Nutraceutical supplementation increases mobility in aged captive non-domesticated felids.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) are an increasing issue as the lifespan of captive animals increases. Extracts of green-lipped mussels have been linked to alleviation of MSDs in domestic carnivores. Understanding their efficacy in non-domestic felids could provide another tool to improve the welfare of aged individuals in collections. METHODS: A within-subject study design quantified steps per minute in each of 18 cats of 13 species before and after the addition of a nutraceutical containing green-lipped mussel extract (Antinol) to their diets. The age structure of four commonly kept subspecies of non-domestic cats was quantified to provide a demographic context to the need for managing aged individuals. RESULTS: Each of the 18 cats exhibited a higher number of steps per minute after the addition of Antinol to their diet. At the group level, a paired t-test showed that the step rate was significantly increased after the addition of Antinol to the diet. LIMITATIONS: While our results showed a strong significant increase in step rate following Antinol supplementation, further studies that incorporate a placebo, more individuals and more detailed metrics of mobility would provide a more detailed evidence base for practitioners. CONCLUSION: Nutraceuticals may yield benefits to aged individual felids, including species kept widely in European collections. Their use warrants further, detailed research in collections.

Online classified adverts reflect the broader United Kingdom trade in turtles and tortoises rather than drive it.

Online sales are increasingly a route by which exotic animals are sold in the global pet trade. There are numerous types of online platforms and transaction types, and dedicated classified advertisement sites are a popular means of buying and selling animals. Despite their large and increasing use, we have a relatively poor understanding of the number of, and taxonomic variation in, the animals sold online. This information may be key in efforts to optimise the welfare of the animals being sold, and the ethics and sustainability of the trade via that platform. To fill this knowledge gap, we monitored and analysed the advertisements of chelonians (turtles and tortoises) placed on one of the United Kingdom's largest dedicated classified ads sites, www.pets4homes.co.uk, over the course of a year, from July 2020 until June 2021. We analysed temporal, taxonomic, and advertiser related trends in the volumes of advertisements placed and compared the prices and the sentiment of language within adverts for different species. We found that the species advertised, the prices requested, and infrequent use of the site by most advertisers is consistent with most adverts being for animals being resold by casual users. Further, we found that turtles were consistently advertised for lower prices and in multiples than tortoises, and that the language with which they were advertised was less positive. We conclude that on this website the online trade reflects the broader trade, rather than drives the sales of chelonians in the UK, and that any interventions aiming to improve welfare and sustainability would be better placed earlier in the supply chain.

Prognostic Indicators of Avian Survival.

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether blood glucose, packed cell volume, and total protein are effective diagnostic tests to predict short-term (48 h following admittance to a veterinary hospital) prognosis for wild birds with traumatic injuries. The cohort study conducted for this investigation took place at the Jivdaya Charitable Trust in Ahmedabad, India, over a 7-d period, at the time of the International Kite Flying Festival of Uttarayan. A small blood sample was collected from every avian patient prior to surgical treatment and immediately analyzed. Patient outcome was reviewed and recorded at the end of a 48-h period following admittance to the veterinary hospital. Statistical analysis revealed no significant correlations between blood glucose levels (P = .24), packed cell volume (P = .80), or total protein levels (P = .47) outside the reference intervals and short-term outcome of the patients. There is a lack of evidence regarding the use of these diagnostic tests to ascertain short-term prognosis in avian species. While research has been conducted on avian wound healing, studies fail to identify any correlation between duration of injury and patient outcome. Despite a lack of statistically significant results from this study, the findings should not be dismissed and could be used as a basis for future studies on this subject.

A Comparison of Respiratory Variables in a Wild Population of Ventilated and Nonventilated Black Kites (Milvus migrans govinda).

