PALS help fellow enthusiasts!
Just as the veterinary care of reptiles has advanced significantly over recent
years, so have the diagnostic tools available, to prevent, identify and treat
cases of illness. David Alderton investigates this vital yet often rather
overlooked area, and acquires some useful practical tips.
Tackling everything from aardvarks
to zebras, there is very little that
fazes the team of biomedical
scientists that run the UK's only
independent exotic veterinary
diagnostics laboratory.
“We started out
around 15 years ago, and have recently
moved to our new purpose-built
premises here in rural Cheshire,” says
Mary Pinborough, who runs the
business with her colleague Debbie
Moore.
Pinmoore Animal Laboratory
Services - better-known simply as PALS
- receive samples from a wide range of
sources, including veterinary practices,
zoological collections, private keepers
and animal food suppliers.
Their
laboratory is fully equipped to carry
out a wide of tests from haematology
(blood studies) and biochemistry
profiles right through to professional
postmortem services.
“One of the really interesting things I
find about this job is the range of work
that we undertake,” says Mary, who has
been a keen reptile keeper herself for
many years, and recently lost her green
iguana (Iguana iguana) which she
acquired as a youngster some 47 years
ago. This could well be a record for
longevity in this species!
Spotting trends
The work that the PALS team
undertake means that they are
uniquely placed to know what can go
wrong. “What people often don't
realise is that they are literally killing
their pets with misplaced kindness
these days,” explains Mary.
“We hear a
lot about zoonoses - diseases that can
be transmitted from animals to people
- but what is less often reported is the
simple fact that this is a two way
process, with such infections spreading
both ways.
“We're seeing a growing number of
cases of Staphylococcus aureus in
bearded dragons for example.
This
bacterium is common on our skin, and
owners who insist on kissing their pets
can easily transmit it at the same time,
triggering eye and sinus infections in
these lizards as a result.”
Another problem that seems to be
increasing is cases of both zinc and
lead poisoning in pet reptiles.
“This
appears to be linked with certain
brands of hand cream,” explains Mary.
“The risk is greatest when you are
picking fresh food and preparing this
for your pet, as obviously, you are
handling it repeatedly, potentially
transferring these heavy metals across
on to the food at the same time.
There's
actually a case therefore to wear
disposable gloves to protect your pet
when you are attending to its needs.”
Mary emphasises how important it is
to wash your hands before handling or
attending to your reptiles, as well as
obviously doing so afterwards.
“It's not
that uncommon to get cases of fungal
infections that have been spread from
an owner's feet via their hands to their
bearded dragon…” she explains.
Walk-through set-ups represent
another area where it is possible to see
human infections transmitted to
reptiles and other animal occupants.
The time of year
Seasonal issues arise as well.
“At this
time of year, it is so important for
tortoise owners preparing their pets for
hibernation to ensure that there is no
uneaten food left in their intestinal
tract. This can otherwise ferment,
leading to a build-up of gas, which can
literally cause the tortoise to explode
while it is hibernating.
“We would always recommend a
pre-hibernation check, with a full
screening once a year.
Outside,
tortoises come into contact with
deposits left by animals such as foxes
and rats, and this can create issues.
Inside too, if you have a cat, it can be a
problem, as some do like to
use a tortoise table as a large
litter tray, in our experience.
“We also advise a parasite
screening for tortoises in-between
the full screening, which will highlight
any parasitic worm issues. We supply a
special kit for this purpose that owners
can buy from us, in order to send us
samples safely and securely,” adds
Mary.
“Yet there is one issue that owners
aren't often aware of, when sending
faecal samples.
Reptiles produce
semi-solid, creamy-white urates - their
equivalent of urine - along with their
faeces. So, when people are sending us
a sample for faecal examination, we
must have the dark faeces which have
come from the intestines, not the
urates that have come from the
kidneys.”
Different management
Changes in the way that people are
keeping reptiles today has had an
influence on the type of infections
that are being seen, according to
Mary.
“Bioactive set-ups have led to an
increase in fungal infections, based on
our experience,” she explains.
“Clean-up bugs can be very
effective at breaking down the waste
of the larger occupants of the
vivarium, but the bugs' waste can then
accumulate in the environment and
may adversely affect terrestrial
occupants in the enclosure in
particular.”
High humidity and
restricted ventilation are
likely to be triggering
factors involved in the
issue.
“Ideally, I would have
two separate bioactive
set-ups, transferring the
occupants every three
months to reduce the
risk,” says Mary.
“Then use
F10® disinfectant in a fogger
- our tests have shown this is
very effective for all general
disinfection purposes within the
vivarium.
Often, although people
clean out their reptiles' quarters
thoroughly, they forget to do the
furniture. This can be a particular issue,
simply because the occupants are
often climbing on these items and so
will be in close contact with them.”
Racking is a housing system that
poses different health concerns. “It's
clearly so tempting in this situation to
go through and deal with all the
different snakes at once, but you need
to disinfect your hands ideally
between caring for every one,” advises
Mary.
“Otherwise, it's easy to transfer
an infection in this way.”
Monitoring invertebrate health
Yet PALS do not only deal with sick
animals. Monitoring on behalf of live
food and rodent breeders who supply
the trade and private breeders is
carried out on a very regular basis.
“I
think people might not appreciate just
how much effort leading suppliers put
into ensuring their food is healthy, and
represents no danger to the animals
eating it,” she says.
One of the great benefits of being
independent, according to Mary, is that
the laboratory can put its profits into
research.
There is so little information
known about many species, in terms of
what constitutes normal healthy
parameters in terms of blood cell
counts, biochemical data and much
more.
PALS has recently been involved in
several interesting research projects,
with a range of different species.
At
one extreme, the laboratory has been
examining the haemolymph of
subadult Chilean rose tarantulas
(Grammastola rosea).
“It is surprisingly
safe and straightforward to sample
what is basically the spider's blood, but
you need to replace it with suitable
fluid at the same time,” Mary explains.
“The haemolymph is drawn from the
pericardial sac, which surrounds the
heart.”
There is increasing veterinary
interest in invertebrates these days, as
they assume greater importance not
just as pets, in the case of tarantulas,
but also potentially as a source of food
for us in the future.
Building up a
basic understanding of what is normal
means that it is then much easier to
recognise when illness strikes, what it
might be, and its effects on the blood
chemistry.
With female tarantulas having a life expectancy that can potentially extend to nearly 50 years,
investment in veterinary care is important for breeders too.
Bigger challenges
While it is relatively easy to handle invertebrates, not all research subjects
are as straightforward to deal with.
“We've been looking at the bacteria present in the mouths of Komodo dragons,” explains Mary. “They have pretty foul breath, thanking to the rotting flesh between their teeth. But it's clear now that those in zoos have a very different bacterial flora, compared with their wild counterparts, which obviously relates to dietary differences between these two groups.”
Not being put off by handling these
large lizards, which also have venom
glands in their mouth, Mary and the
PALS team are currently engaged in a
project at Crocodiles of the World, in
Oxfordshire.
“We're examining the
blood of the alligators there with
owner Shaun Foggett, to investigate
whether ultraviolet light makes a
difference to their Vitamin D3 and
calcium levels,” she explains. It seems
that whatever the challenge, the PALS
team are happy to embark upon it! ✥
Pinmoore Animal Laboratory Services (PALS),
The Acorns, Town House Farm, Clotton, Cheshire CW6 0EG.
Tel.: 01829 781855 Email: sales@palsvetlab.co.uk
Website:
www.palsvetlab.co.uk