Laboratory Animal and Exotic Pet Medicine

Principles and Procedures

Margi Sirois

• Publisher: Mosby
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9780323353946
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Veterinary Medicine

- NEW! Updated design features more high-quality, full-color illustrations and a revised reader-friendly layout with learning objectives and key points to make content easier to follow.

Part One

Principles of Laboratory Animal Medicine

Outline

1. Introduction to Exotic and Laboratory Animal Medicine

2. Exotic and Research Animal Facilities

1

Introduction to Exotic and Laboratory Animal Medicine

Outline

Disease Prevention

Legal and Ethical Issues

Legal Aspects of Exotic Pet Practice

Ethical Concerns of Exotic Pet Ownership

Legal and Ethical Aspects of Wildlife Care

Legal Requirements of Laboratory Animal Use

The Three R’s: Reduction, Refinement, and Replacement

Reduction

Refinement

Replacement

The Morals and Ethics of Animal Research

Animal Exploitation Groups

Animal Use Groups

Animal Control Groups

Animal Welfare Groups

Animal Rights Groups

Animal Liberation Groups

Benefits of Animal Research

Key Points

Review Questions

Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

• Describe what is meant by the term exotic animal.

• Describe what is meant by the term laboratory animal.

• Discuss factors that may predispose an animal to disease.

• Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may predispose an animal to disease.

• List and describe the laws that govern scientific research.

• List the membership and functions of the institutional animal care and use committee.

• Describe the principle of the “three R’s” of scientific research.

• Describe legal aspects of exotic animal ownership.

• Discuss laws related to legal aspects of wildlife care.

Key Terms

CITES

Dietary factors

Exotic pet

Extralabel use

Extrinsic factors

Intrinsic factors

Institutional animal care and use committee

Laboratory animal

Reduction

Refinement

Replacement

Zoonotic disease

Exotic and laboratory animal medicine encompasses the knowledge and skill required to provide care for exotic pets and laboratory animals. The term exotic pet generally refers to any companion animal other than dogs and cats and includes birds, reptiles, amphibians, and a number of small mammals. In the strictest legal terms, an exotic animal is any one that is not native to the area where it is found or housed. Small mammals, sometimes referred to as pocket pets, include rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, sugar gliders, rabbits, and guinea pigs. The term laboratory animal is used to denote any animal used in research or teaching (Figure 1-1). Animals used in scientific research may also be encountered as production animals in farms and ranches. In many cases; the research being performed is not directly related to the species on which the research is being conducted. The most commonly used laboratory animals are mice and rats. Other animals that may be used in research and teaching include hamsters, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, rabbits, gerbils, and fish. However, nearly any animal or plant may be used in scientific research.

Veterinary practices that treat only exotic pets are fairly common. Some may restrict their practice to just one species, such as avian-only practices. Veterinary practices that treat companion animals including exotic pets are also widespread. A recent survey conducted by the American Veterinary Medical Association indicated that more than 16 million U.S. households have at least one specialty or exotic pet and many had more than one. Survey data is summarized in Table 1-1. Both veterinarians and veterinary technicians receive basic education on handling and care of exotic animal species. However, the in-depth knowledge and skill needed to care for and treat the diverse species likely to be encountered requires additional and continual education.

The entire veterinary health care team has a responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of both pet and research animals. There are numerous legal and ethical issues regarding the care of exotic and laboratory animals. In addition to the many diverse laws involved, there are concerns related to the medications used. Nearly all medications used in exotic and laboratory animal medicine are extralabel use. This means that the drugs are used in a manner other than what is specified on the approved label directions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration publishes specific guidelines under which extralabel use can be legal. Beyond the legal concerns, administration of these drugs can also be problematic. Most medications are not available in a concentration that allows for the appropriate dose to be measured by conventional means. For example, if 0.5 mL of a medication would be administered to a 20-kg dog, a 400-g chinchilla may need just 0.005 mL. It is not possible to accurately measure this volume in a standard syringe, so the medication would have to be diluted before use.

FIGURE 1-1 Rabbits are used in biomedical research and are also commonly encountered in exotic companion animal practice.

TABLE 1-1

Specialty and Exotic Animals

	Households (in 1000s)	Population (in 1000s)
Fish	7738	57,750
Ferrets	334	748
Rabbits	1408	3210
Hamsters	877	1146
Guinea pigs	847	1362
Gerbils	234	468
Other rodents	391	868
Turtles	1320	2297
Snakes	555	1150
Lizards	726	1119
Other reptiles	365	732
Poultry	1020	12,591
Livestock	661	5045
All others	246	898

From American Veterinary Medical Association, U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook (2012), Schaumburg, IL.

TECHNICIAN NOTE

Many medications used on exotic and laboratory animals must be diluted before use.

Disease Prevention

Much of the responsibility of a veterinary technician or laboratory animal technician is aimed at preventing disease in the animals for which they provide care. Controlling factors that predispose animals to certain diseases is a primary concern of all members of the veterinary health care team. These predisposing factors can also be considered “stress factors” and may fall into one of several general areas: intrinsic, extrinsic, dietary, and experimental factors (Table 1-2). Intrinsic...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Part One. Principles of Laboratory Animal Medicine
• Part Two. Laboratory Animals
• Glossary
• Index
• Answer Key