Exotic Animal Formulary5

• Dystocia or egg binding—obstructive or nonobstructive abnormal oviposition
Etiology—Often Multifactorial
• Environmental stressors
• Nutritional: dehydration, hypocalcemia, low-protein diet, and/or general malnutrition
• Egg-related: abnormal egg size and shape or position
• Hen-related: systemic disease, salpingitis, oviduct perforation, torsion or scarring,
and/or neoplasia
Diagnosis
• History/clinical signs/physical findings: nonspecific signs of illness, respiratory distress,
persistent tail bobbing, ± blood from vent or in droppings, coelomic distension ±
palpable egg
• Complete blood/chemistry panel
• Radiography/ultrasonography
Treatment
• Stabilize the patient
○ Warm, dark, humidified environment
○ Administer warmed fluids, SC, IV, or IO if dehydrated
○ Dextrose: 50% bolus IV or IO; 2.5% in fluids SC if hypoglycemic
○ Calcium gluconate: 50-100 mg/kg IM or SC if hypocalcemic
○ Nutritional support required in most cases
• Medical management
○ Oxytocin: 5 U/kg IM, may repeat q30min
○ Prostaglandin E 2 : 0.1 mL/100 g (1 mL/kg) intracloacal on uterovaginal sphincter
• Surgical management
○ Attempt after 12-24 hr unless patient is obstructed and requires faster intervention
○ Sedation with oxygen supplementation or general anesthesia must be used
○ Use caution when manipulating egg; do not press cranially when stabilizing the egg,
as this will compromise respiration; instead, gentle laterolateral digital pressure to
direct egg caudally
○ Cloacal ovocentesis
▪ 18g-20g needle regardless of patient size
▪ Visualize egg/oviductal opening using lubricated speculum or cotton applicators
and focal light source
▪ Insert needle into egg and aspirate contents while stabilizing egg
▪ Gently implode egg with laterolateral digital pressure
▪ Extract fragments with curved hemostats
○ Percutaneous ovocentesis
▪ 18g-20g needle
▪ Stabilize egg against left side of body, then aseptically prepare area
▪ Insert needle and aspirate contents
▪ Gently implode egg with laterolateral digital pressure if it does not collapse
▪ Salpingotomy or salpingohysterectomy
Table 5-44
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