Computed tomographic diagnosis and clinical outcomes of small intestinal obstruction caused by trichobezoars in client-owned rabbits.

Small intestinal obstruction in rabbits, although demonstrated to be common, is still poorly characterized. The objective of this study was to report features of small intestinal obstruction caused by trichobezoars in rabbits upon CT and their clinical outcomes. Rabbits with a diagnosis of intestinal obstruction that underwent CT scanning were included in this study. From each CT scan, obstruction location, appearance, Hounsfield units, size (mm), volume (mm3), distance from the stomach, and diameter of the small intestine proximal and distal to it, were extracted. Nine rabbits were included in the study. All rabbits presented for anorexia and had a distended or enlarged stomach (7) or abdomen (2). CT scan showed a non-contrast-enhancing, ovoid, smoothly marginated structure with a hyperattenuating rim, heterogeneous center, and variable amount of centrally located gas, in the duodenum (5), the jejunum (2), or the ileum (2). The density of the trichobezoars ranged from -156 to 58 HU (median, -44 HU) and volume ranged from 86.1 to 633.8 mm3 (median, 320.6 mm3). Three rabbits underwent medical management. Two of them survived, and one of them died. Six rabbits underwent surgery, of which three were successfully discharged from the hospital. CT proved to be a valuable imaging modality in rabbits with a suspected intestinal obstruction to provide the exact location of the obstruction and the characteristics of the obstructive material. The location and size of the trichobezoar may have relevant clinical implications.

Accuracy of the modified vertebral heart score and the cardio-vertebral ratio for radiographic evaluation of cardiomegaly in ferrets.

Thoracic radiography is commonly used to assess the size of the heart and diagnose cardiac disease in ferrets. Several standardized radiographic heart size indicators have been introduced in this species and values in healthy ferrets have been reported. To date, none of these indicators has been tested in ferrets with cardiac disease. The aim of this prospective and retrospective, analytical observational design study was to assess the accuracy of the modified vertebral heart score (mVHS) and the cardio-vertebral ratio (CVR) in the radiographic detection of cardiomegaly in ferrets. Thoracic radiographs of 24 ferrets with confirmed heart diseases, 22 ferrets with non-cardiac diseases and normal-sized hearts on echocardiogram, and 24 healthy ferrets were mixed and examined by three independent and blinded radiologists who measured mVHS and CVR in right lateral (RL) and ventrodorsal (VD) radiographs. For all readers, ferrets with cardiac disease had significantly higher mVHS and CVR than ferrets without cardiac disease on echocardiography. Optimal cut-points for predicting cardiac enlargement were 6.25 vertebrae and 7.25 vertebrae for RL-mVHS and VD-mVHS, and 1.58 and 1.80 for RL-CVR and VD-CVR, respectively. Using these cut-points, the accuracy was good for indicators measured in RL radiographs (92.9% for RL-mVHS; 91.4% for RL-CVR) and moderate for indicators measured in VD radiographs (88.6% for VD-mVHS; 85.7% for VD-CVR). Findings supported the use of mVHS and CVR for evaluating the size of the heart in diseased ferrets, with caution in values interpretation when pericardial fat prevents precise delineation of the cardiac silhouette contour especially on VD radiographs.

Radiographic and anatomical morphometric assessments of heart size in presumed healthy pet guinea pigs.

Cardiac disease in guinea pigs has been reported in the literature; however, reference intervals for normal radiographic heart size obtained using objective measurement methods have not been provided for this species. The aim of this prospective, reference interval study was to describe cardiac dimensions in presumed healthy guinea pigs using the vertebral heart scale (VHS) from thoracic radiographs, as described for dogs and cats. Furthermore, an anatomical study was carried out to compare the radiographic and anatomical findings. Thoracic radiographs were acquired in right lateral recumbency for 30, client-owned, conscious, presumed healthy guinea pigs and radiographs were acquired in left lateral recumbency for 10 presumed healthy guinea pigs as comparisons. The influence of sex, age, body weight (BW), and recumbency on the VHS and absolute cardiac measurements was investigated. The median (interquartile range; IQR) VHS was 7.4 (7.1-7.6). No differences emerged between the VHS measured in right versus left lateral recumbency (P = .41) or between sexes (P = .16). The VHS values were not influenced by age (P = .53) or BW (P = .26). The anatomical study was carried out on 10 guinea pig cadavers, and in situ and ex situ cardiac measurements were taken using a caliper. A median (IQR) 7.5 (7.2-8.0) VHS was assessed by this anatomical study. The reference intervals provided should be useful tools in the future for the radiographic interpretation of cardiac size in guinea pigs in clinical practice.

