ABSTRACT OF THE WEEK

Journal of herpetological medicine and surgery
Volume 32 | Issue 4 (December 2022)

Endoscope-Guided Marble Foreign Body Removal Technique in an Inland Bearded Dragon (Pogona vitticeps)

J Herpetol Med Surg. December 2022;32(4):253-258. 27 Refs

Eric M Littman¹, Kyra J Berg, Robyn N Goldberg, David Sanchez-Migallon Guzman

¹ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California–Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

Author Abstract

A 1-yr-old intact female inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) was presented approximately 24 h after observed ingestion of a marble. Orthogonal whole-body radiographs with and without contrast revealed a spherical radiopaque foreign body within the gastric lumen and no passage of contrast material beyond the foreign body, suggestive of pyloric outflow obstruction. The complete blood count showed mild basophilia, and plasma biochemical analysis revealed a moderately elevated creatine kinase. The bearded dragon was placed under general anesthesia, and a rigid endoscope was used to visualize the foreign body at the level of the pylorus. The marble foreign body was suctioned and removed orally using a red rubber catheter and a Luer-lock syringe. The patient recovered uneventfully from the procedure and was sent home with sucralfate and omeprazole after 2 days of hospitalization. This report provides a novel, nonsurgical method for removing smooth spherical foreign bodies from the proximal gastrointestinal tract of bearded dragons. The technique may apply to various small-to-medium–sized reptiles or amphibians that present with spherical foreign bodies.

Keywords

bearded dragon, Endoscopy, foreign body, novel retrieval technique, Pogona vitticeps

Article Tools:

Email to me

Archives Highlights:

Indications for Radiation Therapy in Veterinary Medicine
This article highlights some of the essential elements for clinical decision making in veterinary radiation oncology, with case examples to give general practitioners a better understanding of what types of cases may be appropriate for radiation therapy.

Canine distemper outbreak and laryngeal paralysis in captive tigers (Panthera tigris).
All suspected and confirmed cases of CDV infections were significantly associated with laryngeal inflammation, which developed into paralysis in almost 50% of cases. Altogether, 50% of all tiger cases with chronic infection developed stridor at 314 days after virus infection. Therefore, laryngeal paralysis may result from CDV infection and degeneration, potentially affecting the peripheral and central nervous systems. This condition could pose a life-threatening risk to tigers.

Investigating the relationship between canine training classes and post-adoption return rates in North American shelters
Of all the returned dogs, those who attended training were more likely to be returned for owner-related reasons (58.8?%), whereas dogs who did not attend training were more likely to be returned for animal-related reasons (78.9?%). While attending training classes at animal shelters may help to reduce behavioral returns, as shown by the shift in return reasons, they do not appear to reduce return rates significantly for the general shelter population.

Resolution of egg binding is possible in most client-owned parrots when multiple treatment strategies are considered.
Of the 150 events that had complete follow-up, 109 (72.7%) resulted in a successful outcome. A successful outcome was observed in 44 of 133 events (33.1%) that were initially managed medically without resorting to additional treatment strategies, in 31 events (86.1%) managed with mechanical assistance, in 20 events (60.6%) managed surgically, and in 12 events (85.7%) managed with ovocentesis.

Limb amputation for feline appendicular bone tumors results in excellent recovery outcomes and high owner satisfaction with a low incidence of complications.
Time to return to walking without support was < 3 days in 69.7% of cats and 3 to 7 days in 16.7%. Activity level changes were reported as no change in 75.8% of cats. There were no behavioral changes in 92.3% of cats. Quality of life following amputation was recorded as excellent in 82.4% of cats. Owner satisfaction was reported as very satisfied, moderately satisfied, or satisfied in 98.5% of cats.