Captive Reptiles May Have Nutritional Deficiency

Common Nutritional Disease Can Be Recognized Early in Pet Reptiles
Your pet reptile may have a nutritional disease that is commonly referred to as metabolic bone disease.  Reptile pets in captivity typically show signs and symptoms of the nutritional deficiency early in the disease.  Owners can look for:

• Shakiness
• Bone knobs and bumps
• Weight loss
• Changed or reduced appetite
• Jerky walking
• Abnormal tail and torso dragging
• Abnormal activity levels
• Bones that appear broken
• Bones that don't feel firm

Your veterinarian will check your pet's behavior, observe signs and symptoms and guide you with supportive nutritional decisions.
Pet owners keeping reptiles in captivity as household pets may sometimes find that their pets have a nutritional deficiency.  Metabolic bone disease is "the most common nutritional deficiency affecting captive reptiles," advises veterinarian Fredrick L. Frye in Reptile Care:  An Atlas of Diseases and Treatments.  Dr. Frye suggests that the disease is a result of dietary intake creating an excessive amount of phosphorus in the animal's body.
Metabolic bone disease (MBD) in reptiles can often be overlooked until the pet seems to have broken toes or a leg that presents as impaired.  Bone produced by the animal's body is brittle, fragile and can be spongy in texture.  When your pet lizard or iguana jumps from one hard surface to another the bone can easily fracture.  Normal movements your pet makes can be painful with the disease.  Your pet reptile may experience discomfort when walking or moving around a cage, terrarium or your home.
Young lizards with metabolic bone disease may have skulls that fail to grow larger and become longer.  They can retain the rounder shape seen at birth.
Early signs of metabolic bone disease in reptiles can be recognized when watching your pet closely.  If you see that your iguana or lizard is using its front legs to move and the back legs are dragging you'll want to contact your veterinarian for an immediate appointment.
Lizards and iguanas, for example, use all four legs to move around.  Their tails do not remain limp behind them with normal movement.  There is a natural lift to many reptile tails that supports their forward motion.  An iguana may be able to lift the front of its body, yet the torso and tail will be dragged due to the disease.
Watching your pet you'll be able to see if it looks jerky while it walks.  Its limbs or muscles may show twitches and tremors.  You may experience your pet's shakiness when holding it.
When handling your pet, you may also find that it has knobs or bumpy places along the bone ends and between the bones of its back or tail.  Your vet will always check for knobs and bumps during an office exam.  Eating may become decreased and weight loss may occur if your pet's jaw is affected by the disease.
Advanced cases of metabolic bone disease may also include anorexia and fractured bones.  Dr. Frye advises that "severely deficient reptiles tend to be lethargic and may only be able to drag themselves along the ground. A reptile lacking the ability to lift it's body from the ground when sitting or walking often suffers from a moderate to severe case of MBD."
When a diagnosis is made for metabolic bone disease, your veterinarian will guide you with treatment recommendations and nutritional guidelines for your pet.    

Nutrition Terms

Terms that have no defined meaning on pet food labels:

3.1.1.Holistic
3.1.2.Human grade
3.1.3.Human quality
3.1.4.Premium
3.1.5.Super Premium
3.1.6.Gourmet
 As pets have become more important to their owners, what the pets are fed has become more important as well.  Most pet owners are concerned about the quality and nutrition level of the food they are feeding their furry family members.  There are now hundreds of pet foods available to the consumer.  How do you know what to believe regarding pet food claims?
Many pet foods line the shelves of groceries and pet food stores, each with their own marketing claims.  Some of the terms used have a definite meaning to nutritionists, some are just marketing.
Terms that have a legal meaning are natural, organic, and by-products.   The  AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) defines these terms and publishes recommendations for pet foods.
Natural refers to a "feed or ingredient derived solely from plant, animal, or mined sources, either in its unprocessed state or having been subject to physical processing, heat processing, rendering, purification, extraction, hydrolysis, enzymolysis, or fermentation, but not having been produced by or subject to a chemically synthetic process."
Organic has been defined as " a formula feed or a specific ingredient within a formula feed that has been produced or handled in compliance with the requirements of the USDA National Organic Program."  Under this category are three levels:

1. 100% organic - must have 100% organic ingredients and additives, including processing aids
2. Organic - at least 95% of the content is organic by weight
3. Made with Organic - at least 70% of the content is organic

By-products are defined as " non- rendered clean parts of carcasses such as heads and viscera ( organs), free from fecal content and foreign material except in such trace amounts as might occur unavoidably in good factory practice."
The important thing to know is that any food labeled Natural or Organic is not necessarily a good food, and that a food with by-products can be an excellent food.  Natural substances can still be very dangerous; cocaine, heroin, arsenic, and cyanide are all natural but, of course, they are not good for you.  Organic foods may contain ingredients that are free of pesticides, but the food may not be balanced or nutritious. 
Some pet food companies suggest that foods that contain by-products are of a lower quality, but the term doesn't deserve this reputation.  In actuality, by-products are often a good source of vitamins and minerals. 
In summary, some claims by pet food companies are just marketing, without real science to back up their advertisements.  How do you know which food to use?  The best general advise is to choose a food that has been formulated with AAFCO standards and had feeding trials.  Your veterinarian can help you in this choice.

