Elisabetta Mancinelli

Partial ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy in rabbits

Six lop rabbits were presented with clinical signs of otitis media or externa. The presence of disease was confirmed by computerized tomography examination, with two rabbits suffering from bilateral disease. The rabbits were anaesthetized and underwent surgery of the affected bulla. Rabbits with bilateral disease had a minimum of 2 weeks between procedures. A single vertical incision was made over the base of the vertical canal, which was bluntly dissected free from surrounding tissue. The ventral portion of the vertical canal was removed and a lateral bulla osteotomy was performed. The mucosa at the base of the dorsal vertical canal was apposed and the aural cartilage sutured to form a blind-ending pouch open at the pretragic incisure. Histopathological samples taken from the dorsal margin of the vertical canal yielded subtle and non-specific changes in the six samples submitted. All rabbits were discharged within 48 hours of surgery. The cosmetic outcome was excellent with animals retaining visually normal aural anatomy. The partial ear canal ablation/lateral bulla osteotomy procedure is quick and has a good cosmetic result when performed in rabbits.

Husbandry risk factors associated with hock pododermatitis in UK pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Pododermatitis, often called ‘sore hocks’, is a chronic, granulomatous, ulcerative dermatitis which most commonly affects the plantar aspect of the caudal metatarsal and tarsal areas. Pododermatitis is a common clinical finding in the pet rabbit population, but no data is available regarding the actual prevalence of this condition in the UK pet rabbit population or possible husbandry-related factors which may predispose pet rabbits to development of this condition. It was the aim of this study to determine the prevalence of pododermatitis within a sample pet rabbit population, and study possible correlations with husbandry, sex, breed and origin of the rabbits. Findings suggested that young rabbits are at a lower risk of pododermatitis compared with older rabbits; female domestic rabbits are more predisposed to pododermatitis than males; and 100 per cent of the neutered females examined showed clinical evidence of pododermatitis. The effect that different types of bedding may have on the prevalence of pododermatitis was also investigated. This study also produced a scoring system which can be used to score clinical cases. Our study is of clinical importance because it helps to recognise many of the factors which predispose pet rabbits to pododermatitis, representing the first step towards increased awareness of this extremely common problem.

γ-Glutamyl-transferase (GGT) activity in the urine of clinically healthy domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Free-catch urine samples were collected from forty-one clinically normal domestic rabbits of various ages, breeds and both sexes. The Test γ GT Liquid-0018257640 was used for the in vitro quantitative determination of γ-Glutamyl-transferase (GGT) and reference intervals for γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, γ-GT, GGT) and GGT index (γ-glutamyl transferase to creatinine ratio) were established in fresh urine samples. Possible correlations of GGT and GGT index with sex and age were also explored. The stability of GGT after storage at +4°C for one week and -20°C for one month was investigated. The GGT and the GGT index reference intervals in fresh urine samples of healthy domestic rabbits were found to be 2.7–96.5 IU/l and 0.043–1.034, respectively. The urine GGT activity and the GGT index did not differ significantly between sexes in fresh urine samples. Nevertheless, a statistically significant difference was found in the GGT index with neutered status. Short-term storage at 4°C did not alter the enzyme stability, whereas, freezing did. Further investigations are needed to determine whether these parameters may be useful for early detection of renal tubular damage in rabbits, and in enabling better clinical management of affected animals.

Use of arterial blood gas analysis as a superior method for evaluating respiratory function in pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

A retrospective study compared invasive (arterial blood gas analysis) and non-invasive (capnography and pulse oximetry) methods of monitoring respiratory function in conscious rabbits. Arterial samples from 50 healthy dwarf lop rabbits, presenting for routine surgical neutering, were analysed on a point-of-care blood gas analysis machine. Reference intervals were obtained for pH (7.35–7.54), PaCO2 (mm Hg) (25.29–40.37), PaO2 (mm Hg) (50.3–98.2), base excess (mmol/l) (6.7–6.5), HCO3 (mmol/l) (17.96–29.41), TCO2 (mmol/l) (18.9–30.5). SaO2 (per cent) (88.8–98.0), Na (mmol/l) (137.6–145.2), K (mmol/l) (3.28–4.87), iCal (mmol/l) (1.64–1.94), glucose (mmol/l) (6.23–10.53), haematocrit (per cent) (23.3–40.2) and haemoglobin (mg/dl) (7.91–13.63). Pulse oximetry (SPO2) and capnography (ETCO2) readings were taken concurrently. There was no statistically significant relationship between SPO2 and SaO2 with a mean difference between SPO2 and SaO2 of 8.22 per cent. There was a statistically significant relationship between ETCO2 vs PaCO2, but a wide range of ETCO2 values were observed for a given PaCO2. The mean difference between these was 16.16 mm Hg. The study has provided reference intervals for arterial blood gas analysis in rabbits and demonstrated that capnography and pulse oximetry readings should not be relied upon in conscious rabbits as a guide to ventilation and oxygenation.

Biliary cystadenoma in a male domestic Dutch rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

A two-year-old castrated male Dutch rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) was referred due to acute onset of anorexia. A firm, non-painful, round, approximately 10 cm diameter mass was palpated in the left cranial abdomen. No other major abnormalities were identified during physical exam. Radiography and ultrasonography characterised the mass. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a pedunculated mass attached to the quadrate hepatic lobe which was removed without complications. Histopathology confirmed the complete removal of a mass identified as hepatic biliary cystadenoma not showing evidence of malignancy or intra-hepatic dissemination. The rabbit was healthy on further rechecks up to one year later. This is the second reported case of diagnosis and successful removal of a biliary cystadenoma in a rabbit with the peculiarity of this patient being a male rabbit. Biliary cystadenoma should, therefore, be part of the differential diagnosis of hepatic neoplasia in male domestic rabbits.

Systemic Infection Due to Candida parapsilosis in a Domestic Ferret (Mustela putorius furo)

Abstract An 18-month-old castrated male ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was presented to the veterinary hospital for acute collapse but died despite initiation of emergency treatment. The body was submitted for a complete postmortem examination. The pathologist determined the ferret was suffering from severe necrotizing encephalitis, necrogranulomatous mediastinal lymphadenitis, and ulcerative dermatitis attributable to systemic Candida parapsilosis. This is the first report of systemic Candida parapsilosis in a ferret.