Why You Should Add Guinea Pigs to Your PracticeMay 1, 2015Tia Greenberg, DVM, chief of medicine at Westminster Veterinary Group in Westminster, Calif., said there are a few must-knows and telltale signs she recommends that practitioners keep in mind. Dr. Greenberg said most people take their guinea pigs to the veterinarian for things like appetite loss, diarrhea, scratching, hair loss or a general wellness exam. “Most veterinarians should be familiar with the basic husbandry of these animals and their common conditions, such as dental disease, skin problems, vitamin-C deficiency, gastrointestinal problems and respiratory problems,” Greenberg said. Many practitioners who specialize in treating guinea pigs keyed in on vitamin C as something to keep an eye on. Guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C and require 10 to 30 mg/kg daily to prevent scurvy, according to Guinea Lynx, an online medical care guide for guinea pigs. Neurologic signs secondary to vitamin-C deficiency are a list-topper for Susan Kelleher, DVM, star of “Dr. K’s Animal ER” on the Nat Geo Wild cable channel. Also on her list: decreased appetite, skin problems and respiratory tract infections. Decreased appetite, or not eating at all, can be due to dental problems or systemic illness, said Kelleher, who owns Broward Avian and Exotic Animal …
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Why You Should Bring in FerretsMarch 4, 2015Originally published in the February 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News The males are known as hobs, females are jills and a group of them is known as a business. Did you also know they love to perform the “weasel war dance”? These are just a few factoids exotic veterinary practitioners wish general practitioners knew about ferrets. Estimates of the number of ferrets owned in the U.S. vary widely. But as of a 2011 survey, the American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that 748,000 are owned. Only a handful of veterinarians have experience in treating them medically. Exotics experts said that most veterinary students get minimal instruction on ferrets, specifically, but practitioners shouldn’t shy away from taking an interest in accepting these playful, curious creatures as patients. Sandra C. Mitchell, DVM, Dipl. ABVP (Exotic Companion Mammal and Feline Practices), in Saco, Maine, has been treating ferrets for 20 years. “I love their ‘can’t get me down’ attitudes. There is nothing in the world that can make me smile faster than a 'war-dancing’ ferret,” she said, referring to the frenzied series of sideways hops they perform when excited and playful. “They are also interesting challenges from a medical perspective, and really make …
The Latest on Proventricular Dilatation DiseaseFebruary 6, 2015Researchers are making progress in the fight to track and treat one of the most common illnesses affecting exotic birds. Proventricular Dilatation Disease, or PDD, is the result of an avian bornavirus infection and is characterized by intestinal paralysis, which results in food becoming stuck in the bird’s proventriculus. The intestine swells, causing discomfort, and when the gut cannot absorb nutrients from the stalled food, the bird dies. Interestingly, not all birds with PDD show these symptoms, and some can live years after exposure to the virus—as many as six or seven—before developing the illness. PDD was once called Macaw Wasting Disease, as it was originally thought just to impact macaws, but we now know it can be found in parrots, finches, lovebirds, quaker parakeets, and cockatiels, as well as wild water fowl such as geese and mute swans. Scientists have made some headway in their quest to better understand the disease in the past three years. Dr. Ian Tizard, DVM, Ph.D, and director of the Schubot Exotic Bird Health Center at Texas A&M University, has made PDD a career-long focus. Recent progress has provided something of a good news/bad news situation, according to Tizard. Recent projects have revolved around …
Accreditation Panel Says Oregon Zoo UnderstaffedOctober 17, 2014The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is urging the Oregon Zoo to beef up its veterinary staffing to better serve the park’s 2,000 animals. An AZA team surveyed the Portland, Ore., zoo in July in advance of an accreditation inspection scheduled for the summer of 2015. Besides looking at the zoo’s veterinary operations, AZA examined the park’s emergency response protocols, organizational structure and relationship with Metro Regional Government, the owner and operator. The Oregon Zoo employs two veterinarians, two veterinary technicians and a part-time hospital keeper—numbers that AZA called too low. “Four days per week there is only one veterinarian and one veterinary technician onsite,” AZA noted. “Vet techs also serve as part-time keepers for hospitalized animals after the animal keeper leaves for the day.” Another issue, AZA reported, is that “people are ‘stretched thin,’ which can lead to reactive versus proactive responses to procedures, preventative health and communications.” The 64-acre zoo opened a new hospital, the Veterinary Medical Center, in early 2012 and is building or planning the construction of elephant, polar bear and primate exhibits and an African savanna. The zoo is close to hiring a hospital administrator, spokesman Hova Najarian said. AZA stated that …
