A 7-year old yellow-naped Amazon presents with a 3-month history of
polyphagia, weight loss, and voluminous foul-smelling, light tan
droppings (see image). A complete blood count, chemistry panel
including amylase and lipase, aerobic cloacal culture, fecal Gram-
stain, chlamydia screening, and fecal flotation were all negative or
within normal limits. Which of the following treatments would be most
likely to cause clinical improvement of the most likely underlying
disease?
a. Administration of short-acting insulin initially, followed by longer-
acting insulin
b. Dietary supplementation with vitamin A
c. Dietary supplementation with pancreatic enzymes
d. Dietary supplementation with vitamin C
e. Addition of thyroxine
Give this one a try later!
, Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in birds may occur due to congenital
pancreatic atrophy or due to end-stage chronic pancreatic disease.
Clinical signs include weight loss and large, pale, voluminous droppings
often referred to as having a "popcorn" appearance as shown in the photo.
Polyphagia is variable. This is treated by identifying and eliminating
underlying causes and converting the bird to a formulated diet
supplemented with pancreatic enzymes.
A 3 year old king snake presents for retained spectacles after shedding. Which of the
following should not be advised to the client?
a. Consider searching for other underlying diseases
b. Increasing humidity in the environment for several days
c. Use forceps to grasp the eyecaps and peel them off.
d. Apply an ophthalmic ointment several times daily until the eyecaps soften and fall
off
Give this one a try later!
The correct answer is use forceps to grasp the eyecaps to peel them off.
Dysecdysis or incomplete shedding is often due to low humidity, lack of
abrasive substrates to rub against, or other stresses such as
ectoparasitism, nutritional deficiencies, or other systemic disease.
Retained spectacles should never be forcibly removed because of the
possibility of corneal damage.
Increasing moisture in the environment by increasing humidity or by
applying ophthalmic ointments to the eyecaps can often help.
,A Toco toucan is presented to your clinic with nondescript signs of lethargy and
weight loss. The owner of this valuable bird perused the internet and found that this
species of bird is highly susceptible to hemochromatosis, or iron storage disease. You
run a CBC and chemistry panel and both bile acids and AST are mildly elevated.
Radiographs reveal an enlarged liver. What test would you recommend to confirm
your tentative diagnosis of hemachromatosis?
a. Bone marrow biopsy for iron levels
b. Liver biopsy
c. Liver hemotropin levels
d. Blood iron levels
Give this one a try later!
Liver biopsy provides the most definitive diagnosis in birds since pathology
is readily seen on microscopic examination of liver tissue.
Hemochromatosis occurs when too much iron accumulates in the liver and
other major organs of the body.
The etiology of this disease remains unknown but owners and breeders
receive conflicting information regarding the influence of captive dietary
iron levels and *genetics.
Blood tests such as serum iron levels, plasma iron binding capacity
unfortunately provide inconclusive results.
Psittacine beak and feather disease, as seen in this lorikeet showing loss of distal
primary feathers, mainly affects birds of which age group?
a. Over 50 years of age
b. Less than 3 years of age
c. 10 - 20 years of age
d. 30 - 40 years of age
, Give this one a try later!
The correct answer is less than 3 years of age.
The disease is caused by a circovirus and can affect any psittacine bird,
but clinical illness is seen most commonly in those less than 3 years of
age.
Clinical signs include feather loss, abnormal pin and mature feathers, lack
of powder down, and various beak abnormalities.
The clinical signs are progressive, and birds may have their feathers, beak,
or both affected.
Diagnosis is based on appearance of birds and by blood tests using a viral
DNA probe.
Which of these antibiotics is safest for use in guinea pigs?
a. Bacitracin
b. Ampicillin
c. Enrofloxacin
d. Streptomycin
Give this one a try later!
The correct answer is enrofloxacin.
Guinea pigs are particularly sensitive to many antibiotics including
penicillin, ampicillin, bacitracin, lincomycin, vancomycin, erythromycin,
and clindamycin.