Treatment of leiomyosarcoma in a tiger (Panthera tigris) with stereotactic radiotherapy.

A 10-year-old male captive tiger (Panthera tigris) developed right-sided facial asymmetry and enlargement. Computed tomography revealed a destructive mass of the right maxillary bone with right nasal cavity involvement. Histopathology indicated a spindle cell sarcoma. A single fraction of 22 Gy using stereotactic radiotherapy was prescribed. After treatment, the facial conformation returned to normal and the tiger resumed normal behavior. Diagnostics 4 months later indicated severe metastatic disease. Humane euthanasia and necropsy were performed. This is the first case utilizing stereotactic radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer in a tiger.

Exotic Animal Practice in West Asia/Middle East.

Middle East is a diverse and developing exotic animal market. Undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional development (CPD) education are noticeably absent except in few countries. Avian species are the most commonly kept due to traditional falconry or aviculture. Small mammal and reptile pet numbers are increasing. Endangered wildlife is still illegally kept and trafficked. Common diseases are similar to other continents related heavily with poor diet and husbandry due to uneducated, financially restrained, and prejudiced owners. There is a significant lack of board-certified specialists, teaching facilities, or dedicated private practitioners who thirst for CPD. Clinical research is absent except falcons.

Case studies of fifteen novel species successfully aided with the use of a veterinary teletriage service.

The veterinary medical field is constantly growing and evolving. Embracing the growth of readily available video conferencing, and potentially spurred by events such as the COVID-19 pandemic causing the public to seek alternatives to physical contact for medical advice at their local veterinary clinic, the use of long-distance advice or telehealth is a rapidly developing field in its own right. Here we present case studies using a teletriage service, VetTriage, to provide health care advice to clients with underserved species including presenting complications, actions taken during the session, medical advice given, and follow-up of the case when possible. In addition to the everyday difficulty of accessing rapid medical care in recent years, there are households with underserved animal groups such as exotics (small mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, etc.), found wildlife, and in some areas of the country, large animals (horses, cows, etc.). Teletriage services have the potential to reach these underserved animal groups providing a vital service where otherwise no help may be available.

Agreement between hematocrits measured with electrical conductivity on the i-STAT analyzer and manual packed cell volume measurements in 148 chelonian patients.

BACKGROUND: Point-of-care (POC) analyzers are increasingly used for diagnostic testing in exotic animals. A few studies with small sample sizes, evaluating agreement between hematocrit (Hct) and packed cell volume (PCV) measurements in chelonians, showed conflicting results. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to assess the agreement between Hct values measured with a POC analyzer and manual PCV measurements in venous samples from 148 chelonians. METHODS: All chelonians that underwent bloodwork for clinical reasons had Hct measured with an analyzer employing electrical conductivity (i-STAT, Abbott), PCVs measured using centrifugation, and total solids (TS) measured with refractometry. Bland-Altman plots were built to assess agreement between the measurements. Generalized linear mixed models were used to determine the effect of different variables on the difference between Hct and PCV. RESULTS: Of 192 chelonians sampled during this period, 148 had Hct, PCV, and TS results. Hct significantly underestimated PCV, with a mean difference between the techniques of -3.8% (95% CI: -4.5 to -3.2; LoA: -11.5 to 3.8). There was a negative correlation between the value of TS and the difference between the methods. Controlling for other factors, the magnitude of the disagreement was not affected by the sex of the chelonian but was smaller in red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans). CONCLUSIONS: Hct values measured with electrical conductivity in chelonians significantly underestimated manual PCVs by about 4%. This difference should be considered whenever an Hct measured on a POC analyzer using electrical conductance is used in chelonian patient assessments.

Evidence of a J/ψΛ structure and observation of excited Ξ- states in the Ξb-→J/ψΛK- decay.

First evidence of a structure in the J/ψΛ invariant mass distribution is obtained from an amplitude analysis of Ξb-→J/ψΛK- decays. The observed structure is consistent with being due to a charmonium pentaquark with strangeness with a significance of 3.1σ including systematic uncertainties and look-elsewhere effect. Its mass and width are determined to be 4458.8±2.9-1.1+4.7MeV and 17.3±6.5-5.7+8.0MeV, respectively, where the quoted uncertainties are statistical and systematic. The structure is also consistent with being due to two resonances. In addition, the narrow excited Ξ- states, Ξ1690- and Ξ1820-, are seen for the first time in a Ξb- decay, and their masses and widths are measured with improved precision. The analysis is performed using pp collision data corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of 9 fb-1, collected with the LHCb experiment at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV.

