Thomas M. Donnelly

Background: Blood transfusion is lifesaving in anaemic ferrets, but species‐specific blood‐banking systems are lacking, and optimal storage conditions for packed red blood cells (pRBCs) have not been established. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the bacteriological, biochemical and haematological stability of pRBC stored in citrate‒phosphate‒dextrose‒adenine (CPDA) at 4°C over 28 days. Methods: Blood samples (15 mL) were collected monthly from four healthy adult male ferrets over six months, yielding 24 samples. pRBCs were isolated by centrifugation and stored at 4°C in CPDA‐containing vacuum tubes. Weekly assessments included bacteriological cultures, pH, glucose, lactate, electrolytes, complete blood counts and erythrocyte morphology. Equivalence testing was used to assess changes over time. Results: Most bacterial cultures yielded no growth. Serratia marcescens and Microbacterium spp. were considered to be post‐collection contaminants. pRBC stored at 4°C showed progressive deterioration, with decreases in glucose concentration and pH, increases in lactate and potassium concentrations, increased mean corpuscular volume, decreased mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration and marked echinocytosis by day 28. Plasma stored at −18°C remained stable. Limitations: The small sample size, use of vacuum tubes and dilution for biochemical analysis may limit generalisability. Conclusions: Biochemical, haematological and morphological indices supported the storage of ferret pRBC in CPDA for up to 21 days at 4°C. Further studies assessing haemolysis, in vivo erythrocyte survival, transfusion efficacy and contamination risk are needed before clinical blood‐banking recommendations can be made.

Objective: To compare blood glucose concentrations measured by a veterinary portable blood glucose meter (v-PBGM; AlphaTrak3; Zoetis Inc), a human portable blood glucose meter (h-PBGM; FreeStyle Precision Neo; Abbott Diabetes Care), and a point-of-care chemistry analyzer (reference analyzer; VetScan VS2; Zoetis Inc) in client-owned ferrets. Methods: Residual heparinized jugular venous blood samples from ferrets undergoing unrelated veterinary evaluations were analyzed from June 2025 through April 2026 within 10 minutes of collection. Blood glucose was measured with the h-PBGM and with the v-PBGM using equine, canine, and feline settings. Agreement was assessed by Bland-Altman analysis and at hypoglycemia thresholds of ≤ 60 and < 70 mg/dL. Results: 24 client-owned domestic ferrets ( Mustela putorius furo ) were included. Mean blood glucose concentration by the reference analyzer was 90.8 mg/dL (range, 43 to 157 mg/dL). The h-PBGM had the greatest positive fixed bias. The v-PBGM canine and feline settings showed minimal fixed bias, but all glucometers had wide limits of agreement. At the ≤ 60-mg/dL threshold, simple classification agreement was 79% for the canine and feline settings, 75% for the equine setting, and 58% for the h-PBGM. Conclusions: The v-PBGM canine and feline settings agreed more closely with the reference analyzer than did the h-PBGM. However, agreement was insufficient to support diagnosis or management of hypoglycemia based solely on portable glucometer results in ferrets. Clinical Relevance: Low, borderline, unexpected, or treatment-altering blood glucose results should be confirmed with a point-of-care or reference laboratory chemistry analyzer.

Objective: Describe lateral ear canal resection and bulla osteotomy with marsupialization (LECARBOM) in rabbits with otitis media (OM), and report outcomes, complications, bacteria cultured from middle ears, and their antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results.Study design: Retrospective clinical case series; single referral hospital.Animals: Forty‐two rabbits with naturally occurring OM.Methods: Medical records (2011–2021) of rabbits with CT‐confirmed OM undergoing surgery were reviewed for outcomes, complications, bacteria cultured from middle ears, and AST.Results: Surgery was performed on 48 ears, and outcomes determined 21 days postoperatively. All rabbits survived the procedure. Otitis externa resolved in all lop‐eared rabbits. Of 29 ears with OM‐associated head tilt, eight (28%) resolved, nine (31%) improved, seven (24%) remained unchanged and five (17%) worsened. Outcome was not associated with head tilt duration nor OM severity. Postoperative complications occurred in 12 (25%) cases, seven of which had wound margin dehiscence that healed by 21 days. The most frequent bacteria isolated were Pasteurella multocida (16%), Bordetella bronchiseptica (14%) and Staphylococcus aureus (14%). Bacteria were sensitive to azithromycin, marbofloxacin or enrofloxacin and resistant to penicillin.Conclusion: LECARBOM is a well‐tolerated surgical procedure to treat OM. It also improved or stabilized 83% of cases with head tilt and resolved all cases with otitis externa.Clinical significance: LECARBOM with administration of an AST‐sensitive antibiotic, or azithromycin when no AST is performed, should be effective in rabbits with OM. Postsurgically, it resolves or alleviates most secondary conditions such as otitis externa, head tilt and facial nerve paralysis.

