Marsupials

Establishment of Hematological and Plasma Biochemical Reference Values and Analysis of Risk Factors for Pet Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps) in Taiwan

“…The two sugar gliders below 1 year old had higher ALP levels than the calculated adult reference range. Other sources of ALP include the liver, kidneys, and intestines in mammals, such as dogs, cats, and rabbits; however, isoform profiles have not been studied in marsupials [ 11 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. The mean CRE values in the present study were lower than formerly published values of pet sugar gliders [ 6 , 10 ].…”

“…Higher levels of lymphocyte in young animals were related to immune system development and first exposure to antigens in Gilbert’s potoroos, Tasmanian devils, and dogs, and the age effect of lymphocyte population was linked with sex hormones, glucocorticoids, and thymus involution in humans [ 35 , 54 , 59 , 60 ]. Increase in neutrophil levels had been related to cortisol increase, due to the stress of malnutrition or subclinical disease, in marsupials, as well as in eutherians [ 11 , 35 , 56 ].…”

“…Like many small mammal pets, sugar gliders tend to hide signs of disease, and are often seriously ill when brought to veterinary clinics [ 8 , 9 ]. Diagnostic tests, such as hematology and plasma biochemistry, are crucial for identifying underlying cause of the symptoms and to assess the severity of disease [ 8 , 10 , 11 ]. As Taiwan’s pet sugar glider population grows, the need for these examinations increases.…”

Pyometra in a sugar glider (<i>Petaurus breviceps</i>): surgical treatment and postoperative complications

“…These image findings, along with clinical imaging evaluation of the mass location, led to a presumptive diagnosis of severely dilated uterus, likely representing pyometra. Hematology and biochemistry showed mild anemia (packed cell volume [PCV] 45%; reference range, 51–54%), mildly decreased blood urea nitrogen (10.5 mg/dL; reference range, 15.1–18.1 mg/dL), mild hypercalcemia (9.4 mg/dL; reference range, 8.5–8.9 mg/dL), mild hyperphosphatemia (6.2 mg/dL; reference range, 4.4–6.1 mg/dL), mild hyperglycemia (186 mg/dL; reference range, 153–171 mg/dL), and moderately increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (362 IU/L; reference range, 89–115 IU/L) [ 2 ].…”

“…In particular, severe pelvic/ureter dilation and atrophy of renal tissue were visualized in the left kidney, showing severe hydronephrosis. Hematology and biochemistry showed moderate anemia (PCV 38%), mild azotemia (19.2 mg/dL), mild hypercreatinemia (0.68 mg/dL; reference range, 0.5–0.6 mg/dL), mild hypocalcemia (7.9 mg/dL), moderate hyperphosphatemia (7.6 mg/dL), severely increased ALP (714 IU/L), and moderate hyperbilirubinemia (1.2 mg/dL; reference range, 0.1–0.7 mg/dL) [ 2 ]. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial culture tests using the drawn sample detected Enterococcus faecalis and Bacteroides fragilis.…”