- Buprenorphine for pain - intial dose for anesthesia, PO for maintenence until not demonstrating painful symptoms (difficulty moving, inappetence) 0.45mg PO q8-12 hours
- Meloxicam for inflammation - 3mg PO SID
- Gabapentin for nerve pain/inflammation, mild sedation - 32mg PO q8hours
- Ivermectin for treatment of lice and pinworm - 1.8mg PO once
- Antibiotics not indicated at this time to avoid dysbiosis. Should signs of infection appear, reconsider
- Medications can be given in Oxbow Critical Care mash if eating appropriately
- There is a possibility the injury may be permanent, and would require euthanasia given mobility requirements for the species. Communicate with rehabber that euthanasia would be warranted if:
- No signs of improvement in ~2 weeks, development of cutaneous sores from inappropriate limb use/non-use, decline in ability to eat/see/climb/defend itself
- Physical therapy and time might improve condition and outcome
- Consider laser therapy or PEMF if possible to improve limb bloodflow and healing
- Provide appropriate enclosure size/complexity for progress of healing
- Limit complexity early to prevent falls/injury
- Offer more exercise later on to assess improvement
- Contact rehabber to discuss capacity and ability to provide PT and follow-up
- Consider euthanasia if rehabber is overcommitted or unable to accept
- Arrange transportation to rehabber if available
- Set up temporary housing in the meantime
- House away from other animals in quiet area, either in large box or tote or in a large hospital kennel with natural substrate - cover with enclosure with towel for privacy
- No plastic dishes which can be chewed
- Hiding opportunities and foliage for comfort
- Food provisions
- Non-tip water dish, browse (maple, willow, aspen, etc.), vegetables (sweet potato, carrot, broccoli, kale, etc.), rodent block - feed twice daily for digestion
- Oxbow Critical Care is highly palatable for medication administration
Case 4 - “An ataxic porcupine is presented by animal services. No other history is provided”
Exam Findings
- Mentation - QAR, mild dehydration, mm pink,
CRT <2sec, PLR WNL
- Reluctant to walk, when moving will drag left leg
- Deep pain sensation intact in left leg
- Superficial wound on face, missing some quills and fur from dorsum
- Abdomen is soft, non-distended
- Oral exam reveals no dental fractures or jaw fractures
- No fractures of the spine or long bones, no free fluid noted on abdominal ultrasound
- Lungs and heart normal on auscultation
- Results of fecal exam:
- (+) for pocupine pin worm
- Lice identified in fur
Likely ataxia is nerve damage from a
presumed trauma
First Thoughts
Precautions
Possible reasons for admission:
- Trauma: HBC, fall, predator attack
- +/- Disease: rabies, Baylisascaris procyonis, toxin exposure
- Cannot use towels to wrap and hold for restraint
- Quills are a danger to people, excessive loss of quills will leave porcupine without adequate defenses
- Must avoid being bitten/exposure to saliva
- Rabies unlikely, but not impossible - zoonotic
- Avoid fecal/oral exposure - gloves, hand hygiene
Plan to weigh crate + porcupine, then weigh container once porcupine is allowed to move around a closed space to assess locomotion and gait
Result: 9kg
Presuming trauma, will want to provide pain relief, consider:
- NSAIDs
- Opioids
- Antibiotics
- Antiparasitics as needed
Next Steps
- Chamber induction with Isoflurane/Sevoflurane if difficult to restrain
- Avoid if possible to reduce likelihood of further injury
- Injectable anesthesia, consider using a polesyringe to allow a greater distance and increase safety
- Buprenorphine + midazolam
- 0.05mg/kg IM + 1mg/kg IM
- 0.45mg + 9mg
- Reversal = naloxone, flumazenil
- Administer in tail muscle if possible
Skull/Dental views
- Jaw/dental fractures could be catastrophic for rodents
Spinal views
Thoracic views
Abdominal views
Pelvic views
- Females with pelvic narrowing would be ineligable for release
Limb views
Ultrasound to look for free fluid
- Obtain weight
- Calculate fluid requirements
- Medication/anesthesia calculations and preparation
- X-rays and ultrasound
- Fecal examination
Collect feces for fecal float
Looking for evidence of incidental internal parasites
Given a weight of 9kg:
- Maintenance = 50mL/kg/day
- (50mL/kg/day) x 9kg = 450mL/day
- Deficit = assume at least 5%
- 9000g x 0.05 = 450mL deficit
- Ongoing Losses = none
- No evidence of external bleeding, diarrhea, vomiting
Plan to give maintenance + 50% of deficit SQ while under anesthesia, offer water dish once recovered if neurologically appropriate
- Location - SQ lateral, vental area where skin can be tented
Initial admission
Adult porcupine, presented in dog crate, ataxic, no further history
Initial examination
Standing in crate, facing the corner, will raise quills when stimulated, unable to get a view of face, one leg placed behind body, quills sparse on the back - skin is visible in some areas
NWRA Wildlife Medicine
North American Porcupine
(Erethizon dorsatum)
- Large rodent, herbivorous, arboreal, found in forested areas, mostly noctural/crepuscular, common throughout most of Canada and large portions of the USA, conservation status - least concern
- Notable feature is complement of >30,000 quills across the back, head, legs, tail that act as defense mechanism to protect from predators
Quills are raised when the porcupine is defensive, quills cannot be "shot", but easily penetrate skin due to barbed tips and release from the porcupine with ease
Shaggy and course guard hairs with quills interspersed
Found in a wide variety of habitats
- Forests, desert terrain
- Generalist herbivores with seasonal diets given food availability
- Summer = browse, twigs, fruit, some insects and nuts
- Winter = conifer needles, bark
Human Conflict
- Known to be drawn to winter roadways where they will lick up salt, also known to chew on vehicle tires and brake lines
- Iron content of enamel = orange incisors
- Powerful bite for gnawing and chewing
- Continuous growth throughout life (elodont)