AAFCO.org

Why Your Guinea Pig Needs Vitamin C But Your Dog Doesn't

Scurvy:

A deficiency of Vitamin C causes a syndrome called scurvy.  Symptoms include bleeding and bruising.  There is poor healing and decreased immunity.  Animals are commonly anemic and may have loose teeth.

 We all need to eat a complete and balanced diet.  We feed our dogs and cats food developed by companies that study their nutritional needs, but if you study the list of ingredients, Vitamin C is not listed.  When we prepare our own meals, we have to make sure we consume a source of Vitamin C such as orange juice.  Ever wonder why most pets don't need this vitamin?
The vast majority of animals in the world make their own Vitamin C and don't need to consume any.  Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid.  This vitamin is important for several enzyme reactions in the body. It is a  factor in pathways making collagen and other substances that  are important in healing and preventing bleeding from capillaries. It is an antioxidant and is also required to make adrenaline and dopamine.
Some species of animals have lost the ability to make Vitamin C however.  A genetic defect occurred in guinea pigs, fruit bats, capybaras, some reptiles, and many primates, including humans.  This defect causes the inability to make the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase in the liver.  This enzyme allows the body to convert glucose to ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C. 
These animals must consume Vitamin C in order to be healthy.  That why it is important that people, and these other animals drink orange juice or eat other foods high in Vitamin C. 
As far as pets are concerned, dogs and cats make their own Vitamin C and do not need to consume any.  It is important, though,  to feed guinea pigs a diet high in ascorbic acid.  That is why you should feed them a pelleted diet made for guinea pigs and not one made for rabbits.  The guinea pig diet contains Vitamin C while the rabbit food does not. 
If you have any questions regarding nutrition for your pet, you can ask your veterinarian for help.

Keep Cats Moving and Grooving

Cat Play Benefits Health
How to Play With Your Cat:  Maximize Your Bond While Improving His Health and Well-Being, suggests specific reasons for cat play, including:

• Practice hunting skills
• Maintain healthy weight
• Release of aggression or negative energy
• Strengthens owner/pet bond
• Builds confidence
• Eases transition to a new home

Do you talk with your veterinarian during visits about ways to help your cat keep moving around your home or yard?  If yes, give yourself a fish-flavored treat.  If no, well, add talking with your doctor to your "priority list."
Your doctor will help you create a home program to ensure exercise and activity that will interest your cat.  Your cat will be entertained and the bond between you will deepen.    

Keeping your cat active can help it burn calories and use muscles, tendons and ligaments that may often be seen catnapping. Burning calories is important for your cat. The more your cat moves and exercises, the more calories it will expend during the activity. Exercise will help to off-set the naps taken in your favorite chair and help to prevent obesity.
Exercise methods your doctor recommends will depend on your cat's current level of activity, health, age and medical condition.  Indoor cats probably need more encouragement and support with exercise.  You'll want to consider several methods to get your cat moving and grooving.  Then, you'll want to shake up the sequence when you play.
Pet Weight Loss by veterinarian Jan Becker discusses pet exercise for owners of cats and dogs.  "Cats on the other hand can be a bit harder to exercise," says Dr. Becker.  Get your cats moving with cold laser lights flashed onto objects to interest them - but not in their eyes.  Wiggle stuffed animals, move them sneakily to get your cat's interest and increase the attraction of pouncing, sneaking, hiding or batting at the soft toy.

• Rope, shoelaces, yarn and ribbon - Cats typically love to play with long stringy items like yarn and ribbon, but Dr. Becker warns owners to beware of these. Owners must be vigilant of linear products or toys and use these only with supervision.  The string can easily get caught or tangled with your cat's tongue inducing them to swallow it.  Unfortunately, when this happens it can be "very serious or even fatal,  if surgery is not performed to remove the object.
• Flashlights - Everyone in your home has a flashlight for emergency use.  Make sure your cat has one too.  When playtime approaches, pick up your cat's flashlight, ruffle its coat and scratch its tummy.  Move your arm behind you when the cat's awake and shine the flashlight beam two feet away from it.  Your cat will see the light and want to pounce on it.  As your cat moves toward the light, gently shift the light from place to place.
• Bags -  Paper grocery bags and gift bags make crinkly sounds that consistently get cats' attention.
• Boxes - If your cat has a particular box it enjoys, encourage playtime with a small ball to bat from corner to corner of the box.
• Straws -  Tying a drinking straw into a knot and dropping it in your cat's line of view can start playtime.  Your cat will bat it from place to place, sliding, stretching, rolling and tumbling on floor or bed.
• Socks - Add a bit of catnip, a bell or small ball to a spare sock.  Secure tightly and swing or drag gently so your cat will follow.  "Catnip will often get a cat running around," says Dr. Becker. Not all cats are affected by catnip, but for those that are, keep in mind that catnip must be used in moderation.  For cats, the nip is a stimulant that may cause digestive upsets."
• Bottle caps - These caps are typically received on five-gallon water bottles that arrive at your doorstep by delivery.  The caps are larger, a firmer plastic and often times have the plastic neck still attached when you remove them to up-end your water into the household dispenser.  Your cat will enjoy batting the cap around a smooth surface.
• Walk on leash - Cats can be walked on leash and will probably "walk you" advises Dr. Becker.