Fractures must be one of the most common clinical presentations seen in exotics and wildlife.
With this in mind we managed to spend time with Simon to discuss the more common presentations.
Incorrect handling of animals, trauma, nutritional problems, incorrect UV light and exercise can all predispose animals to bone problems and fractures. And all of this will impact on healing. More commonly fractures will present in the road traffic accident, or someone inadvertently dropping an animal. Birds will fly into windows. Sometimes even with the best of intentions things can just happen. As a student I saw a rabbit jump off the table and land awkwardly on the floor. In practice, I’ve been presented with a very young bearded dragon with a fractured humerus at 4pm on Christmas Eve.
Simon talked about the injuries that he’s seen over the years, where birds that are given free access to fly round the living room, perch on top of the door, only for someone to close the door, causing lower limb fractures.
We chatted about what to do with these cases. How to assess the patient as whole and then go on to apply basic first aid using Altman slings or figure of 8 bandages and how to utilise the primary feathers to stabilise distal fractures. We then moved on to discuss the different surgical approaches and surgical nursing that could be applied when working with these cases.
To support the discussion, we also pulled together some great online resources, looking at the current evidence that is available for the treatment of fractures in exotics, wildlife and zoo. The most interesting paper that I found had to be the one from Rose et al on tusk fractures in elephants.
If you’re interested in finding out more about the Advanced Programme Vet Nursing of Exotics, Zoo and Wildlife find out more here.
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