Transcript Symptoms - alunsfordkhs

ANS II – Diseases
and Parasites
Pictures courtesy of Google Images
WEEK 1
9/8 – 9/11
Rabies
• Cause:
• Virus
• Description:
• Zoonotic viral disease that attacks the nervous system
• How it’s contracted:
• Through bites and scratches of infected animals (specifically
through their saliva) which carries the virus
• Symptoms:
• Can occur 2 weeks – 3 months after the bite
• CNS abnormalities, such as loss of coordination
• Extreme behavior changes, such as aggression
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Vaccination
Rabies
• Other info:
• “Furious” rabies – animal may act strange and then wander off,
attack and bit anything in it’s path, commonly seen frothing at
the mouth
• “Dumb” rabies – no wandering, but paralysis of lower jaw
followed by paralysis of body and death
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
• Cause:
• Bacteria
• Description:
• Zoonotic bacterial disease
• How it’s contracted:
• Through the bite of an infected tick
• Symptoms:
• Fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle pain
• Rash may also develop, but often absent in the first few days
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Tick preventative
• Avoid woody areas during tick season
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Lyme Disease
• Cause:
• Bacteria
• Description:
• Zoonotic bacterial infection
• How it’s contracted:
• Through the bite of an infected tick
• Symptoms:
• Lameness, swollen joints, fever
• Rash, distinctive skin lesions
• Hives, flu-like symptoms
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Tick preventative
• Lyme vaccination
• Avoid woody areas during tick season
Roundworms (Ascarids)
• Cause:
• Internal parasite
• Description:
• Zoonotic, internal parasites that affect dogs and cats intestinal
systems; may grow up to 8” long when mature
• How it’s contracted:
• Contact with parasite in unclean environment or by female dogs
to puppies
• Symptoms:
• Fever, headache, cough, poor appetite, pot-bellied appearance in
puppies and kittens if severe
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Deworming pets
• Good sanitation
Roundworms
Tapeworm
• Cause:
• Internal parasite
• Description:
• Flat, segmented internal worm that lives in the small intestines
and can range from several inches to several feet
• How it’s contracted:
• Ingesting fleas or infected feces, animals or meat
• Symptoms:
• White segments of worm moving on anus/rectal area of animal or
in their feces
• Anal itching
• May cause AHD (Alveolar Hydatid Disease) – can be fatal or
produce parasitic tumors/cysts in the liver
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Flea prevention
• Avoid feeding uncooked meat, raw game or dead animals
Tapeworm
Hookworm
• Cause:
• Internal parasite
• Description:
• Small, thin, blood-sucking intestinal worms that attach to an
animal’s small intestines
• How it’s contracted:
•
•
•
•
•
Migration through the placenta in utero
Ingesting infected mother’s milk
Ingesting larvae in the soil
Direct penetration of the skin through pads of feet
Ingesting an intermediate host
• Symptoms:
• Severe blood loss, malnutrition, bloody wine-dark or tar-dark
diarrhea, anemia
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Deworm pets
• Good sanitation
Hookworm
WEEK 2
9/14 – 9/18
Salmonellosis
• Cause:
• Salmonella bacteria
• Description:
• Zoonotic bacterial disease
• How it’s contracted:
• Through contact with salmonella bacteria which is on the skin of
reptiles and amphibians as well as dirty environments
• Symptoms:
• Gastroenteritis (stomach upset), fever, diarrhea, vomiting
• Miscarriage/spontaneous abortion in dogs
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Wash hands after contact with reptiles
• Clean environment
Ringworm
• Cause:
• Fungus
• Description:
• Zoonotic fungal skin disease
• How it’s contracted:
• Spread through contact with infected animal or materials
exposed to infected animal
• Symptoms:
• Round, scaly encrusted lesions with hair loss
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Clean environment and supplies
Ringworm
Ticks
• Cause:
• External parasite
• Description:
• External parasite that feeds on the blood of host animals
• How it’s contracted:
• Dogs and other animals pick up ticks in tall brush and grass
• Symptoms:
• Blood loss, anemia, tick paralysis, skin irritation and infection
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Tick preventative, Lyme vaccine, avoid woody areas during tick
season
Canine Distemper
• Cause:
• Virus
• Description:
• Contagious, viral illness caused by the Morbillivirus
• How it’s contracted:
• Spread through air and direct and indirect contact with infected
animals and materials
• Symptoms:
• High fever, reddened eyes, watery discharge from nose and eyes,
lethargy, anorexia, persistent coughing/vomiting/diarrhea
• Later stages can include seizures, paralysis and hysteria
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Distemper vaccine
Canine Distemper
Canine Parvovirus Infection
• Cause:
• Virus
• Description:
• Highly contagious, viral disease, which most severely affects the
intestinal tract
• Attacks the white blood cells, and can damage the heart muscle
and cause lifelong cardiac problems
• How it’s contracted:
• Spread through contact with infected animal feces
• Symptoms:
• Lethargy, severe vomiting, loss of appetite and bloody, foulsmelling diarrhea that can lead to life-threatening dehydration
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Parvovirus vaccine
• Clean environment
Canine Parvovirus
Kennel Cough
(Tracheobronchitis)
• Cause:
• Bordetella bronchiseptica (parainfluenza virus) and mycoplasma
bacteria
• Description:
• Very highly contagious respiratory disease among dogs
• How it’s contracted:
• Contact with infected animal, typically in congested/highly
populated areas (kennel, clinics, pet stores, dog parks, ect.)