How to approach ENT cases in practice: ENT infections in dogs, cats and rabbits have some similarities but more often differences. In dogs and cats, bacterial rhinitis is generally secondary to a primary nasal disease. In rabbits, the primary nasal disease is bacterial. It is a polybacterial infection, and the most frequent combination is Pasteurella multocida and Bordetella bronchiseptica. Other bacteria often isolated are Pseudomonas spp. and Staphylococcus spp. While plain radiographs and oral/dental examination are common diagnostic steps in all three species, bacterial culture and sensitivity are critical in rabbits. In chronic and advanced cases, a CT scan of the rabbit skull is recommended to evaluate the nasal turbinates and middle ears. Destruction and remodeling of nasal passages and P. multocida spread from the upper respiratory tract to the middle ear frequently occurs in rabbits. Although chronic antibiotic treatment is often used to treat affected rabbits, surgery of the nasal passages and middle ear is required for resolution, as antibiotic treatment failure often occurs. This presentation covers the differences between dogs, cats and rabbits, and what evidence-based medicine has shown to be critical for the diagnosis and treatment of ENT infections in rabbits. Sinusitis and rhinitis in rabbits – non-antibiotic therapies: Sinusitis/rhinitis syndromes are common in rabbits as a part of the condition usually referred to as “snuffles”. Misleadingly this is often referred to as Pasteurellosis. This is misleading because the implication of a primary bacterial cause would infer that a course of antibiotics will treat and cure – this is rarely the case in the pet situation; Pasteurella is not always isolated and may not even be the most common isolate from diseased cases. Sinusitis and rhinitis are often linked though may also occur separately with sinusitis usually being associated with dental disease and the filling of sinuses with pus. These cases generally require a surgical approach with dental therapy and flushing/curettage of the sinuses. Rhinitis has a wider range of causes which may include airborne irritants and foreign bodies. In most cases, removal of potential irritants forms a major part of investigation and therapy. Other therapies may include anti-inflammatories, nasal flushes, and nebulization. In both cases a holistic investigation should be performed that will include a thorough husbandry review as well as imaging (CT or radiography) and nasal endoscopy/biopsy. This talk covers the investigation and the role of non-antibiotic therapies including sinus surgery.

The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is classified as vulnerable on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. However, diseases affecting this species across zoo populations are not well documented. The primary objective of this retrospective study was to identify common and significant causes of morbidity and mortality in captive-bred clouded leopards from European, Asian, and Australian institutions. Medical records from 44 zoological parks that held 271 clouded leopards from 1934 to 2017 were reviewed. Major causes of mortality in the dead leopards (n = 141) were respiratory disease (17%), maternal neglect and starvation (12%), generalized infectious disease (10%), digestive disease (10%), and trauma (10%). Six animals lived more than 20 yr and two were older than 22 yr. Diseases were recorded 344 times (average of two per leopard) in 166 living leopards. The body systems most frequently affected by disease in these 166 individuals were, in order of frequency, integumentary (prevalence = 21%), digestive (21%), respiratory (16%), musculoskeletal (12%), and urinary (10%) systems. Neoplasia (7%) was less frequent, followed by cardiovascular (5%), genital (3%), and viral (3%) disorders. Extensive, self-induced alopecia on the tail and dorsum was the most frequently reported dermatological disease, which is proposed to be called the “clouded leopard alopecia syndrome.” The most common neoplasm was pheochromocytoma (1%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma of the paw pads, pleural mesothelioma and multicentric lymphomas (<1% each). Dilated cardiomyopathy (2%) was the most common cardiovascular disease. Bronchopneumonia (7%), enteritis (4%), and nephritis (4%) were the most frequently reported respiratory, digestive, and renal diseases, respectively. Diagnosed disease incidence was significantly higher in Europe. This paper reports the results of a comprehensive study of the causes of morbidity and mortality in European, Asian, and Australian clouded leopard zoo populations.

Objectives: to describe the feasibility and safety of ultrasound-guided percutaneous antegrade pyelography in pet guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) with suspected ureteral obstruction. Materials and Methods: six adult pet guinea pigs (4 females and 2 males, all intact) were evaluated for suspected ureteral obstruction. The mean weight of the guinea pigs was 0.8 ± 0.25 kg (range: 0.4-1.1 kg), and mean age was 4.07 ± 1.63 years (range 2-7 years). All animals were free from comorbid diseases, had clinical signs of urologic disease and were referred based on either strong clinical suspicion of, or diagnostic imaging of ureteral obstruction. Data on signalment and clinical examination findings, response to anaesthesia and imaging findings were recorded. Results: partial ureteral obstruction was confirmed in all guinea pigs but one, in which a complete ureteral obstruction occurred. Uroliths were in both ureters of 5 cases and in both the left renal pelvis and ureters in 1 case. All guinea pigs showed a normal appetite and regular defecation within 2 hours following the procedure. No intraoperative or immediate postoperative complications were encountered after the procedure. The only complication was contrast medium leakages in the subcapsular perinephric, retroperitoneal and, in one case, peritoneal space, which caused no overt clinical consequences afterwards. In one male patient, mobilisation of the ureteral calculus occurred and the urolith was found in the urinary bladder on the radiograph taken after contrast medium injection. Clinical Significance: the ultrasound-guided percutaneous antegrade pyelography technique is a useful, safe and easy-to-perform diagnostic tool in guinea pigs with hydronephrosis and hydroureter.