Abstract
Ingestion of foreign material and subsequent gastrointestinal complications have been occasionally reported in captive penguins.1,2 The Ocean Park Veterinary Department regularly encounters feather shaft ingestion in gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) with the ingested shafts becoming embedded in the gastric mucosa, resulting in gastritis and granuloma formation. The most common clinical sign noted in these penguins is acute lameness. Historically, the initial diagnostic approach to lameness in penguins at Ocean Park included a physical examination, cloacal palpation with attention to the caudally located ventriculus, conscious radiographs to rule out radiopaque gastrointestinal foreign bodies, and bloodwork. If no definitive diagnosis was made during the initial investigation, broad-spectrum empirical therapy such as analgesic or antimicrobial medication was often prescribed. Many cases failed to resolve and ultimately required a subsequent gastroscopy under anesthesia wherein a feather shaft foreign body was identified and removed, which resolved the lameness typically within 24 hours. It became apparent that survey radiographs alone were an insufficient screening test in this collection due to the prevalence of non-radiopaque feather shaft foreign bodies. Subsequently, the veterinary and husbandry teams developed a technique to perform conscious gastroscopy in penguins under manual restraint. Penguins are restrained in sternal recumbency on a handler’s lap with a short, large-bore (10-mm inner diameter) feeding tube passed into the proximal esophagus to protect the endoscope. A flexible videoscope (KARL STORZ, SILVER SCOPE®, 7.9-mm diameter) is then inserted through the feeding tube and advanced into the stomach. Since beginning to utilize this technique, at least four cases of lameness have been successfully and quickly diagnosed with feather shaft foreign bodies via conscious gastroscopy. In one case, the foreign body could be removed during the same restraint session, avoiding transportation and anesthesia. Conscious gastroscopy has also been used to rule out feather shaft ingestion in an additional two cases of lameness. This new diagnostic approach has reduced unnecessary delay in diagnosis and radiation exposure to personnel, and has reduced the risks to the patient.
* Presenting author
Literature Cited
1. Castaño-Jiménez PA, Trent AM, Bueno I. 2016. Surgical removal of a ventricular foreign body in a captive African black-footed penguin (Spheniscus demersus). J Avian Med Surg. 30(1):46–52.
2. Jung WS, Ko M, Cho HK, Kang BJ, Choi JH, Chung JY. 2017. A case of endoscopic retrieval of a long bamboo stick from a Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus humboldti). J Vet Med Sci. 79(2):448–451.