• Symptoms:
• Dry, hacking cough leading to vomiting/retching
• Watery nasal discharge
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Bordetella vaccine
• Limit boarding/kennel-like environment
Kennel Cough
WEEK 3
9/21 – 9/25
Canine Brucellosis
• Cause:
• Brucella canis bacteria
• Description:
• Zoonotic, bacterial infection which affects the reproductive
organs of both male and female dogs
• How it’s contracted:
• Spread by body fluids (both sexual fluids and urine)
• Airborne transmission is very rare, but has been reported
• Spread quickly among dogs that are kept in closely confined areas
especially during breeding times and when abortions occur
• Symptoms:
• Abortion in 3rd trimester of pregnancy, conception failures,
inflammation of reproductive organs and lymph nodes
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Avoid contact w/ infected animals, test before breeding, routine
disinfecting of facilities
Canine Brucellosis
Heart Disease
• Cause:
• Old age, injury, infection or genetics
• Description:
• Chronic, congestive heart failure
• How it’s contracted:
• Non-contagious
• Can be caused by diet and exercise factors, old age, injury or
infection
• Symptoms:
• Coughing, difficulty breathing, lack of energy, pacing/hard time
settling down, later symptoms include swollen belly, fainting, pale
to bluish gray gums and tongue, weight loss
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Provide proper diet and exercise
Heart Disease
Cataracts
• Cause:
• Can develop from disease, old age and trauma to the eye, but
inherited conditions are the most common cause, especially with
diabetes
• Description:
• Opacity in the lens of a dog’s eye, causing blurry vision and, if left
untreated, blindness
• Symptoms:
• Dog’s eyes look cloudy or bluish-gray
• Disorientation/signs vision difficulty
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Examine dog’s eyes regularly for cloudiness
• Do not breed dogs with a history of cataracts
Cataracts
Arthritis
• Cause:
• Degeneration of the joints and synovial fluid in joints due to age
or previous injury
• Description:
• Inflammation of the joints
• Symptoms:
• Dog “slows down”
• Trouble w/ normal activities
• Limping/stiffness
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Joint supplements (fish oil, glucosamine/chondroitin) – begin as
early at 5 years old
Blastomycosis
• Cause:
• Blastomyces dermatitidis fungus
• Description:
• Systematic yeast-like fungal infection commonly found in
decaying wood and soil (fungus thrives in wet conditions)
• How it’s contracted:
• Dog inhales airborne fungal spores after contaminated soil has
been disturbed from digging/following scent trail
• Spores can also enter through skin
• Direct exposure to pus leaking from wound
• Symptoms:
• Fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, eye discharge & inflammation,
difficulty breathing, skin lesions filled with pus
• Prevention and Treatment:
• avoid areas where exposure is high risk (wood, swamps, lakes)
• Avoid animals with open wounds
Blastomycosis
Whipworms
• Cause:
• Internal parasite
• Description:
• 2” to 3” long, threadlike worm that fastens to the wall of last part
of the small intestine and the first part of the large intestine
• Thicker on one end, giving them a “whip-like” appearance
• Eggs can live in environment for 5 years
• How it’s contracted:
• Ingesting infected matter
• Exposure to infected animal or materials
• Symptoms:
• Dog has sense of “urgency” to go to bathroom and may strain to
defecate, diarrhea (can be bloody and covered in mucous), heavy
infestations can lead to anemia, weight loss and lethargy
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Deworm pets, good sanitation, remove stool from yard
Whipworm
9/28-10/2
WEEK 4
Heartworms
• Cause:
• internal parasite
• Description:
• Large worms develop from larvae in the heart and major blood
vessels; can reach up to 12” in length; live for 5-7 years; can
migrate to lungs
• Dogs can have as many as 250 worms in their heart at a time
• How it’s contracted:
• Through bite of mosquito, infected with microfilaria (larvae)
• Symptoms:
• Incubation period: do not appear until 6 months after bite from
mosquito (larvae mature)
• Cough, animal becomes easily winded, loss of
consciousness/passes out, death
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Annual heartworm test
• Heartworm preventative medication
Heartworms
Fleas
• Cause:
• External parasite
• Description:
• Brown, blood-sucking insect that move rapidly over the skin
• May develop from eggs to adult in as little as 16 days
• How it’s contracted:
• Contact with parasite or from another animal
• Cat fleas and dog fleas may first be detected in the groin and
rump area of the animal
• Symptoms:
• Causes irritation and extreme itching
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Flea preventative medication
• Controlled with powders, dips, shampoos, collars, oral
insecticides, foggers and sprays
Feline Panleukopenia (Feline
Distemper)
• Cause:
• Parvovirus or DNA virus
• Description:
• Infectious disease that primarily affects young cats younger than
16 weeks of age and has a 75% death rate
• How it’s contracted:
• Spread by direct contact, but also from infected food and water
dishes, bedding, and litter boxes
• Symptoms:
• Depression, loss of appetite, high fever, lethargy, vomiting,
diarrhea, and dehydration
• Prevention and Treatment:
• FVRCP vaccine
• Clean environment
Feline Panleukopenia
Feline Herpesvirus (FHV)
• Cause:
• DNA virus
• Description:
• Infectious respiratory infection shed in the discharges from the
nose, eyes and throat
• Cats can become carriers
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct contact with virus
• Symptoms:
• Depression, sneezing and coughing, severe eye and nasal
discharges with an increase in temperature, and mouth ulcers
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Vaccine
Feline Infectious Peritonitis
(FIP)
• Cause:
• Coronavirus
• Description:
• Infectious disease that leads to organ failure
• More common in domestic cats, but few actually show signs of the
disease
• How it’s contracted:
• Cat-to-cat contact and exposure to feces
• Most common transmission – infected female cat passes along the
virus to their kittens
• Symptoms:
• fever, refusal to eat, depression and weight loss
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Litter boxes should be kept clean and located away from food and
water dishes
• Prevent overcrowding; proper nutrition
• Keep cats current on vaccinations, FIP vaccine is not very effective
and not recommended
Feline Enteric Coronavirus
• Cause:
• virus
• Description:
• Infectious disease in kittens between 4-12 weeks of age
• How it’s contracted:
• Ingestion of contaminated feces
• Symptoms:
• Low grade fever, vomiting, soft or watery diarrhea, blood in the
feces, dehydration
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Prevent overcrowding, daily litter box cleaning, weekly litter box
disinfection, clipping/cleaning fur from the hind end of long
haired cats
Week 5
10/5 – 10/9
Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS)
• Cause/How it’s contracted:
• Improper diet (where cats are fed high levels of magnesium and
phosphorous)
• Low water intake that causes concentrations of various salts in
the urine or possibly a virus
• Description:
• Non-infectious feline urinary tract disease also referred to as
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD)
• Very common in male cats
• Symptoms:
• Urinating outside of litter box, difficulty urinating, painful
urination
• May range from mild inflammation to blockage or the urethra,
uremic poisoning, and death
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Control stress in cat’s life
• Increase water consumption
• Use of urinary diet food
Feline Urologic Syndrome
(FUS)
Feline Viral Respiratory Disease (Upper
Respiratory Infections – URIs)
• Cause:
• Virus
• Description:
• Highly contagious infection that affects the respiratory systems of
cats
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct contact with infected discharge from the eyes, nose,
mouth of cat
• By contaminated litter boxes, water bowls, and human hands
• Rarely by airborne droplets
• Symptoms:
• Begins with severe bouts of sneezing  conjunctivitis and watery
discharge from the eyes and nose  fever, apathy, loss of
appetite
• Cat will breathe with their mouths
• Prevention and Treatment:
• FVRCP Vaccination
Feline Viral Respiratory
Disease (Upper Respiratory
Infections – URIs)
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
• Cause/Description:
• A retrovirus that affects the white blood cells, leading to immune
deficiency
• How it’s contracted:
• Infected mother to kitten through milk
• Contact with infected saliva and nasal secretions, but also in
urine, feces, and milk from infected cats
• Symptoms:
•
•
•
•
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Poor coat condition
Enlarged lymph nodes
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Keep cat indoors
• FeLV vaccination
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV)
Feline Gingivitis
• Cause:
• Plaque accumulation due to lack of dental care, old age, crowded
teeth, soft food, diabetes, ect.
