Orthopedic Diagnostic Imaging in Exotic Pets

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris borealis): Exploring Normal Head Anatomy through Cross-Sectional Anatomy, Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Cory's shearwater, or Calonectris borealis, stands out as a symbolic figure in the world of seabirds, playing a crucial role in marine ecosystems globally. Belonging to the Procellariidae family, it is singularized by its imposing wingspan and intricate migration patterns connecting it to various regions from the North Atlantic to the Pacific. Its role in the marine food chain, specialized diet and adaptation for nesting in the Canary Archipelago underscore its ecological importance. However, Cory's shearwater also faces important threats, such as the invasion of foreign species, highlighting the need for its conservation. Among the conservation issues, studies on its biology, the main threats it faces and its normal anatomy are essential to preserve marine biodiversity. Additionally, a variety of imaging techniques, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance, facilitates the understanding of the bird's neuroanatomy and opens future research possibilities in comparative neuroscience. Moreover, this approach proves particularly relevant given the increasing attention these seabirds receive in environments such as zoos, rehabilitation centers and their natural habitat, where veterinarians play a crucial role in their care and well-being.

Cross Sectional Anatomy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Juvenile Atlantic Puffin Head (Aves, Alcidae, Fratercula arctica)

The Atlantic puffin is a medium-sized seabird with black and white plumage and orange feet. It is distributed mainly along the northern Atlantic Ocean, and due, among other reasons, to human activities, it is in a threatened situation and classified as a vulnerable species according to the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In this study, we used a total of 20 carcasses of juvenile Atlantic puffins to perform MRI, as well as anatomical cross-sections. Thus, an adequate description of the head was made, providing valuable information that could be helpful as a diagnostic tool for veterinary clinicians, who increasingly treat these birds in zoos, rehabilitation centers, and even in the wild.

Tracheal stenosis in a yellow-crowned parrot (Amazona ochrocephala) due to diffuse ossification and osteopetrosis of tracheal rings

Tracheal luminal stenosis can cause clinical respiratory distress in wild birds. We describe a case of tracheal stenosis due to diffuse ossification with osteopetrosis of tracheal rings in a yellow-crowned parrot (Amazona ochrocephala) with a history of chronic respiratory distress and death after development of marked dyspnoea. An ante-mortem radiographic examination revealed that the tracheal rings were radiopaque and that there were multiple areas of osteopenic change in long bones. At necropsy, there was stenosis of the tracheal rings characterized by complete replacement of cartilage by thickened compact bone with osteopetrosis and bone necrosis. The clinical respiratory distress and death of the parrot were associated with tracheal luminal stenosis due to thickening of the tracheal rings by diffuse ossification with osteopetrosis.

Chronic fracture and osteomyelitis in a large-bodied ornithomimosaur with implications for the identification of unusual endosteal bone in the fossil record

Paleopathological diagnoses provide key information on the macroevolutionary origin of disease as well as behavioral and physiological inferences that are inaccessible via direct observation of extinct organisms. Here we describe the external gross morphology and internal architecture of a pathologic right second metatarsal (MMNS VP-6332) of a large-bodied ornithomimid (~432 kg) from the Santonian (Upper Cretaceous) Eutaw Formation in Mississippi, using a combination of X-ray computed microtomography (microCT) and petrographic histological analyses. X-ray microCT imaging and histopathologic features are consistent with multiple complete, oblique to comminuted, minimally displaced mid-diaphyseal cortical fractures that produce a "butterfly" fragment fracture pattern, and secondary osteomyelitis with a bone fistula formation. We interpret this as evidence of blunt force trauma to the foot that could have resulted from intra- or interspecific competition or predator-prey interaction, and probably impaired the function of the metatarsal as a weight-bearing element until the animal's death. Of particular interest is the apparent decoupling of endosteal and periosteal pathological bone deposition in MMNS VP-6332, which produces transverse sections exhibiting homogenously thick endosteal pathological bone in the absence of localized periosteal reactive bone. These distribution and depositional patterns are used as criteria for ruling out a pathological origin in favor of a reproductive one for unusual endosteal bone in fossil specimens. On the basis of MMNS VP-6332, we suggest caution in their use to substantiate a medullary bone identification in extinct archosaurians.

Geriatric Hedgehogs

African hedgehogs are susceptible to aging changes like those of other small exotic mammals. Common conditions of the geriatric hedgehog include heart disease, chronic renal disease, and dental/periodontal disease. Hedgehogs are unique in that they have an unusually short life span and a propensity for neoplasia. These 2 factors make it especially common for exotic animal practitioners to encounter geriatric hedgehogs affected by one of the many conditions outlined in this article.