16.8.4: Reproductive disease in avian and exotic species Flashcards

1
Q

What is POOS and why does it occur?

A
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2
Q

What forms of POES are there?

A
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3
Q
A
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4
Q
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5
Q
A
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6
Q

Clinical signs of repro disease in reptiles

A
  • Lethargy
  • Anorexia
  • Bloated/ distended coelomic cavity
  • Dyspnoea
  • Lameness / leg paresis (tortoises mainly)
  • Swelling around the cloaca
  • Straining ± blood or prolapsed tissue from the cloaca
  • Behaviour changes e.g. pacing, nesting, digging
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7
Q

Clinical signs of repro disease in birds

A
  • Lethargy / depression
  • Inappetance / reduced crop fill
  • Bloated / distended
  • Dyspnoea
  • Seizures / tremors
  • Separation from the group / being bullied (chickens)
  • Lameness / leg paresis, reluctance to move or perch
  • Straining ± blood or prolapsed tissue from cloaca
  • Fluffed up appearance, hunched posture, wide-legged stance
  • Behaviour changes e.g. feather plucking, aggression, regurgitation
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8
Q
A

Prolapses
Top L = prolapsed cloaca
Bottom R = prolapsed uterus

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9
Q

Causes of prolapses in reptiles

A

Anything that increases the pressure on the coelomic cavity
* Constipation
* Endoparasites
* Impaction
* Egg binding
* Egg in the bladder
* Cystitis / bladder stones
* Traumatic copulation (if disconnected too quickly)
* Bite wounds

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10
Q

Common repro conditions in reptiles

A
  • Prolapse e.g. hemipene, cloaca, oviduct
  • Impactions e.g. hemipene, femoral pores (affected by lack of humidity)
  • Hypocalcaemia
  • Pre-Ovulatory Ovarian Stasis (POOS)
  • Post-Ovulatory Egg Stasis (POES; dystocia)
  • Neoplasia
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11
Q

What does a tortoise need in order to lay eggs?

A

A nesting site - will refuse to lay if no nesting site to burrow in

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12
Q

True/false: some snakes require high humidity to lay eggs and will refuse if this is not present.

A

True

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13
Q

Common avian repro conditions

A
  • Sexual frustration
  • Chronic egg laying
  • Abnormal eggs
  • Egg binding
  • Prolapse e.g. oviduct, phallus
  • Coelomitis (egg yolk peritonitis)
  • Salpingitis (inflammation of the oviduct)
  • Neoplasia
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14
Q

Which birds show sexual frustration commonly as pets?

A
  • Very common problem for pet parrots who live alone
  • In the wild these birds form monogamous pairings that bond for life
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15
Q

Behaviour that bonded birds display to each other

A
  • Stroking
  • Beak touching
  • Preening/ cleaning each other
  • Feeding each other

Owners do this for their birds!

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16
Q

What signs might a bird display if they are lonely or inappropriately bonded to their owner?

A
  • Excessive regurgitation (especially if there are mirrors in their cage)
  • Feather plucking due to frustration, stress, anxiety
  • Jealousy and aggression, especially to spouses of their partner
  • Excessive egg laying
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17
Q

How can you prevent sexual frustration / inappropriate owner bonding in pet birds?

A
  • Share interaction and caring responsibilities equally between members of the household
  • Avoid stroking the bird down its back and definitely stop if the bird starts to regurgitate
  • Avoid certain behaviours e.g. mouth to beak feeding
  • Do not positively reinforce courtship behaviours e.g. regurgitation, dancing, tapping (remove attention if these happen)
  • Remove mirrors in their cage so they cannot self-bond
  • Keep them as a pair (species-dependent); be careful rapidly reintroducing new parrots if they have been alone for a while
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18
Q

Which birds commonly show chronic egg laying?

A
  • Captive cockatiels, lovebirds, budgies
  • Can lay a large number of eggs in succession
  • This can occur without the presence of a mate and outside the correct breeding season
  • Removing the eggs as they are laid can induce the birds to lay more (double clutching)
19
Q

Effects of chronic egg laying

A
  • Uterine inertia
  • Calcium depletion
  • Egg binding
  • Egg peritonitis / coelomitis
  • Osteoporosis
20
Q

Predisposing factors to chronic egg laying

A
  • Increased photoperiod
  • Food type e.g. high fat / high calorie diet (lots of seeds)
  • Presence of actual or perceived mates (toys, owners, mirrors can be interpreted as mates)
  • Short-circuit somewhere in repro hardwiring - some birds will chronic egg lay even if you do everything right
21
Q

What is coelomitis and what are some common causes?

