Bellwether Magazine

Volume 1 Number 57 Summer 2003 Article 2

Summer 2003

Special Species Clinic: Feathers, Scales, and Fur

Susan I. Finkelstein University of Pennsylvania

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Recommended Citation Finkelstein, Susan I. (2003) "Special Species Clinic: Feathers, Scales, and Fur," Bellwether Magazine: Vol. 1 : No. 57 , Article 2. Available at: https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether/vol1/iss57/2

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Penn Veterinary Medicine

BellwetherNO. 57 • SUMMER 2003 THE NEWSMAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Specialial SSpeciespecies Clinic Page 4

INSIDE A Message from the Dean 2 Environmentally Friendly Manure 6 Eggs from Embryonic Stem Cells 7 Rosettes & Ribbons 8 Teaching Awards 10 V.M.D.Notes 14 Animal Crackers 27 Special Gifts 28 Commencement 12 Alumni Weekend 20 Saratoga Comes to Philadelphia! 31

Feathers,Scales,and Fur by Susan I.Finkelstein animals treated at the Clinic each year—a teenagers,” says Rosenthal. “They are funny, On a recent morning at the Ryan Veterinary striking display of endurance by any measure. easy to keep, and very gentle, as they have been Hospital, a curious sound could be heard above Dr. Avery Bennett, an internationally recog- bred for a long time and breeders have selected the meowing and barking that have become nized exotic animal surgeon, presides over sur- for a companion temperament.” Like sugar the wards’ constant chorus. There was no mis- gery cases. Of course, the assistance of fourth- gliders, that do not receive enough taking it: a goose was honking. The noise year students on two-week rotations and of attention and interactive play with their own- caused no special alarm to the Ryan staff, nurse practitioner Mary Taylor, who runs the ers, or are caged all day, can become depressed. though; “Goose-Goose” was simply another ward and performs routine and repeat tests, When it comes to physical illnesses, patient. complete the team that makes such a large and such as , , and often do not After being mauled by a decidedly quarrel- diverse case- exhibit symptoms until they are gravely ill, some dog, Goose-Goose was in need of fixing. load possible. making treatment difficult, if not impossible. The domestic brown goose was brought to In addition to Because these small animals are prey species, Ryan Emergency Service by his anxious owner, daily referrals visible signs of weakness make them vulnerable where his broken bill was set in place by an from the to attack in the wild. Removing animals from external metal device and will remain so until Emergency their natural habitats does not necessarily alter healing is complete. Because he must be fed Service, the instinctive behaviors. pulverized grain through a feeding tube until Clinic provides The Humane Society of the his beak fully mends, Goose-Goose has become wellness exam- estimates that some 50 million birds are kept as somewhat of a fixture at Ryan’s Special Species inations, spe- pets in the United States, placing them behind Medicine Clinic—waddling behind students, cialized diag- and just ahead of dogs in terms of popu- flapping his wings, and adding a distinct (albeit nostics, and Baby larity. Unlike cats and dogs, however, some of dissonant) voice to the animal cacophony that care for non- the larger birds can live up to 100 years, is the Ryan Hospital soundtrack. traditional pets. Diagnostic tests include during which time they require specialized Unusual pets like Goose-Goose can inspire advanced imaging studies such as ultrasono- diets, chaperoned time outside of their cages, the same levels of affection and devotion in graphic and echocardiologic examinations and and lots of attention and intellectual stimula- their owners as do the more conventional feline computed tomography. Among the specialized tion. “Birds are not dogs with feathers,” says and canine companions that inhabit most of surgeries offered at the Clinic are pet neu- Rosenthal. Emotionally neglected pet birds can our homes. (In fact, Goose-Goose’s owner tering and radical treatment of abscesses develop psychological problems that include expressed his gratitude to Ryan in the form of a with antibiotic-impregnated beads. aggression toward others or compulsive self- $15,000 donation to the hospital, which will be One of the more peculiar types used to purchase new rigid endoscopes for use of companion animals cared for at in birds and other special species.) “They love the Clinic is the , a noc- their , , or just as much as turnal, five-ounce Australian marsu- another person loves a ,” observes Dr. Karen pial that launches its tiny body Rosenthal, director of the Special Species between treetops much like a flying Clinic, which was established in 2000. “They . Sugar gliders, which can live care deeply and will pull out all the stops to fifteen years if cared for properly, are have their pets made well again.” One dis- colony animals that are happiest in tressed guinea-pig owner recently paid several multiglider households. They also thousand dollars tend to form a strong bond to one for the diagnosis person, especially if acquired while Painted and treatment of still young; selling a glider after hav- his cardiac- ing it for several years is considered very cruel mutilation. Feather picking, a common prob- challenged pet. and almost inhumane. Gliders, attention lem in stressed birds, occurs when the bird Dr. Rosenthal cravers by nature, have even been known to die substitutes chewing for preening, sometimes and staff veterinari- from loneliness when neglected by their causing significant loss of feathers. “Feather an Matthew owners. picking has physical, psychological, behavioral, Johnston, V’99,see The once-uncommon ferret, cousin to and husbandry aspects,” says Johnston. “We all of the approxi- weasels, skunks, and otters, now makes its resi- work with Dr. Ilana Reisner, director of the mately 900 rabbits, dence in millions of homes in the United Ryan behavior clinic, and her group to help the rodents, birds, States—and Clinic staff see many “businesses” birds.” The exotic animal doctors and behavior- ferrets, , big of these domesticated pet-shop favorites ists teach owners how to handle and properly cats, and sundry (“business” is the collective name of a ferret interact with their birds. Russian other exotic group). “Ferrets are great pets, especially for Reptiles, too, are enjoying a boom as com-

