Endosurgical treatment of a retrobulbar abscess in a rabbit.

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 1-year-old sexually intact female Netherland dwarf rabbit was examined because of a 3-week history of signs of lethargy, decreased appetite, left unilateral exophthalmia, a previous draining sinus from a left maxillary facial abscess, and bilateral nasal discharge. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The rabbit weighed 1.0 kg (2.2 lb) and had a body condition score of 1.5/5. Physical examination revealed generalized muscle atrophy, bilateral mucopurulent nasal discharge, and severe left-sided exophthalmia. Diagnostic investigation revealed anemia, neutrophilia, severe dental disease, a superficial corneal ulcer of the left eye, and a retrobulbar abscess. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Stomatoscopy-aided dental trimming, tooth removal, and abscess debridement were performed. Antimicrobials were flushed into the tooth abscess cavity, and antimicrobial treatment was initiated on the basis of cytologic findings and results of bacterial culture and susceptibility testing. Two months after the initial surgery, minimal exophthalmia was evident and no further physical, radiographic, or ultrasonographic changes were evident. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Stomatoscopy is a valuable technique that can facilitate diagnosis, treatment, and serial reevaluation of rabbits with dental disease.

Retrospective evaluation of measles antibody titers in vaccinated captive gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Retrospective analyses of banked serum samples and medical records from captive western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at Lincoln Park Zoo showed that vaccination of gorillas with a human vaccine induced antibody production. No significant relationship was found between the groups that received one, two, or three vaccinations and the probability of seroconversion. These data also suggested that antibodies in western lowland gorillas persist for at least 11 yr. This information is useful in the assessment of vaccination protocols for captive gorillas and in the implementation of preventive care in wild gorilla populations.