A

Coelomitis: inflammation of the coelomic cavity.

Common causes
* Ectopic eggs (eggs in coelomic cavity causes severe inflammatory reaction)
* Ovarian neoplasia
* Cystic ovarian disease
* Oviductal disease e.g. salpingitis

Image: air sacs are compressed; lack of contrast suggests filled with fluid. Coelomic cavity extends caudally too.

22
Q

What is avian egg binding and what causes it?

A

Avian egg binding: very similar to POES in reptiles but more common as birds lay more frequently than reptiles.

Signalment: can happen in any bird but more common in smaller species e.g. budgies, cockatiels, finches, canaries

Common causes
* Laying e.g. chronic or first time layers
* Eggs e.g. malformed eggs
* Disease e.g. systemic or oviductal disease
* Husbandry e.g. lack of exercise, low temperatures, malnutrition (deficiencies in Ca, Vit A, Vit E, obesity)
* Genetic predisposition

23
Q

Complications of avian egg binding

A

Just like in reptiles, an egg lodged in the pelvic canal may compress the pelvic blood vessels, kidneys, ureters, ischiatic nerves, leading to:
* Circulatory disorders
* Lameness, paresis, paralysis
* Pressure necrosis of the oviduct
* Metabolic disturbances (by interfering with normal defecation and micturition, and by causing ileus and renal disease)

24
Q

Which species are exploratory laparotomies more common in, birds or reptiles?

A

More common in reptiles; high risk of coelomic surgery in birds

25
Q

What initial diagnostic tests could you consider when investigating repro disease in birds and reptiles?

A
  • Imaging: radiographs, ultrasound, CT if available; useful for looking at eggs, follicles, neoplasia
  • Aspiration ± C&S, cytology: useful for infections, egg yolk peritonitis
  • Exploratory laparotomy may be used to diagnose and treat if a lesion is found on palpation or imaging
26
Q

When female birds and reptiles are laying, what would you expect to see with regards to total calcium levels in the blood?

A

Total Ca will be increased
Ionised will not

27
Q

Ultrasound is more useful in which species: birds or reptiles? What might you use it for?

A
  • Ultrasound not very useful in birds due to feather coverage.
  • Very useful in reptiles - used to diagnose SOL lesions hard to ID on rads e.g. follicles
28
Q

Which imaging modality is preferred in tortoises?

A

CT
* But expensive and often requires referral
* Radiography is useful for screening and identifying SOLs, but can be hard to identify organ and structure involved.
* Ultrasound useful e.g. for follicles.

29
Q

Investigating the exotic pet with suspect repro disease, what might you look for on bloods and faecal testing?

A
  • Biochemistry: systemic health and underlying causes such as MBD, renal disease
  • Faecal testing: parasitology (may be an underlying cause e.g. of cloacal prolapse)
30
Q

How could you surgically treat POOS?

A

Ovariectomy

31
Q

How could you surgically treat egg binding, oviductal disease, ovarian tumours, and chronic egg laying?

A

Salpingohysterotomy/ salpingohysterectomy

32
Q

How could you surgically treat egg binding / POES?

A

Ovocentesis

33
Q

How could you surgically treat reproductive tumours?

A

Orchidectomy

34
Q

How could you treat a prolapse?

A
  • Lubricate and replace OR amputation prolapse if appropriate
  • Can play stay sutures to prevent future prolapse (take care that stay sutures in the cloaca do not cause egg binding in future)
  • Investigate and treat the underlying cause
35
Q

What should you always do before taking an exotic pet to surgery?

A

Stabilise; this means:
* Provide fluids
* Warm
* Provide nutrition

36
Q

What medical treatments are available for reproductive disease in birds and reptiles?

A
37
Q

Which forms of dystocia require surgical treatment?

A
38
Q

Which forms of dystocia can be treated medically / with husbandry changes?

A
39
Q

How will you treat POES in reptiles or egg binding in birds?

A
40
Q

What management changes should you make after POES in a reptile?

A
41
Q

How could you decrease egg laying in a bird?

A
42
Q

What considerations should you take into account with regard to neutering reptiles?

A
43
Q

What considerations should you take into account with regard to neutering birds?

A