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EDITORIAL
Exotic pets – Are we serving them well? As veterinary surgeons in the UK, we swear an oath on admission to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons: I PROMISE AND SOLEMNLY DECLARE that I will pursue the work of my profession with integrity and accept my responsibilities to the public, my clients, the profession and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and that, ABOVE ALL, my constant endeavour will be to ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to my care (RCVS 2012 Code of Professional Conduct). This does not define species and therefore must be taken to mean all species and, while the Code continues to state that veterinary surgeons should refer cases that are outside their expertise, it does mean that they are expected to provide at least basic care to exotic species. Do veterinary surgeons have the knowledge base necessary for such basic care? While 30 years ago omnicompetency covered just the traditional pets, now there are hundreds of different species of non-traditional companion animals (definitions provided by the Companion Animal Welfare Council and Callisto Strategy report allow for the range of roles fulfilled by these different species as compared to traditional pet-keeping) and so such omnicompetency may no longer be possible. The basis of the Oath is to ensure animal health and welfare. While welfare needs can be hard enough to assess for traditional mammalian species, it is nonetheless routinely performed and their needs can be inferred from our own or from similar species (Yeates 2013). Can this be done with less-related, less-familiar species such as birds and reptiles? The Five Freedoms (Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) 1992) can certainly be used to define their needs yet those needs are not always known and understood. Nor is the extent to which these species may suffer or even feel pain – what is the extent of awareness in animals with differing levels of cerebral development (Ulinski 1990) or how does pain sensation vary in a bird that has a different distribution of µ and κ receptors? (Reiner et al. 1989) More importantly, we are not always aware of the norm for that species either in its normal wild state or its normal captive state. Just as with dogs and cats we cannot hope to understand the abnormal without knowledge of the normal. Our reading must therefore extend beyond the veterinary textbook and into the biological and preclinical areas (e.g. Gans et al. 1969-2010, del Hoyo et al. 1992-2013, Scanes 2014). We must also place greater emphasis on history-taking in the consulting room and use our biological and medical knowledge to interpret changes reported by an owner, although occasionally their misinformation of the normal or lack of familiarity with the animal (especially when not presented by the primary carer) may cause problems. Handling of such species may also be viewed with trepidation in terms of both patient and handler safety. However, it is often the first and easiest method to gain an owner’s trust in the competency of the practitioner (Fowler 2008). Experience is
Journal of Small Animal Practice
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Vol 55
•
October 2014
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the only way to become competent – pet shops and experienced keepers are often only too happy to teach. In addition, proper evaluation of the setting and accurate assessment of the risks are essential in exactly the same way as for a feral cat or potentially dangerous dog. Clinical examination can be similar to that used in more familiar species, though in some such circumstances can only ever be limited (e.g. chelonia). Therefore there may be a temptation to rely more on clinical sampling and interpretation of such results. However, as in “Thomas the Rhymer” (Trad) such an easy road is unlikely to be the correct route especially as our knowledge of appropriate tests and the significance of the results is unclear. A difference between traditional and non-traditional pet medicine is the frequent need to hospitalise the latter. This stems from three basic reasons: the state of illness of many of these pets; an inability of owners to administer medication and, in the case of reptiles, the fact that husbandry may well be a significant underlying cause of illness. In the first case we must remember that, unlike dogs and cats, we are often dealing with prey species and the hospitalisation and care offered must reflect that these animals may be more stressed than they initially appear and that they will frequently mask signs until they are severely ill: in general, a sick bird is a very sick bird. In the second two instances, owner education is paramount both in preventing further health problems and in ensuring proper compliance with medication. In all cases, proper advice at initial health checks may prevent a lot of future problems and make medication of these pets much simpler for all concerned. In addition, these prey species will mask signs of pain and inability to recognise that this can lead to inadvertent worsening of their welfare. Clinicians should be aware of potential pain signs in these species (Bradley Bays et al. 2006) and be prepared to introduce analgesia in any situation where pain is likely. Even in cases where there is considerable knowledge of a species, e.g. poultry, this knowledge (Pattison et al. 2007) may be inappropriate in the companion animal compared to the farm setting. Whitehead et al. (2014) illustrate