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Proceeding of the NAVC
North American Veterinary Conference
Jan. 8-12, 2005, Orlando, Florida
Reprinted in the IVIS website with the permission of the NAVC
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Published in IVIS with the permission of the NAVC
The North American Veterinary Conference – 2005 Proceedings
SMALL MAMMALS IN THE PET STORE
Karen L. Rosenthal, DVM, MS
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Many of the small mammals seen in the veterinary practice
have been purchased at a pet store. For that reason, it is
important for the veterinarian to know the diseases that may
be easily spread through a group of animals in a pet store.
The most common of these diseases are those that affect the
respiratory system, the gastrointestinal system, and
ectoparasites. Obviously, in pet stores that have poor
husbandry conditions, infectious diseases are more common
and disease related to poor sanitary conditions are problems
to be addressed. Those are obvious problems found both on
the physical examination of the animal and from observing
the conditions in the store. The problems that are less
obvious and those that may show up sometime after
purchase will be the focus of this discussion.
The veterinarian who treats small mammals needs to
understand the dynamics in a pet store, even if they never
set foot in a pet store. The practitioner may be asked to
consult with the pet store and each location will present its
own unique issues. In an ideal situation, the pet store should
attempt an all-in, all-out management style. No new small
mammals should be brought into the store until all small
mammals at the store have been sold. No owners should
bring in small mammals for grooming or boarding.
Everything possible should be done to limit disease spread.
In most situations, this is an ideal that cannot be obtained
due to economics. Even if the veterinarian does not consult
with a pet store, it is important to be cognizant of the potential
infectious disease problems as they can affect any of your
patients that were purchased from or boarded at a pet store.
Most small mammals that are sold in pet stores are from
distributors and larger private breeders. Few small mammals
for sale in pet stores come from residential homes with
incidental litters to sell. Most of the small mammals are
placed in their enclosures in the store not with the idea of
how to prevent disease transmission but how to increase the
chances of the animal being sold. It is common to see
enclosures that do not allow for proper air flow and are not
cleaned appropriately. Also, it is common to see animals in
an overcrowded enclosure, a sure way to increase the
spread of infectious diseases. Finally, not only may sick
individuals be placed with healthy ones in the same cage, but
also it is not uncommon to see different species in the same
cage. One walk through many pet stores that sell small
mammals makes it easy to understand that if an infectious
disease is present, it easily spreads through a colony.
In most pet stores, nutritional disease of small mammals
does not occur. Although not all small mammals are fed
appropriately, the deficiencies are not serious or acute
enough to cause obvious disease in the animals while they
are still in the pet store. Some of the poorer feeding
practices in these stores include a lack of vitamin C to guinea
pigs and the lack of hay to rabbits. Although these improper
feeding practices, if continued, may eventually lead to
nutritional disease, it is unlikely that signs of these conditions
will be apparent in the newly purchased young rabbit or
guinea pig. Therefore, nutritional diseases are not the typical
problems seen in small mammals from the pet store.
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If one consults with a pet store, one of the most important
areas that usually needs improvement is the food section.
It is imperative that one visit the food aisles of these stores.
Although there may be nutritious and healthy food products
available, almost all pet stores will also sell food that is of
questionable value for small mammals. In general, most
treats are made from ingredients that could be harmful to the
animals they are marketed for. For example, yogurt drops for
any small mammal would seem inappropriate. Which small
mammal has “yogurt” or any cow’s milk product as part of its
natural diet? Fatty or sugary treats are contraindicated for
most small mammals.
Food should have appropriate
amounts of fiber and protein for the appropriate species.
A food advertised for hamsters is probably not appropriate for
rabbits and visa versa. It is not likely that your advice will
change what a store may carry on its shelves, especially the
large chain stores, but educating the employees of the store
may help them advice pet owners on the better foods to feed
their small mammals. This leads to an important function for
the veterinarian who consults with a pet store. Giving
lectures to and advising the pet store employees is a very
helpful method to get across ways to improve the health of
small mammals before they enter your office.