Black kites (Milvus migrans govinda) often become injured due to kite-string injuries obtained during the International Kite Flying Festival that takes place during the celebration of Uttarayan, in Ahmedabad, India. The purpose of this study was to compare respiratory variables in ventilated and nonventilated black kites, to facilitate an evidence-based decision on whether to ventilate injured birds. A total of 56 juvenile and adult black kites of unknown sex were anesthetized and divided into a ventilated group (VG) and a nonventilated group (NVG). The variables recorded were end tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2), peripheral capillary oxygen saturation, heart rate, respiratory rate, and maintenance percentage of isoflurane (%ISO). The ETCO2 values were higher in the NVG compared to the VG (72.9 ± 19.8 mm Hg compared to 16.0 ± 5.6 mm Hg, P < .01). The %ISO required to maintain adequate depth of anesthesia was higher in NVG compared to VG (3.5% ± 0.5% compared to 2.2% ± 0.4%, P < .001). Peripheral capillary oxygen saturation was not statistically different between groups (NVG 96.3% ± 3.5% compared to the VG 96.0% ± 5.1%, P = .867). Ventilation under anesthesia appears to lower the ETCO2 and the %ISO flow rate used to maintain a surgical plane of anesthesia. These findings should provide information that will be helpful in the anesthetic management of black kites and may apply to other avian species as well.

POSTMORTEM FINDINGS IN EIGHT SPECIES OF CAPTIVE CAECILIAN (AMPHIBIA: GYMNOPHIONA) OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD.

Between July 2007 and June 2017 there were 86 deaths in the populations of eight caecilian species at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) London Zoo. The mortality rate (deaths per animal-year at risk) ranged from 0.03 in the Congo caecilian (Herpele squalostoma) to 0.85 in Kaup's caecilian (Potomotyphlus kaupii). Among the 73 individuals examined post mortem, no cause of death or primary diagnosis could be established in 35 cases, but of the others the most common cause of death was dermatitis (22 cases). When all significant pathological findings were considered, skin lesions of varying types were again the commonest (56 cases), particularly among the aquatic species: Typhlonectes compressicauda (18 out of 21 cases), T. natans (8/10) and P. kaupii (12/14). Other common findings were poor gut-fill (35 cases), kidney and gastrointestinal lesions (10 cases each), generalized congestion (8 cases) and poor body condition (6 cases). This review adds to the growing body of knowledge regarding the presentations and causes of disease in captive caecilians.

Successful management of Heinz body hemolytic anemia associated with leek (Allium ampeloprasum) ingestion in a South American coati (Nasua nasua).

OBJECTIVE: To describe the diagnosis, management, and outcome of Heinz body hemolytic anemia in a South American coati (Nasua nasua) secondary to suspected leek (Allium ampeloprasum) toxicosis. CASE SUMMARY: A South American coati presented with Heinz body hemolytic anemia following addition of leeks to its diet for 2-5 days prior to initial presentation. Administration of a whole blood transfusion from an animal of the same species (conspecific) and supportive care resulted in immediate improvement in clinical signs. Normal behavior fully returned within 6 days of transfusion. Hematological evidence of anemia resolved by 4 weeks and there were no significant features of oxidative injury present by 8 weeks following initial presentation. NEW INFORMATION PROVIDED: This is the first reported case of Heinz body hemolytic anemia, suspected leek toxicosis, and administration of a blood transfusion in this species.

FERLAVIRUS-RELATED DEATHS IN A COLLECTION OF VIPERID SNAKES.

Between June and October 2013, 26 snakes of six viperid species kept in two adjoining rooms died ( n = 16) or were euthanized on medical (1) or welfare grounds (9). Two were from the main zoo collection, but the other 24 had been imported and quarantined for a minimum of 6 mo. Four of those that died and the single snake euthanized on medical grounds showed minor signs of respiratory disease prior to death, and five were weak, lethargic, and/or poor feeders. Frequent postmortem findings among all snakes were poor body condition (18) and respiratory disease (13). Seventeen cases were examined histologically, and pneumonia, sometimes with air sacculitis and/or tracheitis, was present in 15 individuals. Lung samples from 24 snakes were ferlavirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive, and one of the two snakes for which only liver was available was also positive. The negative liver sample was from a snake that died of sepsis following anesthesia for surgical removal of a spindle cell sarcoma. Correlation with antemortem PCR testing of glottal and cloacal swabs in five cases was poor (sensitivity = 40%). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for ferlaviruses on the tissues of 13 PCR-positive cases showed positive labeling in 7 only. Tissues samples from 22 ferlavirus PCR-positive snakes were examined for Chlamydia species by PCR, and 9 were positive, although DNA sequencing only confirmed two of three tested as Chlamydia pneumoniae. Immunohistochemistry for Chlamydia pneumoniae of seven cases (two Chlamydiales PCR positive, one of which was sequenced as C. pneumoniae, plus five negative) confirmed the Chlamydia PCR results. These two Chlamydiales PCR and IHC positive snakes were ferlavirus PCR positive, but IHC negative suggesting that, even though a ferlavirus was the predominant cause of the outbreak, in a few cases death may have been due to chlamydiosis with ferlavirus present, but not acting as the primary pathogen.