this very well and it is clear that the small animal practitioner dealing with food-producing animals requires a different approach, even if food production is not the primary purpose of keeping! The large increase in backyard poultry is more in keeping with poultry keeping preintensive farming of these species when many households kept a small flock. As such, reference to old texts (Beeton ca 1870) may be more useful than modern poultry texts in terms of diseases and assessment of clinical signs, although newer texts are required for therapy. Nonetheless, a thorough knowledge of both medical and legal aspects of poultry must be worked alongside a small animal practitioner’s normal approach to the needs of a pet owner (Yeates 2013) – we may be legally required to inform the owner of a drug withdrawal period, but are we addressing the
© 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association
485
Editorial
owner’s emotional needs and addressing our responsibilities to them by doing this? After all, we would not discuss such issues for a pet rabbit! The one thing that is certain is that there are a lot of exotic pets: Pet Industry Federation figures place reptiles fifth in the list of pet numbers (behind indoor and outdoor fish, dogs and cats) being kept in approximately 2·4% of UK households. They are regarded as being the largest growth area in UK pet-keeping. With such numbers being kept it is impossible for veterinary surgeons to ignore them and certainly referral to a small number of specialised practices is impossible in all cases. There is, therefore, a clear need for general practitioners to learn about such species and to be able to provide basic care at minimum and, ideally, more advanced care for at least the most commonly kept species. The knowledge that is required should be evidence-based. However, is this possible for non-traditional species? Yes, there are a lot of them and a few species make up the majority of animals seen (70% of pet reptiles are from six species/species groups – Pet Industry Federation figures), but the sheer diversity of these species makes gathering large numbers of similar cases quite difficult: papers need to be produced “species-by-species”. Generic bird medicine and reptile medicine studies are as useful as would be a mammalian medicine study! Non-traditional animal medicine is a relatively new discipline, meaning that there is a much greater emphasis on single case studies than there is now for dog and cat medicine. As such, journals may need to revise policies on such papers depending on species. Similarly, with most of these species being seen by private practitioners there is an onus on
us to collate and publish our cases and data, and more importantly to collaborate between practices in publishing larger case numbers. It is only in this manner that our knowledge base will increase and our understanding of the needs and problems of non-traditional companion animals will improve. Thus we will be better placed to fulfil our registration Oath for these species also. John Chitty Anton Vets, Andover, Hants SP10 2NJ References Beeton, S. O. (ca 1870) Beeton’s Book of Poultry and Domestic Animals. Ward Lock & Co, London, UK Bradley Bays, T., Lightfoot, T. L. & Mayer, J. (2006) Exotic Pet Behavior: Birds, Reptiles and Small Mammals. Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA, USA del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., et al. Ed. (1992-2013) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) (1992) Farm animal Welfare in Great Britain: Past, Present and Future. FAWC, London, UK Fowler, M. E. (2008) Restraint and Handling of Wild and Domestic Animals. WileyBlackwell, Oxford, UK Gans, C., d’A Bellairs, A., Parsons, TS., et al. (1969-2010) Biology of the Reptilia, Vol 1-22. Academic Press, London, UK Pattison, M., McMullen, P., Bradbury, J. M., et al. Eds. (2007) Poultry Diseases. 6th edn. Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA, USA Reiner, A., Bauth, S. E., Kitt, C. A., et al. (1989) Distribution of mu, delta, and kappa opiate receptor types in the forebrain and midbrain of pigeons. Journal of Comparative Neurology 280, 359-382 Scanes, C. G., Ed. (2014) Sturkie’s Avian Physiology. 6th edn. Academic Press, New York, NY, USA Ulinski, P. S. (1990) The cerebral cortex of reptiles. Cerebral Cortex 8A, 139-215 Whitehead, M. L. & Roberts, V. (2014) Backyard poultry: legislation, zoonoses and disease prevention. Journal of Small Animal Practice 55, 487-496 Yeates, J. (2013) Animal Welfare in Veterinary Practice. UFAW Animal Welfare Series. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK
John qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1990. He then completed the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Certificate in Zoological Medicine in 2000. He is currently the Director of a small animal/exotic clinic in Hampshire with a 100% exotics/small mammal caseload that includes both first opinion and referral cases. He has published widely in his field including as co-editor of the BSAVA Manual of Psittacine Birds 2nd Edition, the BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Imaging, Surgery and Dentistry and the BSAVA Manual of Raptors Pigeons and Passerine Birds. He is also co-author of Essentials of Tortoise Medicine and Surgery and is a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, Secretary to the European Association of Avian Veterinarians. Chair of BSAVA Education Committee, Veterinary Consultant to five zoological collections and the Great Bustard reintroduction project.
