The Cutting Edge Veterinary Podcast

STUDENTS: Emma Buchanan, Kaitlyn Dornstauder, Gabriel Godziuk
FACULTY MENTOR: Dr Doug Whiteside

While the demand for reptiles and amphibians as pets increases, as does the need for competent small animal general practitioners willing to diagnose and treat them. This paper imparts a valuable guide for practitioners to provide basic handling and restraint, critical care, and diagnostic testing upon presentation of reptiles and amphibians. In particular, the most frequently exhibited dermatologic conditions are explored and categorized by their etiology, clinical signs, specific diagnostic testing, treatment, and prognosis.

Dermatologic conditions are separated into infectious and non-infectious for both reptiles and amphibians, with overlap affecting both species. Reptiles can be infected by a range of bacterial, parasitic, viral, and fungal agents presenting as diseases such as shell rot in tortoises, inclusion body disease in snakes, or chiggers in lizards. Amphibians are also susceptible to various infectious diseases, including red leg syndrome, cutaneous chytridiomycosis, and tick infestations. Non-infectious presentations such as burns, nutritional disorders, and neoplasia overlap between both reptiles and amphibians, however, non-species-specific conditions such as dehydration will also be explored. 

This review aims to provide recommendations for care, management, and husbandry to prevent future occurrences of the mentioned conditions and allow practitioners to gain confidence in the presence of herptiles with dermatologic conditions.

Release date:

29 September 2024