Streptomycin can be directly toxic and result in death and should never
be used in this species.
polyphagia, weight loss, and voluminous foul-smelling, light tan
droppings (see image). A complete blood count, chemistry panel
including amylase and lipase, aerobic cloacal culture, fecal Gram-
stain, chlamydia screening, and fecal flotation were all negative or
within normal limits. Which of the following treatments would be most
likely to cause clinical improvement of the most likely underlying
disease?
a. Administration of short-acting insulin initially, followed by longer-
acting insulin
b. Dietary supplementation with vitamin A
c. Dietary supplementation with pancreatic enzymes
d. Dietary supplementation with vitamin C
e. Addition of thyroxine
Give this one a try later!
, Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in birds may occur due to congenital
pancreatic atrophy or due to end-stage chronic pancreatic disease.
Clinical signs include weight loss and large, pale, voluminous droppings
often referred to as having a "popcorn" appearance as shown in the photo.
Polyphagia is variable. This is treated by identifying and eliminating
underlying causes and converting the bird to a formulated diet
supplemented with pancreatic enzymes.
A 3 year old king snake presents for retained spectacles after shedding. Which of the
following should not be advised to the client?
a. Consider searching for other underlying diseases
b. Increasing humidity in the environment for several days
c. Use forceps to grasp the eyecaps and peel them off.
d. Apply an ophthalmic ointment several times daily until the eyecaps soften and fall
off
Give this one a try later!
The correct answer is use forceps to grasp the eyecaps to peel them off.
Dysecdysis or incomplete shedding is often due to low humidity, lack of
abrasive substrates to rub against, or other stresses such as
ectoparasitism, nutritional deficiencies, or other systemic disease.
Retained spectacles should never be forcibly removed because of the
possibility of corneal damage.
Increasing moisture in the environment by increasing humidity or by
applying ophthalmic ointments to the eyecaps can often help.
,A Toco toucan is presented to your clinic with nondescript signs of lethargy and
weight loss. The owner of this valuable bird perused the internet and found that this
species of bird is highly susceptible to hemochromatosis, or iron storage disease. You
run a CBC and chemistry panel and both bile acids and AST are mildly elevated.
Radiographs reveal an enlarged liver. What test would you recommend to confirm
your tentative diagnosis of hemachromatosis?
a. Bone marrow biopsy for iron levels
b. Liver biopsy
c. Liver hemotropin levels
d. Blood iron levels
Give this one a try later!
Liver biopsy provides the most definitive diagnosis in birds since pathology
is readily seen on microscopic examination of liver tissue.
Hemochromatosis occurs when too much iron accumulates in the liver and
other major organs of the body.
The etiology of this disease remains unknown but owners and breeders
receive conflicting information regarding the influence of captive dietary
iron levels and *genetics.
Blood tests such as serum iron levels, plasma iron binding capacity
unfortunately provide inconclusive results.
Psittacine beak and feather disease, as seen in this lorikeet showing loss of distal
primary feathers, mainly affects birds of which age group?
a. Over 50 years of age
b. Less than 3 years of age
c. 10 - 20 years of age
d. 30 - 40 years of age
, Give this one a try later!
The correct answer is less than 3 years of age.
The disease is caused by a circovirus and can affect any psittacine bird,
but clinical illness is seen most commonly in those less than 3 years of
age.
Clinical signs include feather loss, abnormal pin and mature feathers, lack
of powder down, and various beak abnormalities.
The clinical signs are progressive, and birds may have their feathers, beak,
or both affected.
Diagnosis is based on appearance of birds and by blood tests using a viral
DNA probe.
Which of these antibiotics is safest for use in guinea pigs?
a. Bacitracin
b. Ampicillin
c. Enrofloxacin
d. Streptomycin
Give this one a try later!
The correct answer is enrofloxacin.
Guinea pigs are particularly sensitive to many antibiotics including
penicillin, ampicillin, bacitracin, lincomycin, vancomycin, erythromycin,
and clindamycin.
Streptomycin can be directly toxic and result in death and should never
be used in this species.