486
Journal of Small Animal Practice
•
Vol 55
•
October 2014
•
© 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association
EDITORIAL
Exotic pets – Are we serving them well? As veterinary surgeons in the UK, we swear an oath on admission to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons: I PROMISE AND SOLEMNLY DECLARE that I will pursue the work of my profession with integrity and accept my responsibilities to the public, my clients, the profession and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, and that, ABOVE ALL, my constant endeavour will be to ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to my care (RCVS 2012 Code of Professional Conduct). This does not define species and therefore must be taken to mean all species and, while the Code continues to state that veterinary surgeons should refer cases that are outside their expertise, it does mean that they are expected to provide at least basic care to exotic species. Do veterinary surgeons have the knowledge base necessary for such basic care? While 30 years ago omnicompetency covered just the traditional pets, now there are hundreds of different species of non-traditional companion animals (definitions provided by the Companion Animal Welfare Council and Callisto Strategy report allow for the range of roles fulfilled by these different species as compared to traditional pet-keeping) and so such omnicompetency may no longer be possible. The basis of the Oath is to ensure animal health and welfare. While welfare needs can be hard enough to assess for traditional mammalian species, it is nonetheless routinely performed and their needs can be inferred from our own or from similar species (Yeates 2013). Can this be done with less-related, less-familiar species such as birds and reptiles? The Five Freedoms (Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) 1992) can certainly be used to define their needs yet those needs are not always known and understood. Nor is the extent to which these species may suffer or even feel pain – what is the extent of awareness in animals with differing levels of cerebral development (Ulinski 1990) or how does pain sensation vary in a bird that has a different distribution of µ and κ receptors? (Reiner et al. 1989) More importantly, we are not always aware of the norm for that species either in its normal wild state or its normal captive state. Just as with dogs and cats we cannot hope to understand the abnormal without knowledge of the normal. Our reading must therefore extend beyond the veterinary textbook and into the biological and preclinical areas (e.g. Gans et al. 1969-2010, del Hoyo et al. 1992-2013, Scanes 2014). We must also place greater emphasis on history-taking in the consulting room and use our biological and medical knowledge to interpret changes reported by an owner, although occasionally their misinformation of the normal or lack of familiarity with the animal (especially when not presented by the primary carer) may cause problems. Handling of such species may also be viewed with trepidation in terms of both patient and handler safety. However, it is often the first and easiest method to gain an owner’s trust in the competency of the practitioner (Fowler 2008). Experience is
Journal of Small Animal Practice
•
Vol 55
•
October 2014
•
the only way to become competent – pet shops and experienced keepers are often only too happy to teach. In addition, proper evaluation of the setting and accurate assessment of the risks are essential in exactly the same way as for a feral cat or potentially dangerous dog. Clinical examination can be similar to that used in more familiar species, though in some such circumstances can only ever be limited (e.g. chelonia). Therefore there may be a temptation to rely more on clinical sampling and interpretation of such results. However, as in “Thomas the Rhymer” (Trad) such an easy road is unlikely to be the correct route especially as our knowledge of appropriate tests and the significance of the results is unclear. A difference between traditional and non-traditional pet medicine is the frequent need to hospitalise the latter. This stems from three basic reasons: the state of illness of many of these pets; an inability of owners to administer medication and, in the case of reptiles, the fact that husbandry may well be a significant underlying cause of illness. In the first case we must remember that, unlike dogs and cats, we are often dealing with prey species and the hospitalisation and care offered must reflect that these animals may be more stressed than they initially appear and that they will frequently mask signs until they are severely ill: in general, a sick bird is a very sick bird. In the second two instances, owner education is paramount both in preventing further health problems and in ensuring proper compliance with medication. In all cases, proper advice at initial health checks may prevent a lot of future problems and make medication of these pets much simpler for all concerned. In addition, these prey species will mask signs of pain and inability to recognise that this can lead to inadvertent worsening of their welfare. Clinicians should be aware of potential pain signs in these species (Bradley Bays et al. 2006) and be prepared to introduce analgesia in any situation where pain is likely. Even in cases where there is considerable knowledge of a species, e.g. poultry, this knowledge (Pattison et al. 2007) may be inappropriate in the companion animal compared to the farm setting. Whitehead et al. (2014) illustrate this very well and it is clear that the small animal practitioner dealing with food-producing animals requires a different approach, even if food production is not the primary purpose of keeping! The large increase in backyard poultry is more in keeping with poultry keeping preintensive farming of these species when many households kept a small flock. As such, reference to old texts (Beeton ca 1870) may be more useful than modern poultry texts in terms of diseases and assessment of clinical signs, although newer texts are required for therapy. Nonetheless, a thorough knowledge of both medical and legal aspects of poultry must be worked alongside a small animal practitioner’s normal approach to the needs of a pet owner (Yeates 2013) – we may be legally required to inform the owner of a drug withdrawal period, but are we addressing the