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panion animals: an estimated 3 percent of June, after an outbreak of mon- American households own 7.4 million reptiles. keypox in three Midwestern “People buy exotic pets, particularly reptiles, in states, federal health officials pet stores,” says Rosenthal, “and are not told indefinitely banned the import, how to keep these animals, how to feed them, sale, and shipment of Gambian or how to handle them. They are kept under rats in the United States; prairie improper light and not given the right food. dogs and other members of Remember, many reptiles, particularly iguanas species indigenous to and some species of , live in trees, in a also were part of the ban. humid environment.”A common misconcep- Monkeypox, a smallpox-related tion about the feeding of snakes—which have a virus, is believed to have origi- 20- to 30-year lifespan under optimal condi- nated in Gambian rats and sub- tions—is that they must eat live animals. Not sequently transmitted to prairie so, says Rosenthal. “It can be dangerous, as the dogs at an Illinois pet store rodent might attack the snake in self-defense where both species were being and inflict wounds. It’s much better to feed housed together. At least 57 peo- Prehensile tail porcupine killed rodents, which can be purchased.” ple who then handled the infect- People possessing exotic pets often try to ed prairie dogs fell ill. (Monkeypox joins sever- other nonhuman as pets because they alter the nature of the animal rather than the al animal-related diseases from other parts of can carry serious diseases like tuberculosis. nature of the care they provide. Confinement the world that have appeared in the United Reptiles, including all types of snakes and in small barren enclosures, chaining, beating States in recent years. AIDS is believed to have , also pose particular safety risks. Nearly “into submission,” or even painful mutilations crossed to humans from African . 90 percent of all reptiles carry salmonella, and such as declawing and tooth removal are tragic West Nile virus—previously confined to Africa, humans can be infected by touching a contam- ways that some owners try to make their non- western Asia, and the Middle East—is spread inated surface or from contact with an animal’s traditional companion animals more “user by mosquitoes and birds. Sudden acute respira- feces. In addition, many snakes, the most com- friendly.” Clearly, much can go awry for the tory syndrome, or SARS, which has killed at mon pet , can cause serious injury many exotic pets that share our homes. least 812 people worldwide since it first sur- through a bite or constriction. Exotic animals aren’t the only ones who can faced in November in southern China, likely Despite all the inherent risks and difficulties suffer adverse effects in the households and had its origins in Chinese wildlife markets.) involved in owning an exotic pet, the growing communities where they have been trans- This is not the first time the government interest in these animals has led to an increase formed into pets. Across the country, incidents has restricted certain pets due to public-health in the amount of information pertinent to have been reported in which some of the larger concerns. African pygmy enjoyed a their veterinary care, nutrition, and proper exotic pets, such as big cats, have attacked brief heyday as pets in Pennsylvania house- housing requirements. Exotic-pet owners today humans and other animals, sometimes after holds—and made their share of appearances in have access to an unprecedented amount of escaping from their enclosures, oftentimes the Special Species Clinic—before the Pennsyl- knowledge through clubs and societies, special- while still in the home. Even animals common- vania Game Commission barred all ownership ty magazines, Internet sites, and scientific pub- ly believed appropriate for children—such as last year due to the possibility that they can lications. Realizing the importance of informed , gerbils, or carry foot-and- owners in the health and longevity of their mice—“can be nasty mouth disease. In nontraditional companion animals, the Special and they bite,” says 1975, federal offi- Species Clinic incorporates education about Dr. Johnston. “A rat cials banned the responsible pet ownership with state-of-the-art would be a better pet. sale of very young diagnostics and treatment. Rats are docile, intelli- pet water turtles Appointments for special species can be gent, and fastidiously when it became made by calling the Ryan Veterinary Hospital clean. They use a litter known they were at (215) 898-4680. In addition, the Emergency pan and come in lots the source of 14 Service is available 24 hours a day for these of colors. They have percent of all animals, and emergency clinicians always have great personalities and human salmonel- access to a member of the Special Species Med- live two to three losis cases in the icine Clinic for consultation. The Emergency years.” country. The Service can be reached at (215) 898-4685. Giant Gambian same year, offi- Please check with state agencies to determine rats, however, are not cials banned which animals are legal as pets. as desirable as their imported Dr. Johnston has recently left for the Colorado domesticated kin. In Mellers chameleon monkeys and State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

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