AVA Conference Adelaide 2016

Birds, both wild and pet, are frequently presented to veterinary practice for repair. This presentation discusses how fractures in birds heal and how, with this knowledge, a clinician can assess a fracture, determine the best means of repairing it, and then utilise a range of techniques to obtain a good result. These techniques include external coaptation, intramedullary pinning, external skeletal fixation, and a combination of these methods. The decision as to which method to choose is based on the bird's purpose (e.g. rehabilitating a wild bird vs repairing a pet cockatoo, the location of the fracture, the bird's general health, and the skill of the clinician. By the end of this presentation a clinician will understand the concepts of fracture repair in birds and the ranges of means available for doing so

Avian soft tissue surgery is an important skill for any avian practitioner. While standard surgical techniques – attention to haemostasis, gentle tissue handling, good suture selection – apply, birds have a slightly different skin structure that requires some specific changes. Certain groups of birds, such as parrots, have particular foibles that need to be considered post-surgically as well. Knowledge of the appropriate anatomy is imperative.
Common soft tissue surgery procedures include:
• laceration repairs
• crop burn fistulae repair
• ingluviotomy for foreign bodies or access to more distal gastrointestinal sites
• pododermatitis debridement and repair
• superficial lump removals
• digit amputations
• and cloacal prolapse.
Entry procedures for exploratory coeliotomy will be discussed, but not more complex procedures. Analgesia, including local anaesthesia will be briefly covered

Marsupials are commonly presented as sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. They are held in pretty much all zoos and wildlife parks in Australia for display and conservation breeding programs, are maintained by some research institutions, and in some jurisdictions are kept as pets. Veterinary care of marsupials has many similarities to domestic animals and exotic pets. However, there are notable differences in anatomy, physiology, diet, and biology that influence the common disease presentations, the approach to treatment, and requirements for hospitalisation and supportive care. This presentation will discuss the approach to the marsupial patient, the diagnosis and management of common diseases, preventative medicine, and general considerations of providing veterinary care to marsupials, with emphasis on macropods, possums, koalas and wombats. Specific topics will include restraint and anaesthesia, sample collection, drug therapy, capture myopathy and dental disease in macropods, gastrointestinal and skin disease in possums, infectious diseases and trauma of koalas, dental disease and sarcoptic mange in wombats, management of burned marsupials, and common problems of orphaned joeys

General practitioners are often unsure how to proceed when presented with a small mammal or reptile surgical case. A range of small mammal and reptile surgical cases will be presented to compare and contrast the surgical management of these species with more familiar species seen in practice. Be entertained and go home with practical surgical tips for unusual pets.

An overview of the clinical signs, diagnosis, causes and treatment of the assorted types of mass lesions that can affect lizards, turtles and crocodiles. Real cases examples will be used to highlight and demonstrate what's involved in treating these amazing animals and the myriad of lumps and bumps that they can develop

GnRH agonists suppress sex hormones and have traditionally been used to treat hormone-related diseases. Diseases such as ovarian cysts in guinea pigs and adrenal disease in ferrets have traditionally been treated surgically, but the advent of longer-acting GnRH agonists such as leuprolide injections and deslorelin implants have allowed them to be managed medically when appropriate. More recently, GnRH agonists have also been used to manage hormone-related behavioural problems such as aggression, hypersexuality and feather-plucking in species that are difficult to routinely desex, eg. birds and reptiles. The mechanism of action, duration of action and appropriateness of GnRH agonists for these different diseases and species will be discussed