© 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association
485
Editorial
owner’s emotional needs and addressing our responsibilities to them by doing this? After all, we would not discuss such issues for a pet rabbit! The one thing that is certain is that there are a lot of exotic pets: Pet Industry Federation figures place reptiles fifth in the list of pet numbers (behind indoor and outdoor fish, dogs and cats) being kept in approximately 2·4% of UK households. They are regarded as being the largest growth area in UK pet-keeping. With such numbers being kept it is impossible for veterinary surgeons to ignore them and certainly referral to a small number of specialised practices is impossible in all cases. There is, therefore, a clear need for general practitioners to learn about such species and to be able to provide basic care at minimum and, ideally, more advanced care for at least the most commonly kept species. The knowledge that is required should be evidence-based. However, is this possible for non-traditional species? Yes, there are a lot of them and a few species make up the majority of animals seen (70% of pet reptiles are from six species/species groups – Pet Industry Federation figures), but the sheer diversity of these species makes gathering large numbers of similar cases quite difficult: papers need to be produced “species-by-species”. Generic bird medicine and reptile medicine studies are as useful as would be a mammalian medicine study! Non-traditional animal medicine is a relatively new discipline, meaning that there is a much greater emphasis on single case studies than there is now for dog and cat medicine. As such, journals may need to revise policies on such papers depending on species. Similarly, with most of these species being seen by private practitioners there is an onus on
us to collate and publish our cases and data, and more importantly to collaborate between practices in publishing larger case numbers. It is only in this manner that our knowledge base will increase and our understanding of the needs and problems of non-traditional companion animals will improve. Thus we will be better placed to fulfil our registration Oath for these species also. John Chitty Anton Vets, Andover, Hants SP10 2NJ References Beeton, S. O. (ca 1870) Beeton’s Book of Poultry and Domestic Animals. Ward Lock & Co, London, UK Bradley Bays, T., Lightfoot, T. L. & Mayer, J. (2006) Exotic Pet Behavior: Birds, Reptiles and Small Mammals. Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA, USA del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., et al. Ed. (1992-2013) Handbook of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) (1992) Farm animal Welfare in Great Britain: Past, Present and Future. FAWC, London, UK Fowler, M. E. (2008) Restraint and Handling of Wild and Domestic Animals. WileyBlackwell, Oxford, UK Gans, C., d’A Bellairs, A., Parsons, TS., et al. (1969-2010) Biology of the Reptilia, Vol 1-22. Academic Press, London, UK Pattison, M., McMullen, P., Bradbury, J. M., et al. Eds. (2007) Poultry Diseases. 6th edn. Elsevier, Philadelphia, PA, USA Reiner, A., Bauth, S. E., Kitt, C. A., et al. (1989) Distribution of mu, delta, and kappa opiate receptor types in the forebrain and midbrain of pigeons. Journal of Comparative Neurology 280, 359-382 Scanes, C. G., Ed. (2014) Sturkie’s Avian Physiology. 6th edn. Academic Press, New York, NY, USA Ulinski, P. S. (1990) The cerebral cortex of reptiles. Cerebral Cortex 8A, 139-215 Whitehead, M. L. & Roberts, V. (2014) Backyard poultry: legislation, zoonoses and disease prevention. Journal of Small Animal Practice 55, 487-496 Yeates, J. (2013) Animal Welfare in Veterinary Practice. UFAW Animal Welfare Series. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, UK
John qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, London in 1990. He then completed the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ Certificate in Zoological Medicine in 2000. He is currently the Director of a small animal/exotic clinic in Hampshire with a 100% exotics/small mammal caseload that includes both first opinion and referral cases. He has published widely in his field including as co-editor of the BSAVA Manual of Psittacine Birds 2nd Edition, the BSAVA Manual of Rabbit Imaging, Surgery and Dentistry and the BSAVA Manual of Raptors Pigeons and Passerine Birds. He is also co-author of Essentials of Tortoise Medicine and Surgery and is a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Exotic Pet Medicine, Secretary to the European Association of Avian Veterinarians. Chair of BSAVA Education Committee, Veterinary Consultant to five zoological collections and the Great Bustard reintroduction project.
486
Journal of Small Animal Practice
•
Vol 55
•
October 2014
•
© 2014 British Small Animal Veterinary Association