Pet Reptiles-Are We Meeting Their Needs?

The ability to meet the needs of each species in captivity is at the heart of the ethical debate on the acceptability of keeping reptiles and other animals as pets. Little is known about the ability of reptile owners to understand their pets' behavior and to meet their welfare requirements. In this study, we surveyed pet reptile owners in Portugal (N = 220) to assess their behavioral knowledge and the provision of essential husbandry needs. Although two-thirds of respondents (68%) scored very good to excellent in terms of knowledge of their pet reptile's behaviors, only 15% of respondents met four essential reptile husbandry needs (temperature, lighting, diet and refuge) and 43% met two or less. None of the respondents reported their reptile's welfare as very poor, and only a single respondent reported it as poor. Logistic regression model showed that while snake owners had fourteen times higher odds of reporting adequate husbandry provision, lizard owners had the highest odds of reporting good or very good welfare despite providing less of their animals' basic husbandry needs. These results suggest that many pet reptiles in Portugal live in, at best, 'controlled deprivation' and are at risk of suffering poor welfare throughout their captive lives. Moreover, behaviors indicative of poor welfare and captivity stress were considered 'normal' by up to one quarter of respondents. We suggest that the frequency of these behaviors in pet reptiles has led to their acceptance as normal, precluding the search for ways to prevent them. These results suggest that campaigns aimed at challenging the current norm for adequate reptile welfare are warranted.

Two-dimensional, M-mode, and Doppler echocardiography in 22 conscious and apparently healthy pet guinea pigs.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to report normal echocardiographic values in healthy guinea pigs. ANIMALS, MATERIALS, AND METHODS: Twenty-two privately owned, apparently healthy, conscious guinea pigs underwent complete transthoracic echocardiography. Left ventricular (LV), right ventricular, left atrial, and aortic root dimensions were measured, as were forward flow velocities across the mitral, aortic, and pulmonic valves. The effects of age, body weight, sex, and heart rate on these variables were also investigated. RESULTS: The median age (interquartile range) was 3.0 (1.8-4.0) years with a body weight of 902 (822-998) grams. Echocardiography was feasible in all conscious animals. Early and late diastolic transmitral flow waves were summated in 17 of 22 individuals. In the remaining five animals, the two waves were reversed (E wave-to-A wave velocity less than 1.0). A positive correlation was detected between body weight and LV internal diameter at end-diastole and end-systole and left atrial diameter (P < 0.05). Heart rate was negatively correlated with LV internal diameter at end-systole (r = -0.463, P = 0.035). Age was positively correlated with LV posterior wall thickness at end-diastole and aortic diameter (P < 0.05). LV internal diameter at end-systole was larger in males than in females (P = 0.012), while fractional shortening was lower (P = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: Descriptive echocardiography ranges in apparently healthy awake guinea pigs have been provided and can be used for cardiac assessment in these pet animals.

Confidence of veterinary surgeons in the United Kingdom in treating and diagnosing exotic pet species.

BACKGROUND: With exotic pet species commonplace in the UK, owners are increasingly seeking veterinary advice regarding the health and welfare of their small mammals and reptiles. This study aimed to assess the confidence of veterinarians in the UK in treating and diagnosing rabbits, guinea pigs, small mammals and reptiles. METHODS: A 41-question survey was promoted via social media, including on interest groups focused specifically at veterinary professionals. A total of 131 practising veterinarians in the UK completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: Frequency of presentation of exotic pets to a practice had a significant effect (P<0.01) on the confidence of veterinarians in treating them. Veterinarians who were presented with exotics more frequently had increased self-reported knowledge of their health and disease and were more confident in treating, diagnosing and anaesthetising them. Knowledge of and confidence in diagnosing and treating exotic pets were significantly less than for dogs and cats (P<0.001). There was a significant effect of length of time qualified on confidence in treating exotic pet species (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Increased provision and engagement with continuing professional development may increase veterinary confidence in diagnosing, treating and anaesthetising exotic pet species that are less commonly encountered in practice.

Observation of structure in the J/ψ-pair mass spectrum.

Using proton-proton collision data at centre-of-mass energies of s=7,8 and 13TeV recorded by the LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9fb-1, the invariant mass spectrum of J/ψ pairs is studied. A narrow structure around 6.9GeV/c2 matching the lineshape of a resonance and a broad structure just above twice the J/ψ mass are observed. The deviation of the data from nonresonant J/ψ-pair production is above five standard deviations in the mass region between 6.2 and 7.4GeV/c2, covering predicted masses of states composed of four charm quarks. The mass and natural width of the narrow X(6900) structure are measured assuming a Breit-Wigner lineshape.

