Common clinical techniques

Question 1

Where do you want to place the thumb when giving avian patients oral medications?

Answer 1

Commissure of the mouth

Question 2

What is an important anatomical part that you want to avoid in avian patients when giving oral medications?

Answer 2

Avoid the glottis

Question 3

What do you want to restrain in a reptile (except snapping turtle) while giving medications?

Answer 3

Their forelimbs

Question 4

(T/F) Mammals muscle fatigue faster and more easily than reptiles

Answer 4

False - reptiles muscle fatigue faster

Question 5

What is the rule of thumb for tube/gavage feeding when it comes to birds? How about turtles?

Answer 5

Birds: Tube should go halfway down the keel
Turtles: Cranial quarter of the plastron

Question 6

In avian patients, when do we want to feed them and give oral treatments?

Answer 6

Should always feed and give oral treatments last and put back into cage ASAP - to reduce risk of regurgitation

Question 7

Where do we give SQ fluids to birds?

Answer 7

Lateral inguinal region (have very thin skin and potential space)

Question 8

Were do we give SQ fluids to turtles and snakes?

Answer 8

Turtles: Room in inguinal and axillary regions
Snakes: lateral body wall

Question 9

(T/F) Reptiles will absorb medications slower than mammals because of their poor blood supply

Answer 9

True

Question 10

Where do we inject avian IM medications?

Answer 10

Pectoral muscles

Question 11

What can happen with IM injections in avian patients?

Answer 11

Pinpoint muscle necrosis and subsequent scar tissue

Question 12

Where do we want to give IM medications to turtles?

Answer 12

Forelimbs (except snapping turtles - tail)

Question 13

Where do we collect blood in birds?

Answer 13

• Ulnar vein
• Jugular vein
• Medial metatarsal (waterfowl)

Question 14

Where do we collect blood in chelonians?

Answer 14

• Jugular
• Subcarapacial sinus
• Coccygeal

Question 15

What is the risk in taking blood from subcarapacial sinus?

Answer 15

There could be lymph contamination

Question 16

Where do we collect blood in snakes?

Answer 16

Caudal vein
Cardiocentesis

Question 17

What is the risk with cardiocentesis blood draw in snakes?

Answer 17

Cardiac tamponade

Question 18

Where can we take swab collections from in birds?

Answer 18

Crop swab
Chonanal swab
Cloacal swab

Question 19

What do we use wet mounts for the most?

Answer 19

Trichomonas

Question 20

What can we do to collect a fecal sample in box turtles?

Answer 20

Scheduled in soak day

Question 21

Connect the correct animals to IV catheter placement:
a) Birds
b) Chelonians

1. Jugular vein
2. Medial metatarsal vein

Answer 21

Birds - medial metatarsal vein
Chelonians - Jugular vein

Question 22

What views do we want to get for radiographs in birds?

Answer 22

Full body: VD and lateral
Wings: lateral and skyline

Question 23

What views do we want to get for radiographs in reptiles?

Answer 23

DV
Lateral
Craniocaudal

Question 24

How long should the sessions of passive range of motion PT should last?

Answer 24

5 min sessions and 10 second intervals twice weekly to every other day

Question 25

How do we want to perform passive range of motion PT?

Answer 25

Push up on elbow and down on carpus to extend wing and massage propatagial tendon in between each extension

Question 26

What is the difference between passive vs active range of motion PT?

Answer 26

Active - patient is encouraged to use the limb on its own

Question 27

With what fractures do we use a wing to body wrap?

Answer 27

Coracoid, clavicle, scapula, humerus
Wing droop of unknown origin

Question 28

Where should we place the wing to body wrap?

Answer 28

Wrap the material around middle 1/3 of the keel

Question 29

What is the figure of 8 used for?

Answer 29

Temporary radius/ulna and distal metacarpal bone stabilization

Question 30

When do we place interdigitating bandage in a foot?

Answer 30

Wound needs to be protected on the bottom of the foot but still desire for them to perch

Question 31

When should we use interdigitating bandages?

Answer 31

Pad injury: laceration, cracks in the pad, wounds needing a little extra support or coverage

Question 32

When do we use ball bandages in birds?

Answer 32

Great for pododermatitis or other more severe open wounds on the pads, toe fractures

Question 33

What do you want to keep in mind if you are going to place a ball bandage?

Answer 33

Must provide food in a manner so that the bird can eat

Question 34

When do we place tibiotarsus splints?

Answer 34

Fractures that are in the middle of the bone if close to the knee

Question 35

What are the two different tibiotarsus splints?

Answer 35

Tape splints
Shin guard splints

Question 36

When doing a shin guard splint, the (concave/convex) semicircle will be at the top and the (concave/convex) semicircle will be at the bottom

Answer 36

Convex
Concave

Question 37

What things you should consider when leaving splints on?

Answer 37

Depends on patients and the fracture
Young birds heal very quickly
Smaller birds heal faster than larger birds

Question 38

What is the range of changing splints on a young and growing quickly?

Answer 38

Every 3-5 days

Question 39

What does it mean to have too warm and too cool extremities during splint care?

Answer 39

Too warm - inflammation
Too cool - lack of circulation

Question 40

Which instances can a fracture heal with cage rest if the patient does not tolerate a bandage?

Answer 40

• Clavicle, coracoid, scapula
• Femurs in young patients
• Partial fractures/ green stick fractures