Case updates from Exotics clinic

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Just a small update on two of the cases from the exotics clinic yesterday that I wrote about yesterday.

Chameleon:
The chameleon had metabolic bone disease (MBD) from poor husbandry. This is from a calcium deficiency in the diet, and excess phosphorus - she was fed almost exclusively crickets. She had pathological fractures in all her limbs, and was unable to lay eggs, leading to her being egg-bound. 
She was euthanised. 

Rabbit:
She died on 26/10, after a sudden seizure. When palpating her abdomen, several masses were present. The vet is going to call the owner and ask for a post-mortem examination. It seems likely that she had sepsis or maybe enterotoxemia (from overgrowth of "bad" bacteria after oral administration of antibiotics that wiped out the physiological flora). 
I don't think the vet had a treatment plan for her past treating the abscesses. Since the abscess started at the root of a molar tooth and spread, most of the mandible was destroyed. The teeth couldn't realistically be taken out, because then the rabbit wouldn't be able to eat, the top molars would over grow, and it would case problems with her incisors. A sad and difficult situation.

Just wanted to write this down because I think this is unfortunately the outcome of a lot of exotics cases. If the chameleon had been seen sooner, then maybe she could have been treated. If the rabbit hadn't been treated for 10 days with an antibiotic the infection was resistant to, maybe the damage wouldn't have been so widespread. I am glad of the learning opportunity from these cases, but saddened by the outcomes.

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