Healthy herps on the
road and at the clinic:
developing a reptile-
specific practice.
Herpvet Dr Josh Llinas explains what you can expect from a dedicated
reptile veterinary practice. And if you can’t go to him, he may be able to
come to you!
With the increasing popularity of keeping captive
reptiles, comes the need to ensure the healthcare of these
animals is considered. Whether one owns a single reptile
or has a large collection, a focus on disease prevention,
early recognition of illness and an emphasis on welfare is
essential. The following article will discuss the use of
home visits in herp medicine and why I have found this
to be an essential complement to my practice. We will
also have a look at some of the specialised equipment
and set up used in reptile/amphibian veterinary medicine
both on the road and back at the clinic.
1.
The reptile consult.
As any keeper knows, the key to a healthy reptile is
husbandry. The typical reptile consult involves asking a
number of questions to determine if the living conditions
support ideal health and vitality. To facilitate this, a pre-
consult health and husbandry assessment form is filled
out. Providing pictures of the enclosure (or enclosures),
bringing in a recent shed, collecting a recent faecal
sample, or bringing in water in the case of aquatic species
adds to this information databank. When combined with
a physical exam, all this helps to determine the overall
health of the animal. In many instances this is adequate,
but there are a few key issues with this form of
consultation.
Every time a reptile or amphibian is removed from the
enclosure, its body is under stress. With reduced access
to heat, their body temperature drops and parameters
such as activity levels, heart rates and respiratory rates
will start to change. Healthy individuals will generally
handle this without concern, but if there are already
environmental stressors or disease is present, this
increases the risk of illness. These issues are com-
pounded when multiple animals are brought in at once.
Special consideration needs to be made to avoid contact
between individuals so as to avoid stress, trauma and
spread of disease. When more than 3-5 patients require
examinations, this can be a logistical nightmare and often
requires multiple visits. To avoid this, a home visit can
be of benefit. Examining the animals in situ, visualising
the enclosure set up and being able to assess the environ-
mental conditions (UVB, temperature gradient, basking
areas, feeding material, etc.) in person enables greater
insight and can improve treatment recommendations.
Simple procedures such as sex determination, blood
collection, viral testing, ultrasound and biopsies can be
easily performed on site. If necessary, individuals that are
in need of hospitalisation or more complicated proce-
dures can be brought to the clinic and transported with
appropriate travel enclosures and heat provided en route.
If a hospital trip is not required, they can quickly be
returned to the comfort of their enclosures. This approach
greatly reduces the risk to the animals and produces the
best information in the shortest amount of time.