[Methods of analgesia and euthanasia in backyard poultry]. / Methoden der Analgesie und Euthanasie in der Hobby-Hühnerhaltung.

INTRODUCTION: The keeping of chickens in the backyard is growing in popularity in urban and suburban areas, numbers of animals are increasing and as a result small animal practitioners are more and more frequently faced with chickens as patient. Clinical conditions in backyard poultry often require the treatment of pain. The challenges regarding the adequate use of analgesics include: 1. Recognition and assessment of pain, which necessitates good knowledge of chicken behaviour, 2. Selection of the adequate drug and dosage based on evidence that is often not available for chickens, but spread over different species of birds, and 3. Implementation of food safety regulations, which result from the dual use of backyard poultry as «food producing pets¼. Analgesics used in chickens include opiates, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and local analgesics. The opiate butorphanol has been shown to have an analgesic effect of approximately two hours in chickens. Tramadol and methadone show some promise as analgesics, but more evidence is needed especially regarding bioavailability. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs meloxicam and carprofen appear to have an analgesic effect. Variable metabolism between breeds of chickens and the risk of accumulation, especially when used for periods exceeding five consecutive days, need to be taken into account regarding dosage. Lidocaine and bupivacaine have successfully been used in chickens for nerve blocks and spinal anaesthesia and should be included as part of multimodal analgesia especially during surgery. In cases, where termination of life is necessary the preferred method consists of an injectable anaesthesia followed by intravenous application of a barbiturate.

INTRODUCTION: L'élevage de volailles de basse-cour est de plus en plus populaire dans les zones urbaines et suburbaines, le nombre d'animaux augmente et les praticiens pour petits animaux sont, par conséquent, de plus en plus souvent confrontés à ces animaux en tant que patients. Les conditions cliniques des volailles de basse-cour nécessitent souvent le traitement de la douleur. Les défis liés à l'utilisation adéquate des analgésiques sont les suivants 1. La reconnaissance et l'évaluation de la douleur, qui nécessitent une bonne connaissance du comportement des volailles, 2. la sélection du médicament et du dosage adéquats sur la base de preuves qui ne sont souvent pas disponibles pour les volailles mais sont réparties entre différentes espèces d'oiseaux, et 3. la mise en œuvre des réglementations en matière de sécurité alimentaire, qui résultent de la double utilisation des volailles de basse-cour en tant qu'«animaux de compagnie producteurs de denrées alimentaires¼. Les analgésiques utilisés chez les poulets comprennent les opiacés, les anti-inflammatoires non stéroïdiens et les analgésiques locaux. Il a été démontré que l'opiacé butorphanol a un effet analgésique chez les poulets, d'une durée d'environ deux heures. Le Tramadol et la méthadone sont des analgésiques prometteurs, mais des preuves supplémentaires sont nécessaires, notamment en ce qui concerne leur biodisponibilité. Les anti-inflammatoires non stéroïdiens Meloxicam et Carprofen semblent avoir un effet analgésique. En ce qui concerne la posologie, il convient de tenir compte du métabolisme variable selon les races de poules et du risque d'accumulation, en particulier en cas d'utilisation pendant des périodes supérieures à cinq jours consécutifs. La lidocaïne et la bupivacaïne ont été utilisées avec succès chez les poules pour les blocs nerveux ainsi que pour l'anesthésie spinale et devraient être incluses dans l'analgésie multimodale, en particulier pendant la chirurgie. Dans les cas où il est nécessaire de mettre fin à la vie de l'animal, la méthode de choix consiste en une anesthésie injectable suivie d'une application intraveineuse d'un barbiturique.

Malignant catarrhal fever in a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. A potential threat to pigs in mixed-species exhibits?

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) represents a sporadic and often fatal disease in various ungulate species including rarely swine. A close contact between susceptible and reservoir species of ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2) is a requirement for virus transmission. As in ruminants, a rapid course of disease with lymphohistiocytic meningoencephalitis and necrotizing vasculitis in multiple organs is frequently seen in porcine MCF. This report describes a case of MCF in a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, which was kept in a zoological exhibit with direct contact to various ruminants. It represents the first description of porcine MCF with proven natural OvHV-2 infection in Germany. OvHV-2 should be considered as cause of fatalities among swine especially in mixed-species exhibits as present in many zoological gardens. Also farm pigs kept in free ranging husbandry systems with potential contact to sheep and other ruminant species may be at risk.

Polycystic kidneys and GM2 gangliosidosis-like disease in neonatal springboks (Antidorcas marsupialis).

Clinical, gross, histopathologic, electron microscopic findings and enzymatic analysis of 4 captive, juvenile springboks (Antidorcas marsupialis) showing both polycystic kidneys and a storage disease are described. Springbok offspring (4 of 34; 12%) were affected by either one or both disorders in a German zoo within a period of 5 years (2008-2013). Macroscopic findings included bilaterally severely enlarged kidneys displaying numerous cysts in 4 animals and superior brachygnathism in 2 animals. Histopathologically, kidneys of 4 animals displayed cystic dilation of the renal tubules. In addition, abundant cytoplasmic vacuoles with a diameter ranging from 2 to 10 µm in neurons of the central and peripheral nervous system, hepatocytes, thyroid follicular epithelial cells, pancreatic islets of Langerhans and renal tubular cells were found in 2 springbok neonates indicative of an additional storage disease. Ultrastructurally, round electron-lucent vacuoles, up to 4 µm in diameter, were present in neurons. Enzymatic analysis of liver and kidney tissue of 1 affected springbok revealed a reduced activity of total hexosaminidase (Hex) with relatively increased HexA activity at the same level of total Hex, suggesting a hexosaminidase defect. Pedigree analysis suggested a monogenic autosomal recessive inheritance for both diseases. In summary, related springboks showed 2 different changes resembling both polycystic kidney and a GM2 gangliosidosis similar to the human Sandhoff disease. Whether the simultaneous occurrence of these 2 entities represents an incidental finding or has a genetic link needs to be investigated in future studies.

Diseases of captive yellow seahorse Hippocampus kuda Bleeker, pot-bellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis Lesson and weedy seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Lacépède).

Seahorses, pipefish and seadragons are fish of the Family Syngnathidae. From 1998 to 2010, 172 syngnathid cases from the Toronto Zoo were submitted for post-mortem diagnostics and retrospectively examined. Among the submitted species were yellow seahorses Hippocampus kuda Bleeker (n=133), pot-bellied seahorses Hippocampus abdominalis Lesson (n=35) and weedy seadragons Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Lacépède; n=4). The three most common causes of morbidity and mortality in this population were bacterial dermatitis, bilaterally symmetrical myopathy and mycobacteriosis, accounting for 24%, 17% and 15% of cases, respectively. Inflammatory processes were the most common diagnoses, present in 117 cases. Seven neoplasms were diagnosed, environmental aetiologies were identified in 46 cases, and two congenital defects were identified.

Preorbital carcinoma in two Kirk's dik-diks (Madoqua kirkii).

Two Kirk's dik-diks suffered from chronic, unilateral, therapy-resistant enlargement of the preorbital gland. Computed tomographic imaging revealed a homogenous preorbital mass destroying the adjacent maxillary bone in one animal. Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed microscopically in both cases. Immunohistochemically, the neoplastic cells uniformly expressed cytokeratin (CK) 5/6 and CK14. Additionally, tumour cells were strongly labelled for p53 suggesting a possible role of this tumour suppressor gene in tumorigenesis. Chronic obstruction of the preorbital gland due to excessive accumulation of secretory products is considered as a likely cause of glandular and periglandular inflammation with subsequent malignant transformation.