• Description:
• Considered the earliest stage of periodontal disease
• Inflammation of the gingiva (gums)
• Symptoms:
• Red or swollen gums, especially on the side of the gum facing the
inner cheeks
• Halitosis/bad breath
• Variable amounts of plaque and calculus on the tooth surface
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Proper dental care and diet
Feline Gingivitis
Wet Eye
• Cause/Description:
• Excessive tear production or blockage of drainage canals that
drain tears to the nasal cavity causing the tears to overflow at the
inner corner of the eyes
• How it’s contracted:
• Genetics
• Nasolacrimal occlusion (the result of scarring from eyelid injuries
from cat fights)
• Chronic infection in the duct system and plugging of the ducts by
thick secretions, dirt, or grass seeds
• Symptoms:
• Watery or mucus-like discharge to overflow the eyelids and run
down the sides of the face, staining the hair
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Keep cat indoors/away from other cats that can fight
Wet Eye
Toxoplasmosis
• Cause:
• Infection of Toxoplasma gondii protozoan
• Description:
• Zoonotic disease
• How it’s contracted:
• Spread through contaminated litter or from eating raw meat or
contaminated cat feces
• Symptoms:
• Fever, jaundice, and difficulty moving may result
• Particular concern for pregnant women, as it can cause
miscarriage, premature delivery and blindness
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Wear rubber gloves to clean litter boxes, thoroughly wash hands
afterwards
• No vaccination
Toxoplasmosis
WEEK 6
10/12 – 10/16
Cat-scratch Fever
• Cause:
• Bacteria
• Description:
• Zoonotic bacterial disease
• How it’s contracted:
• Through scratches/bites of infected cat or through exposure of
open wounds to bacteria
• Symptoms:
• Redness and swelling at site of bite/scratch
• Fatigue/headaches/fever
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Avoid contact with infected cats
• Wash hands after contact with cats
• Use flea/tick prevention
Cat-scratch Fever
Cheyletiella
• Cause/Description:
• Contagious, non-burrowing mite that lives on the skin and feeds
on the keratin layer of the epidermis
• Also known as “hair-clasping mite”
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct contact with mite or vector of mite (fleas, lice, flies)
• Symptoms:
• “walking dandruff”
• Severe scaling on the back may occur, but itching is not as severe
as with other mite infestations
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Topical moxidectin, selamectin, or fipronil (flea preventative) on a
monthly basis
Cheyletiella
Lice
• Cause/Description:
• Wingless insect
• 2 types: Chewing and Sucking
• May bite or suck blood from host
• How it’s contracted:
• Pick up from environment or direct contact with infected animal
• Symptoms:
• Severe hair loss, scratching and rubbing
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Dips, dusts, or spray
• Clean environment
Demodectic Mites
• Cause/Description:
• Small biting insect that only causes problems when
overpopulated/accumulated
• How it’s contracted:
• Naturally on skin, but can become overpopulated due to unclean
environment/lack of grooming
• Symptoms:
• Hair loss, reddening of the skin, crusty spots on the skin/entire
body of animal
• Known as “Demodectic Mange”
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Proper grooming and bathing
Demodectic Mites
Sarcoptic Mite
• Cause/Description:
• Mites that burrow within the outer layer of skin
• Highly contagious
• Result in mange or scabies which cause the animal intense
irritation
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct contact with mite
• Symptoms:
• Intense irritation and itching
• Dog scratches and injures itself by chewing and rubbing the skin
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Flea preventative (fipronil/moxidectin/selamectin)
Sarcoptic Mite
Ear Mites
• Cause/Description:
• Highly contagious mite found in the outer ear canal and other
areas of dogs, cats, and rabbits
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct contact with mite
• Symptoms:
• Animal shakes their head and scratches at ears
• Reddish-brown “dirt” or wax build-up in ears
