Biomarkers of Inflammation in Exotic Pets

The acute phase response (APR) is a key part of the innate immune system and acute phase proteins (APPs) represent the core of the early response to stimuli such as trauma, infection, stress, neoplasia, and autoimmune disease. These biomarkers have a different timeline and magnitude of expression vs traditional means of examining inflammation (e.g., total white blood count and albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio). Extensive studies conducted in companion and large animals have demonstrated many clinical applications for inflammatory biomarkers including diagnosis, prognosis, detection of subclinical disease and chronic inflammation, and monitoring stress. This article provides information regarding the APR and the uses of APP quantitation, as well as the growing body of information on APPSs in exotic animals.     

Effects of raw soy flour feeding in weanling pigs: comparison with rats and monkeys

Feeding of raw and heated soy flour (RSF & HSF) for 4 or 8 weeks to weanling swine was compared with feeding of casein diets. There was essentially no growth in pigs fed RSF, whereas body weight increased 4.5 fold over 8 weeks with either casein or HSF. No change in pancrease weight as percent body weight was found in any group in either experiment. Both total pancreatic RNA and DNA were decreased in RSF groups, although RNA and DNA/mg pancreas were increased by the RSF diets. Total pancreatic protein, as well as protein/mg, were decreased in RSF-fed pigs compared to casein and HSF. Pancreatic trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, and amylase, and fecal trypsin were decreased in RSF-fed pigs to varying degrees compared to either HSF or casein. HSF and casein performance was equivalent in all parameters measured. Results of these experiments are compared with results of feeding similar diets to rats and monkeys.     

SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF PANCREATIC NODULAR HYPERPLASIA BY PARTIAL PANCREATECTOMY IN A BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG (CYNOMYS LUDOVICIANUS)

A 7.5-year-old male black-tailed prairie dog was presented for diarrhea of 3 weeks’ duration. Clinical examination revealed a multinodular mass in the left cranial quadrant of the abdomen that was confirmed with ultrasound. An exploratory laparotomy was performed and the majority of the mass and adherent spleen were removed. Histological diagnosis was severe pancreatic nodular hyperplasia associated with secondary pancreatitis and passive splenic congestion. The prairie dog recovered without complications. Three weeks following the surgical procedure, follow-up ultrasound showed no evidence of abnormal tissue in the pancreaticoduodenal area. Two months postsurgery, a follow-up computed tomographic scan revealed no significant abnormalities. No recurrence was noted 13 months following the mass removal. This article describes the diagnosis of pancreatic nodular hyperplasia in a prairie dog and successful treatment of complications arising from the condition by partial pancreatectomy.