COMPARISON OF ISOFLURANE AND SEVOFLURANE FOR SHORT-TERM ANESTHESIA IN MEERKATS (SURICATA SURICATTA)-ARE THERE BENEFITS THAT OUTWEIGH COSTS?

Meerkats ( Suricata suricatta ) are routinely anesthetized with isoflurane in zoo and field settings. Twenty healthy adult meerkats of mixed age and sex held in the Zoological Society of London's collection were anesthetized with 4% isoflurane by face mask for routine health examinations. The procedure was repeated 5 mo later in the same group of animals utilizing sevoflurane at 5% for induction, and again 3 mo later with sevoflurane at 6.5% for induction to approximate equipotency with isoflurane. The speed and quality of induction and recovery were compared between the two volatile anesthetic agents. There was no statistically significant difference in the speed of induction across any of the anesthetic regimes. There was a significant difference in recovery times between isoflurane and 6.5% sevoflurane (427 ± 218 and 253 ± 65 sec, respectively [mean ± SD]). Under the conditions of this study, sevoflurane at 6.5% induction dose resulted in better quality induction and recovery than sevoflurane at 5% induction or isoflurane. The mean heart and respiratory rates during anesthesia were higher using 5% sevoflurane for induction but there was no significant difference in either rate between isoflurane and sevoflurane used at a 6.5% induction dose. This study suggests that sevoflurane at a dose of 6.5% for induction and 4% for maintenance is a safe and effective anesthetic agent in healthy adult meerkats. Rapid return to normal behavior after anesthesia is important in all zoo species but particularly so in animals with a complex social and hierarchical structure such as meerkats. For this species, the advantage afforded by the speed of recovery with sevoflurane may offset the cost in certain circumstances.

Meeting ultraviolet B radiation requirements of amphibians in captivity: a case study with mountain chicken frogs (Leptodactylus fallax) and general recommendations for pre-release health screening.

Conservation breeding programmes are a tool used to prevent amphibian extinctions. The husbandry requirements of amphibians are complex. Ongoing research is needed to ensure optimal management of those captive-bred animals destined, in particular, for reintroduction. The UV-B and vitamin D3 requirements of amphibians are largely unknown. Metabolic bone disease has been reported in a number of species. These include the Critically Endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) reared in captivity on diets supplemented with a high-calcium multivitamin and mineral supplement containing vitamin D3 but without UV-B provision. Captive-bred L. fallax being reared for reintroduction to Montserrat were provided with UV-B radiation from metamorphosis and were fed on insects supplemented with vitamins and minerals. Overlapping heat, light and UV-B gradients were provided, mimicking what we believe best represents the natural situation and thereby facilitated self-regulation of UV-B exposure. A subset of 10 frogs was periodically radiographed to assess skeletal health. Radiographic bone density and anatomical integrity appeared unremarkable when compared with a wild caught L. fallax. In addition to other routine health-screening, we recommend that radiography be performed to a structured schedule on a subset of all captive-bred and reared amphibians to assess skeletal health and to gauge the appropriateness of captive husbandry. We demonstrate here that, through the appropriate provision of a combination of both UV-B radiation and dietary supplementation, L. fallax can be bred and reared in captivity with healthy skeletal development.