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Proper ear cleaning
• Flea preventative with ear mite protection/preventative
WEEK 7
10/19 – 10/23
Chiggers
• Cause:
• Trombicula mites
• Description:
• Orange-red larvae stages of these mites; remain on the skin for a
short time and usually do not require treatment other than
something to stop the itching
• How it’s contracted:
• Picked up from underbrush
• Symptoms:
• Itchy, red rash on belly, face, feet and legs
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Avoid woody area and underbrush
• Anti-itch medicine
Enteritis
• Cause/Description:
• Intestinal tract inflammation
• Most common cause of death in rabbits
• How it’s contracted:
• Stress
• Unsanitary conditions
• High energy feed
• Symptoms:
•
•
•
•
•
Diarrhea stained with blood
Loss of appetite
Increase in water consumption
Will grind teeth
Death
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Reduce stress, clean environment and proper diet (high in fiber, low
in energy)
Snuffles
• Cause/Description:
• Contagious respiratory disease in rabbits
• How it’s contracted:
•
•
•
•
Stressful conditions
Poor sanitation, poor ventilation
Changing temperatures
Shipping/transporting to shows
• Symptoms:
• Persistent sneezing or “snuffing” sound
• White colored nasal discharge
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Reduce stress
• Clean environment
• Isolate sick animals
Mastitis
• Cause:
• Bacteria
• Description:
• Inflammation of mammary tissue in rabbits
• How it’s contracted:
• Bacterial infection
• Symptoms:
• Swelling and redness of mammary tissue
• Nursing problems/refusal to nurse
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Clean and disinfect nesting boxes
• Proper diet
Wry Neck
• Cause:
• Pasteurella multocida
• Description:
• Inflammation of the inner ear in rabbits
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct contact with bacteria
• Often found with snuffles infection
• Symptoms:
• Distinctive head tilt
• Prevention and Treatment
• Clean environment
• Prevent exposure to snuffles infection
Fur Chewing
• Cause/Description:
• Condition in which rabbit bites/removes fur from itself
• How it’s contracted:
• Boredom
• Nutrient deficiency
• Low fiber diet
• Symptoms:
• Patches of missing fur
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Attention/stimulation to prevent boredom
• Adding fiber (hay) to diet
• Adding magnesium oxide to diet
Fur Chewing
WEEK 8
11/2 – 11/6
Hutch Burn
• Description:
• Chapped or “burned” external genitalia of doe
• How it’s contracted:
• Sitting in wet, dirty, urine-soaked bedding
• Symptoms:
• Red, inflamed skin of genital area
• Matted fur around rear end
• Intense ammonia/urine smell
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Providing constant supply of clean, dry bedding
Sore Hocks
• Description:
• Ulcerated area on the bottom of
food pads, most often affected large
• How it’s contracted:
• Rough, wire cage flooring that puts
stress on foot pads of rabbit
• Symptoms:
• Bleeding sores on bottoms of feet
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Avoid wire cages, instead use cage with a solid floor
Enteritis/Wet Tail
• Cause/Description:
• Most important disease of hamsters
• Wetness around tail/rear of animal caused by
runny diarrhea
• How it’s contracted:
•
•
•
•
Poor sanitation
Bacteria
Viruses
Diet concerns
• Symptoms:
• Runny diarrhea
• Wetness around tail/rear
• High death rate (within 2 days of symptom
appearance)
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Cleanliness
• Proper diet
Common Diarrhea
• Cause:
• Improper diet of hamsters with too many green, leafy vegetables,
materials or fruits
• Description:
• Loose stool
• Symptoms:
• Soft stools
• Dehydration
• lethargy
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Proper diet
• Feed dry grains & seeds
• Remove leafy vegetables
Common Cold
• Description:
• Most common gerbil ailment (gerbils rarely get sick)
• Respiratory sickness
• How it’s contracted:
•
•
•
•
Change in temperature
Drafts
Damp conditions
Overcrowding
• Symptoms:
• Loss of appetite
• Sneezing
• Runny eyes and nose