Resource-enhancing global changes drive a whole-ecosystem shift to faster cycling but decrease diversity.

Many global changes take the form of resource enhancements that have potential to transform multiple aspects of ecosystems from slower to faster cycling, including a suite of both above- and belowground variables. We developed a novel analytic approach to measure integrated ecosystem responses to resource-enhancing global changes, and how such whole ecosystem slow-to-fast transitions are linked to diversity and exotic invasions in real-world ecosystems. We asked how 5-yr experimental rainfall and nutrient enhancements in a natural grassland system affected 16 ecosystem functions, pools, and stoichiometry variables considered to indicate slow vs. fast cycling. We combined these metrics into a novel index we termed "slow-fast multifunctionality" and assessed its relationship to plant community diversity and exotic plant dominance. Nutrient and rainfall addition interacted to affect average slow-fast multifunctionality. Nutrient addition alone pushed the system toward faster cycling, but this effect weakened with the joint addition of rainfall and nutrients. Variables associated with soil nutrient pools and cycling most strongly contributed to this antagonistic interaction. Nutrient and water addition together, respectively, had additive or synergistic effects on plant trait composition and productivity, demonstrating divergence of above- and belowground ecosystem responses. Our novel metric of faster cycling was strongly associated with decreased plant species richness and increased exotic species dominance. These results demonstrate the breadth of interacting community and ecosystem changes that ensue when resource limitation is relaxed.

Monitoring the influx of new species through citizen science: the first introduced ant in Denmark.

Climate change and invasive species threaten biodiversity, yet rigorous monitoring of their impact can be costly. Citizen science is increasingly used as a tool for monitoring exotic species, because citizens are geographically and temporally dispersed, whereas scientists tend to cluster in museums and at universities. Here we report on the establishment of the first exotic ant taxon (Tetramorium immigrans) in Denmark, which was discovered by children participating in The Ant Hunt. The Ant Hunt is a citizen science project for children that we ran in 2017 and 2018, with a pilot study in 2015. T. immigrans was discovered in the Botanical Garden of the Natural History Museum of Denmark in 2015 and confirmed as established in 2018. This finding extends the northern range boundary of T. immigrans by almost 460 km. Using climatic niche modelling, we compared the climatic niche of T. immigrans in Europe with that of T. caespitum based on confirmed observations from 2006 to 2019. T. immigrans and T. caespitum had a 13% niche overlap, with T. immigrans showing stronger occurrence in warmer and drier areas compared to T. caespitum. Mapping the environmental niches onto geographic space identified several, currently uninhabited, areas as climatically suitable for the establishment of T. immigrans. Tetramorium immigrans was sampled almost three times as often in areas with artificial surfaces compared to T. caespitum, suggesting that T. immigrans may not be native to all of Europe and is being accidentally introduced by humans. Overall, citizen scientists collected data on ants closer to cities and harbours than scientists did and had a stronger bias towards areas of human disturbance. This increased sampling effort in areas of likely introduction of exotic species naturally increases the likelihood of discovering species sooner, making citizen science an excellent tool for exotic species monitoring, as long as trained scientists are involved in the identification process.

Orchiectomy in Testudo species: technical aspects and effect on courtship behaviour.

Courtship behaviour of tortoises includes biting, ramming, chasing, same-sex sexual behaviour, and it commonly is excessive in European tortoise species kept as pets. As a result, males are kept individually. To assess the effect of orchiectomy on excessive courtship behaviour in European tortoises, 50 tortoises (Testudo graeca , T hermanni and T marginata ) underwent endoscopically assisted orchiectomy from April through September 2013 to 2017. Statistical analyses were performed in relation to species, body mass, testicular size and season and owners were invited to fill out a follow-up questionnaire. Body mass of the tortoises ranged from 334 to 2645 g (mean 1056 g) and the age from 5 to estimated 60 years. Testicular length ranged from 1.4 to 7.0 cm (mean 2.7 cm) and testicular mass from 0.6 to 12.6 g (mean 3.9 g). A complete or partial reduction (allowing group-housing) of the excessive courtship behaviour was noted by 95 per cent of owners and 59 per cent of the owners reported a noticeable change of behaviour within a month of surgery. Given the seasonal variation in testicular size, the best period for castrations in male European tortoises is shortly after brumation (April, May), when testes are proportionally smaller.

Update on Cancer Treatment in Exotics.