RESPIRATORY DISEASES
Respiratory disease can easily spread from animal to
animal in a pet store due to the conditions in which most
animals are kept. Usually, little is done to prevent airborne
contamination.
Animals, even different species, are
frequently kept in close proximity, sometimes in the same
cage, which makes it difficult to halt the spread of respiratory
infections. All small mammals are affected by respiratory
infections but the most common pet small mammals affected
are rabbits, rats, and guinea pigs. Of these species, guinea
pigs appear to suffer the most morbidity and mortality due to
respiratory illness. The two most common bacterial causes
of pneumonia in guinea pigs are Bordetella bronchiseptica
and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Bordetella is reportedly
carried by asymptomatic rabbits. If they are placed near
guinea pigs (i.e., in the same cage) reportedly a severe
pneumonia can occur in guinea pigs. Therefore, one of the
most important suggestions one can make to the employees
of a pet store is to separate the guinea pig enclosures from
the rabbit cages. Streptococcus can cause serious and even
fatal disease in guinea pigs and is easily spread from pig to
pig. As much as possible, those who handle guinea pigs
should not contaminate different cages when cleaning cages
and washing food bowls. It is assumed that Mycoplasma and
viral causes of pneumonia are also important components of
infectious respiratory diseases in guinea pigs in the pet store.
Rats and mice are also susceptible to infectious respiratory
diseases in the pet store. Some of these diseases may not
be clinically apparent until the pet is brought to the home and
stressed. Causes include Mycoplasma sp. and various
viruses such as Sendia virus and respiratory synctial virus.
Rats are also susceptible to disease caused by
sialodacryoadenitis virus (SDAV) which can spread quickly
amongst a group of caged rats.
GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE
Guinea pig infectious gastrointestinal disease is common in
pet stores with poor sanitation methods. A few of the
common organisms that easily spread disease in a pet store
include Salmonella sp. and Clostridium piliforme (Tyzzer’s
disease).
Other organisms such as Listeria and
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Exotics – Small Mammals
Pseudomonas can cause disease but not as commonly.
Cryptospordium urairi is easily spread in a pet store and can
cause severe disease in guinea pigs. Hamsters may be even
more affected by gastrointestinal disease than are guinea
pigs in the pet store setting. Disease may be apparent in the
pet store, or more commonly, soon after the hamster arrives
in the new home after being stressed. The most common
sign of gastrointestinal disease in the hamster is diarrhea and
this is generically known as “wet-tail.” Any disease that
causes diarrhea may be described as wet-tail but classically
wet-tail is due to proliferative ileitis caused by Lawsonia
intracellularis. This organism causes considerable morbidity
and mortality and easily spreads throughout a group of
hamsters. Clostridium piliforme (Tyzzer’s disease) commonly
affects hamsters and gerbils and is quickly spread in a pet
store with poor management skills. Young small mammals
such as mice and gerbils are prone to an infestation of
pinworms, Syphacia.
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ECTOPARASITES
Guinea pigs are probably the most prone to infectious skin
diseases than any of the other small mammals. The most
common ectoparasites in guinea pigs are Trixacarus caviae
(sarcoptic mite) and Gliricola porcelli (lice). Rats and mice
are also prone to ecotparasite infestation and may develop
severe secondary bacterial dermatitis lesions due to the
intense pruritus. Ectoparasites are a problem in rabbits, too,
but not necessarily associated with poor conditions at a pet
store. Dermatophytosis also occurs in small mammals but
with less frequency than ectoparasites.
Consulting with a pet store in an attempt to decrease the
chances of the spread of infectious disease is challenging.
Treating small mammals that have been recently purchased
from a pet store is also challenging. In both instances, the
veterinarian should be aware of the different diseases that
can affect each species and the diseases that can spread
between species. The veterinarian should be able to advise
the pet store as to the best way to prevent disease
transmission. The veterinarian who treats these animals
should be able to quickly recognize the signs of these
diseases and treat appropriately.
REFERENCE
1. Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and
Surgery. Quesenberry KE, Carpenter JW, eds. Elsevier.
2004.
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