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Clean, stable environment
• Avoid overcrowding
Red Nose
• Cause:
• Staphylococcus bacteria
• Description:
• Common respiratory condition for gerbils
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct exposure to bacteria
• Symptoms:
• Hair loss
• Red, swollen areas of skin around the nose and muzzle
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Clean environment
• Animal typically recovers without medication
WEEK 8
11/9 – 11/13
Respiratory Disease
• Cause:
• Microplasma pulmonis bacteria
• Description:
• Bacterial respiratory infection in mice, rats, and guinea pigs
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct exposure to bacteria
• Symptoms:
• Nasal discharge, snuffling, rattled breathing, rubbing eyes and
nose, tilted head, lack of coordination, circling
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Proper ventilation and sanitation
• Remove contaminated food, provide clean bedding
• Maintain draft free, constant temperature with low humidity
Cancer
• Cause:
• Genetics/hereditary
• Description:
• Malignant or benign tumors that develop
on/in a rodent’s body
• Tumors of the pituitary gland can be
related to high calorie diet
• Symptoms:
• Tumors/growths
• Later stages include: weight loss, lack of coordination, organ
shutdown
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Proper diet
Toxemia
• Cause:
• Improper diet
• Description:
• Build up of toxins in blood that develops in late pregnancy in
guinea pigs
• Symptoms:
• Lethargic
• Lack of appetite
• Difficulty breathing
• Prevention and Treatment:
• High quality gestation diet
• Add sugar (~1/2 tsp) to water
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Cause:
• Organism
• Description:
• Organism that causes infection in wounds and pneumonia in
chinchillas
• How it’s contracted:
• Exposure to organism
• Symptoms:
•
•
•
•
•
Inflammation of eyes and ears
Pneumonia
Intestinal inflammation
Uterine inflammation
Poisoning of the circulatory system
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Proper sanitation
Conjunctivitis (Eye
Inflammation)
• Cause:
• Bacteria
• Description:
• Inflammation of conjunctiva
of the eye in chinchillas
• How it’s contracted:
• Exposure to bacteria
• Symptoms:
•
•
•
•
Redness/swelling of eye
Sensitivity to light
Watering/teary eyes
Pus discharge or crusting on eye
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Clean and disinfect environment
Otitis (Inner Ear Infection)
• Cause:
• Bacteria
• Description:
• Inflammation of the inner ear tissue
in chinchillas
• How it’s contracted:
• Secondary infection caused by
bacteria
• Symptoms:
• Twisting/lowering of head
• Holding head to one side
• Circling
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Avoid drafty, cool environments
• Proper ear cleaning
WEEK 9
11/16 – 11/20
Pneumonia
• Cause:
• Bacteria
• Description:
• Infectious respiratory disease affecting chinchillas
• How it’s contracted:
• Bacterial infection from poor living conditions
• Symptoms:
•
•
•
•
Eye infections
Fever
Weight loss
Swollen abdomen
• Treatment and Prevention:
• Proper sanitation
Impaction
• Description:
• Chinchilla’s lower digestive tract becomes blocked with food
materials or hardened feces
• How it’s contracted:
• Poor quality feed
• Stress
• Improper nutrition
• Symptoms:
• Lack of bowel movement, followed by watery diarrhea
• “Humped” look with chin resting between feet
• Treatment and Prevention:
• Adding mineral oil or grapefruit juice to diet
Canine Distemper
• Cause:
• Virus
• Description:
• Highly contagious, viral disease that most likely ends in death of
ferrets
• How it’s contracted:
• Exposure to virus
• Symptoms:
• Discharge from eyes and nose
• Breathing problems
• Diarrhea
• Treatment and Prevention:
• Vaccination
Hemorrhagic Enteritis
• Description:
• Bloody diarrhea in ferrets
• Also known as “gastrointestinal disease”
• How it’s contracted:
• Clostridium perfringens infection
• Nutritional issues
• Symptoms:
•
•
•
•
•
Bloody diarrhea
Lack of appetite
Weight loss
Dehydration
Death possible
• Treatment and Prevention:
• Sulfur in diet
• Clean environment
Botulism
• Cause:
• Botulinum Toxin
• Description:
• Disease caused by the Botulinum Toxin, produced from the
bacterium Clostridium botulinum
• How it’s contracted:
• Contaminated food
• Swallowing stagnant water
• Symptoms:
• Breathing difficulty
• Paralysis
• Death (can be asymptomatic)
• Treatment and Prevention:
• Fresh food and water supply
Psittacosis (Parrot Fever)
• Description:
• Zoonotic respiratory disease
• How it’s contracted:
• Contracted by caged birds with contaminated feces
• Symptoms:
• Flu/Pneumonia-like symptoms
• Treatment and Prevention:
• Wear dust mask when cleaning bird cages
• Eliminate mites/lice from environment by spraying cage and bird
with disinfectant
WEEK 10
11/30 – 12/4
Red Mites
• Description:
• Mite that crawls around feathers at night
• Mostly affects the head and vent areas
• After feeding, mites will crawl from bird to cracks in cage, perches and nest
areas
• How it’s contracted:
• Climb up cages
• From humans/other pets
• Symptoms:
• Restless and itchy
• Anemia
• Excessive preening
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Cleanliness
• Dust ends of perches/nest boxes when cleaning
• Sprinkle a preventative “Red Mite Powder” around cage and directly on bird
Feather Mites
• Description:
• Small, gray mites that collect in
small groupings on the feathers
of birds during the day and night
• How it’s contracted:
• Picked up from environment (usually outdoors)
• Symptoms:
• Restlessness, excessive preening, ruffling of feathers, skin
irritation, feather damage, anemia
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Regular sanitizing of equipment with nicotine sulfate, Malathion
or coumaphos
• Allow birds to bathe daily and spray with mite spray
Scaly Leg Mites
• Description:
• Mites that tunnel under the scales on
the legs (and face) of budgerigars,
lovebirds, and canaries
• How it’s contracted:
• Infested equipment, housing or other birds
• Symptoms:
• White, scaly, thickened deposits on the legs that become
enlarged and encrusted
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Cleanliness
• Apply Vaseline to bird’s legs and equipment to prevent mite’s
from climbing, to suffocate any living mites and loosen deposits
Parrot Fever
• Description:
• Also known as “chlamydiosis” or “psittacosis”
• Zoonotic bacterial disease that affects the liver and spleen
• How it’s contracted:
• Contact with contaminated feces, food or water
• Symptoms:
• Nasal discharge, listlessness, appetite loss, weight loss, greencolored diarrhea, labored breathing
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Cleanliness
• Treat bird with chlortetracycline-impregnated seed for at least 21
days if infection is suspected
Bumblefoot
• Description:
• A painful ailment associated with staphylococcal infections
• How it’s contracted:
• Staphylococcal bacteria
• Symptoms:
• Feet and joints become hot and swollen with thick, grayish white
fluid
• Not walking or clasping onto perch
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Suitable perches and sanitation
Psittacine Beak & Feather
Disease (French Molt)
• Description:
• Also known as “French Molt”
• Viral disease that attacks the immune system
• How it’s contracted:
• Direct contact with virus
• Symptoms:
• Become evident at the first molt
• New feathers do not emerge or are deformed and break off
• Beak and nails may be soft, overgrown, and lose their pigment
• Prevention and Treatment:
• No cure
• Vitamins, minerals, and control of secondary diseases through
sanitation
Newcastle Disease
• Description:
• Viral disease that has high mortality rates and spreads rapidly
• How it’s contracted:
• Contact with imported birds
• Symptoms:
• Respiratory difficulty (wheezing) is one of the first symptoms,
followed by tremors, wing droop, and twisted neck
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Vaccine
Goiter
• Description:
• Swelling of the thyroid glands in the neck, leading to interference
with breathing
• Especially prevalent in budgerigars
• How it’s contracted:
• Iodine-deficient seed diet
• Symptoms:
• Wheezing, difficulty swallowing, regurgitation, weight loss, lack of
appetite, change in song or voice, seizures and sudden death
• Prevention and Treatment:
• Adding iodine to water