Treatment options for animals with cancer are rapidly expanding, including in exotic animal medicine. Limited information is available about treatment effects in exotic pet species beyond individual case reports. Most cancer treatment protocols in exotic animals are extrapolated from those described in humans, dogs, and cats. This review provides an update on cancer treatment in exotic animal species. The Exotic Species Cancer Research Alliance accumulates clinical cases in a central location with standardized clinical information, with resources to help clinicians find and enter their cases for the collective good of exotic clinicians and their patients.

Ambulatory Exotic and Nontraditional Species Medicine.

Ambulatory veterinary practice is anything but a new concept; although it was not a significant portion of companion animal medicine for the last 5 decades, it has been and continues to be the mainstay of large animal practice. As exotic animal medicine has been one of the fastest growing segments of veterinary medicine, mobile and on-site care for these nontraditional species (both pets and collection based) is a rapidly growing segment of on-demand veterinary care. With good planning, organization, and equipment, ambulatory medical services can provide as good of care as what can be practiced in any stationary practice.

Incorporating/Integrating Exotic Ambulatory Medicine into a Brick-and-Mortar Practice.

The diversity of species and habitats encountered in nontraditional veterinary practice lends itself to a passionate veterinarian with a wide-ranging set of surgical, medical, and husbandry skills. At every appointment, exotic animal veterinarians perform 2 examinations (patient and environment). The animal and environmental examinations often identify relationships that lend themselves to appropriate medical care and therapies. This article gives practical knowledge and experience to the veterinary professional for the purpose of building an ambulatory service to enhance the success of or to create a stationary practice.

Molecular barcoding confirms the presence of exotic Asian seaweeds (Pachymeniopsis gargiuli and Grateloupia turuturu) in the Cantabrian Sea, Bay of Biscay.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of exotic species can have serious consequences for marine ecosystems. On the shores of the Cantabrian Sea (North of Spain) there are no routine examinations of seaweeds that combine molecular and morphological methods for early detection of exotic species making it difficult to assess in the early stages their establishment and expansion processes as a result of anthropogenic activities (e.g., shipping and/or aquaculture). METHODS: In this work we used both morphological identification and molecular barcoding (COI-5P and rbcL genes) of red algae collected in Asturias, Bay of Biscay (Gijón and Candás harbours) and from the University of Oviedo's herbarium samples. RESULTS: The results confirmed the presence of exotic Asian seaweeds Pachymeniopsis gargiuli and Grateloupia turuturu Yamada on Cantabrian Sea shores. Several individuals of these species were fertile and developing cystocarps when collected, underlining the risk of possible expansion or continued establishment. This study constitutes the first report of the Asian P. gargiuli in this area of the Bay of Biscay. CONCLUSIONS: Here the presence of the exotic species of the Halymeniales P. gargiuli is confirmed. We hypothesize that this species may have been established some time ago as a cryptic introduction with G. turuturu in Galician shores. The detection of these species on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea is relevant since introductions of Pachymeniopsis species could have been overlooked on other European coasts, probably mixed with G. turuturu and P. lanceolata. Our results confirm one new alien seaweed species that has been detected using molecular methods (COI-5P region and rbcL genes barcoding) on North Atlantic shores: the Asian native P. gargiuli. This demonstrates that routine screening for early detection of exotic algae in the Cantabrian Sea can be used for risk assessment. Genetic barcoding should be done using both rbcL gene and COI-5P regions since, although COI-databases are still poorer in sequences and this inhibits successful outcomes in Grateloupia-related species identifications, it is nonetheless a useful marker for species-level identifications in seaweeds.

The colonization of native phytophagous insects in North America by exotic parasitoids.

Classical biological control could have a major environmental cost if introduced natural enemies colonize and disrupt native systems. Although quantifying these impacts is difficult for systems already colonized by natural enemies, the a priori condition for such impacts can be evaluated based on the extent to which exotics have acquired native hosts. We use native host records for exotic parasitoids introduced into North America for biological control to document the number of exotic species that have been recorded from at least one native insect species. We also evaluate the ability of six biological and ecological variables to predict whether or not a parasitoid will move onto natives. Sixteen percent of 313 parasitoid species introduced against holometabolous pests are known from natives. Further, the likelihood that a parasitoid had colonized native hosts was largely unpredictable with respect to the independent variables. We conclude that given the quality of the data available either now or in the foreseeable future, coupled with inherent stochasticity in host shifts by parasitoids, there are no rules of thumb to assist biological control workers in evaluating if an introduced parasitoid will colonize native insect communities.