For Kangaroo Health, WesternU Springs Into ActionOctober 17, 2014It’s not every day that a kangaroo shows up at a Southern California veterinary clinic. Western University of Health Sciences admitted two marsupials Oct. 8 upon the request of alumnus Brad Ahrens, DVM, who works part time for an animal talent agency. The two red kangaroos, named Lenny and Captain, required neuter surgery for safety reasons. Male red kangaroos can reach 200 pounds in the wild. “You need to neuter them while they’re still young,” Dr. Ahrens said. “Otherwise they grow up to be really big and can become aggressive.” Lenny and Captain, ages 2 and 3, came from Birds & Animals Unlimited, an Acton, Calif., company that supplies animals for film and television work and for shows at Universal Studios Hollywood. The company lacks a surgery suite, so Ahrens used his connections to get Lenny and Captain into the WesternU Pet Wellness Center in Pomona. The surgeries were conducted by Professor Maria Fahie, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, with help from Ahrens and associate professor David Clark, DVM. Veterinary students used to handling dogs and cats were introduced to a totally different animal. “Getting faculty and students engaged in learning on species they wouldn’t normally see while providing …
U.K. Vets Remove Cataracts in Asian BearSeptember 22, 2014 The veterinary charity Animal Health Trust successfully performed cataract surgery on a moon bear that was rescued from the wild in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa province. The juvenile bear, named James, had learned to live and play in virtual darkness, according to Animals Asia, which hosted the surgery at its Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. Animals Asia is a group dedicated to fighting the harvesting of bear bile, an ingredient used in traditional Chinese medicine, and to other animal welfare causes. Ophthalmologists from the U.K.-based Animal Health Trust found a cataract in James’ left eye and a hypermature cataract in the right eye, which the veterinarians feared was permanently useless because it showed little to no reaction to light. The recent surgery should completely restore vision in the left eye and partially in the right, the veterinarians said. “It is very difficult for us to estimate how much James can see with his right eye, because blind bears will use their keen sense of smell and hearing to move around,” said Animals Asia senior veterinarian Joost Philippa, DVM, Ph.D. “Even with cataracts in both eyes it was sometimes difficult to notice that James could …
Veterinarian Wins High Praise for Saving GoldfishSeptember 16, 2014 George the goldfish is back in his home pond after an Australian veterinarian successfully removed a brain tumor. The 45-minute operation on an uncommon veterinary patient cost the owners a couple of hundred dollars, according to Lort Smith Animal Hospital, and brought admiration from around the world as news and photographs of the surgery went viral. “Thanks for treating fish with the respect they deserve,” one Facebook user wrote on the clinic’s page. “That might be the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” another wrote. “And to those that question the use of financial resources for a goldfish, some varieties can fetch amazingly high prices. Some are treasured pets. Who are we to judge?” The International Brain Tumor Alliance weighed in as well, stating, “We have heard of dogs and cats having brain tumors removed, but this is the first time we have heard of a fish undergoing brain surgery. Way to go, George!” The doctor was Tristan Rich, BVSc, who heads exotics and wildlife medicine at the Melbourne hospital. “The fish was having trouble eating, getting around and he was getting bullied by other fish,” Dr. Rich told The Telegraph newspaper. …
Is That A Banana? The Story Behind A Popular X-RaySeptember 5, 2014 The Veterinary Practice News 2014 annual "They Ate WHAT?!" contest has taken the world by storm. While the story of the Great Dane who ate 43 1/2 socks has been the most popular entry so far, a lot of interest been on Dragon, a bearded dragon who ate a toy banana and lived to tell the tale. Veterinarypracticenews.com Dragon, a bearded dragon, came into the Gladstone Animal Clinic because it wasn't eating. I called Andrew Rambo, DVM, of Gladstone Animal Clinic in Gladstone, Missouri to get the details of behind Dragon's diagnosis and surgery. As the story goes, Dragon was brought into the clinic because he was "turning his scaly nose up at food." Dragon, the breaded dragon was "friendly and well-cared for... We weren't sure what was wrong with him," Rambo said. An obstruction or blockage were possible causes for its acute anorexia, but Rambo needed to do an X-ray to properly diagnose Dragon. Dragon was living with his owner's grandmother, who was hesitant to do X-rays at first. Since Dragon wasn't a dog or cat, an X-ray seemed excessive. "But her granddaughter loved …
Avian Vet Specialist Part IFebruary 23, 2014Take a virtual tour of vet offices, and find out how vets run their offices, ORs and more. brightcove.createExperiences(); Watch Part 2 here.
Avian Vet Specialist Part IIFebruary 22, 2014 Take a virtual tour of vet offices, and find out how vets run their offices, ORs and more. brightcove.createExperiences();
