| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Class Amphibia | includes Orders Caudata and Anura |
| Class Reptilia | includes Orders Crocodilia, Chelonia and Squamata |
| Order Crocodilia | includes Alligators, Crocodiles, Caimans, Gharials |
| Order Chelonia | includes Turtles, Tortoises, Terrapins |
| Order Squamata | includes Suborders Lacertilia (Sauria) and Ophidia (Serpentes) |
| Suborder Lacertilia (Sauria) | LizardsSuborder |
| Suborder Ophidia (Serpentes) | Snake Suborder |
| Temperature Dependent Metabolic Rate | a reptile at mammalian body temperature has a metabolic rate about 1/8 that of a comparable sized mammal |
| Thermoregulation | ectotherms maintain Preferred Optimal Thermoneutral Zone |
| "bluing up" | occurs in reptiles approximately 5-7 days prior to shedding |
| improper husbandry | vast majority of reptile and amphibian diseases seen in clinic are related to this |
| reproductive stimulants | environmental changes including temperature cycles, day length, wet/dry seasons, and fluctuations in feed availability |
| tail | iguana's primary weapon |
| 10-30 | average reptile heart rate |
| 1-3 | average reptile breathing rate |
| heterophils | what reptiles and amphibians have instead of neutrophils |
| serum uric acid | replaces BUN in blood testing |
| blood collection sites for amphibians | lingual venous plexus, ventral abdominal vein, heart |
| blood collection sites for crocodilians | post-occipital venous sinus |
| blood collection sites for turtles and tortoises | jugular vein, dorsal coccygeal vein, post-occipital venous plexus, femoral vein, brachial vein |
| blood collection sites for snakes | heart, ventral coccygeal vein, palatine vessels in the roof of mouth |
| blood collection sites for lizards | ventral coccygeal vein, ventral abdominal vein |
| 60 days | minimum quarantine time for new animal |
| Dysecdysis & Retained Eye Caps | disease of snakes; skin sheds in fragments rather than intact; eye may retain "blue" appearance due to residual skin layers |
| Silvadene (silver sulfadiazene) ointment | an excellent topical antimicrobial for skin lesions in reptiles |
| mites | particularly common in snakes; Ophionyssus natricis; usually seen in the gular fold (between the scales below the chin) |
| aural abscesses | chelonians, especially box turtles and occasionally lizards; swelling of tympanum, often slightly yellow in color and firm to the touch |
| Infectious Stomatitis (Mouth Rot) | most common in snakes but also seen in lizards, chelonians and crocodilians; anorexia, dysphagia, salivation, regurgitation, paralysis of the tongue |
| Pneumonia | diagnostic procedures include rads, endoscopy and lung washes for cytology and culture |
| Septicemic Cutaneous Ulcerative Disease (Shell Rot) | all chelonians but most common in water turtles; echymosis and discoloration of scutes, ulcerations and gross erosion on shell; Tx = husbandry and Silvadene |
| Metabolic Bone Disease | most commonly seen in herbivorous tortoises and lizards (green iguana) or carnivores that are fed only meat scraps; paresis, muscle tremors or tetany, seizures |
| Gout and Urinary Calculi | snakes, lizards and tortoises |
| gout | deposit of uric acid crystals in the body tissues and joint spaces when uric acid is not adequately excreted by kidneys; swelling and lameness present in articular cases |
| dystocia and egg binding | snakes, tortoises, iguanas; may be obstructive or non-obstructive |
| cloacal prolapse | chelonians, snakes, lizards, and frogs; if prolapsed tissue is swollen the application of hyperosmotic solutions may reduce swelling |
| POTZ | Preferred Optimal Thermoneutral Zone |
| IM injections | should be given in the cranial half of body to avoid renal portal system; injection sites include triceps, scapular and epaxial muscles |
| SQ injections | injections should be given in cranial half of body; some medicatinos given via this route may cause scale discoloration, particularly in lizards |
| IV injections | difficult; blind stick used and risk or perivascular deposition is high |
| IO injections | optimal route for emergency drugs when IV access cannot be obtained; proximal tibia is preferred site |
| Intracoelomic injections | especially useful for fluid administration in chelonians and snakes |
Combine with other sets
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