patient seen in the author's small animal and exotics practice and many rabbit owners are dedicated to the health and well-being of their pets and expect the best in medical care.
Cytology is a diagnostic tool that may be utilized on a daily basis in veterinary practice as it allows for quick answers with minimum of expense. The goal as a veterinary practitioner with a special interest in cytology is not always to make a definitive diagnosis based on cytologic results, but to help narrow the number of diagnoses on the differential list and give information on prognosis and help direct the formulation of a diagnostic and treatment plan.
For the dog and cat veterinarian, making the transition to include exotic companion mammals in the practice caseload is not difficult. The extent of special equipment needed varies with the degree to which the veterinarian plans to pursue this field of interest.
First, birds hide signs of illness until late in the disease process. This makes the likelihood of disease progression to a serious or critical state prior to presentation high.
A helpful tip for ferrets, guinea pigs, small reptiles, and birds.
Intubation provides better airway control than a face mask and minimizes the risk of aspiration. This is especially important for complex and prolonged procedures, when complications such as respiratory obstruction and hypoventilation are more likely to occur. Rabbits and rodents are difficult to intubate.
Major indications: Radiology is one of the most important diagnostic exam methods in birds. It is extremely well suited due to the poor specificity of disease symptoms a sick bird shows and especially due to the presence of the airsacs in the coelomic cavity. The air in the body and around the organs is a great contrast material.
Rabbits, chinchillas, and guinea pigs are monogastric, hind-gut fermenters; all have a functional cecum and require a high-fiber diet. Fiber is broken down in the cecum by a variety of microorganisms which are nourished by a constant supply of water and nutrients from the stomach and small intestine.
Exotic animal medicine is an exciting and rapidly growing part of companion animal practice. Exotics represent roughly 25-30% of the companion animal market for veterinary services. Pet owners readily seek out veterinary care for birds, small exotic mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
In this presentation we will discuss the various groupings of parasites seen infesting reptiles & amphibians, how to identify them and thoughts on proper treatment to rid the hosts of these parasites.
In order to use antimicrobial drugs in exotic patients effectively, one has to understand both the basic pharmacokinetics of these drugs, as well as certain key physiological features of the species being treated (e.g. a poikilotherm animal vs. a homeotherm). One mayor problem in the use of antimicrobial drugs approved for dogs and cats in exotic species, is the fact that there is little clinical data available on the use of these drugs in exotic patients.
As the popularity of reptiles has grown, so has the demand for quality veterinary care. Today, reptile medicine represents a viable subset of companion animal practice. Reptiles are stoic and have evolved to mask signs of illness, which makes them a challenge to diagnose and treat. For veterinarians and technicians who are willing to become proficient, however, reptile practice offers many rewards.
Kidney related diseases are a major cause of illness and death in captive lizards. Improper captive husbandry and diet are the most common predisposing causes of chronic renal failure - which is typically seen in adult lizards. Whereas acute onset of renal disease is often due to infectious or toxic causes (Including medications) and appears to effect any age animal and is typically more sporadic in occurrence.
Rabbits, guinea pigs, and chinchillas are all monogastric, hindgut-fermenting herbivores adapted to a course, high-fiber diet. They graze and browse almost continuously, chewing on plant material, gradually wearing their teeth down as a result. To compensate, the teeth (incisors and cheek teeth in these species) continue to erupt throughout life, at up to 2 mm per week.
The ventral abdominal vein is located directly on the ventral midline and can be accidentally incised when a midline incision is used.
Treatments based on evidence that they will actually have a significant chance to improve the patients' condition without causing excessive detrimental effects are the gold standard in human medicine. In veterinary medicine we tend to look towards these standards to improve our practice and ultimately to provide the best possible care for our patients.
While the ferret is not considered to be a particularly exotic pet and in general its clinical medicine is very similar to feline clinical medicine, the interpretation of the ferret chemistry profile deserves special attention as there can be several pitfalls if ferret profiles are interpreted by comparing with cat or dog normal values.
While standard radiographic and ultrasound imaging techniques are common diagnostic tools in exotic animal medicine, the use of more advanced imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) currently appear to be underutilized for exotic patients.
