Veterinary Clinics of North America - Exotic Animal Practice最新文献

Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are frequently diagnosed in rodents. Clinical signs are usually nonspecific and include anorexia, weight loss, chronic wasting, abdominal discomfort, gas accumulation in the intestine and stomach, and diarrhea. Malabsorption associated with GI dysfunction or gastroenteritis quickly leads to negative energy balance and metabolic acidosis. Therefore, all disorders of the GI tract should be treated as soon as possible. The article describes selected disorders of the GI tract in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus), chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera), degus (Octodon degus), and rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Imaging of an exotic animal with gastroenteric disease is often essential to make a diagnosis. The selection of a modality and its effective use needs careful consideration in each case. Obtaining a high-quality image and its interpretation are an acquired skill. This article describes how to obtain a high-quality image, and then presents guidelines for its interpretation.

Antimicrobials should be used judiciously when managing gastrointestinal disorders in exotic animals. Oral administration of antibiotics targeting gram-positive flora must be avoided in hindgut fermenters. Immunosuppressives may be indicated for certain infectious diseases, such as chronic enteric coronavirus in ferrets and avian ganglioneuritis in parrots.

Gastrointestinal disease is a common presenting complaint in avian patients as owners can readily identify clinical signs associated with disorders of the gastrointestinal system. In birds, vastly different diets, environments, and feeding strategies have resulted in vast anatomic and physiologic differences between families. Practitioners treating avian patients should be familiar with the normal gastrointestinal anatomy and physiology of the species they are treating as well as how these species differences affect the diet and husbandry of captive and noncaptive avian patients.

Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are very common in exotic animals, such as reptiles, birds, mammals, and can be extremely painful. This review aims to provide the reader with a better understanding of the different pain mechanisms and manifestations across orders and species in order to provide the most updated information on pain recognition and management for GI conditions in exotic animals.

Fish represent the most common companion exotic animal in the United States and Canada in number of individuals and hold the third place after dogs and cats in terms of the number of households. Beyond companion animals, fish gastrointestinal diseases are particularly relevant for the aquaculture industry as feeding represents about 50% to 70% of the costs associated with fish production. Thus, nutrient malabsorption may have dramatic consequences both for the fish health and body condition score, but also for farmers. In this review, the authors discuss the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the digestive system of fish.

Reptile and amphibian veterinarians are frequently presented with patients exhibiting clinical signs suggestive of gastrointestinal (GI) disease. Understanding the normal structure and function of the GI tract is essential to aid appropriate diagnosis. This article will concentrate on the approach to a patient with GI signs and the problems affecting the GI tract from the esophagus to the colon.

Exotic pet ownership has steadily increased over the last decade, and with increased numbers of these species in close contact with humans, the risk of gastrointestinal zoonoses has also increased. Non-typhoidal serovars of Salmonella enterica are one of the most prevalent and important zoonoses of exotic pets, and reptile and backyard poultry are common asymptomatic carriers of these bacteria. Outbreaks of reptile-associated salmonellosis have occurred yearly in the United States since 2019 but contact with backyard poultry has actually been associated with more Salmonella outbreaks in the United States than any other animal species to date.

This review explores the application of gastrointestinal endoscopy in exotic animals, a field with unique challenges due to the diverse anatomic and physiologic characteristics of species such as small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The study outlines its indications, including diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, and discusses the specific equipment and techniques required. Despite the technical difficulties and anesthesia risks associated with these procedures, gastrointestinal endoscopy remains a valuable tool in exotic animal medicine. Like in other diagnostic methods, the large number of species demands special knowledge of the anatomic characteristics.

This article reviews treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in exotic companion mammal species, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Treatment of GI stasis involves fluids, nutrition, and analgesia; there is minimal evidence suggesting prokinetics are useful. Research has evaluated the efficacy of various appetite stimulants in several exotic animal species. Although rabbits and rodents cannot vomit, maropitant may be beneficial by providing visceral analgesia. Gastroprotectants may be indicated for patients at risk for GI ulceration, such as anorexic psittacine birds. Immunosuppressives may be indicated for GI neoplasia and inflammatory bowel disease.