Treatment of hyperadrenocorticism in a guinea pig (Cavia porcellus)

Ultrasonographic measurements of the normal adrenal glands in guinea pigs (Cavia Porcellus)

“…These species-specific measurements of normality are deemed to be helpful in clinical practice, in the objective evaluation of the adrenal glands in this species, when patients are presented with bilateral symmetrical nonpruritic alopecia, polyuria, polydipsia, and other generalized signs of illness, and hyperadrenocorticism is suspected. 2 A chemical restraint for the acquisition of the ultrasound images of the adrenal glands was deemed unnecessary, considering the excellent compliance of the subjects during the scans. The use of sedation could have potentially improved the image quality, but as the authors agreed that the obtained images were of diagnostic quality, the use of chemical restraint would not have justified the risk-benefit ratio for the purpose of this study.…”

“…The most common endocrinological diseases in guinea pigs are functional ovarian cysts, hyperthyroidism, and adrenal disorders. 2 The presence of functional ovarian cysts is the only endocrine disorder that has been widely described in this species, 3 whilst comprehensive information on spontaneous hyperthyroidism is lacking in literature as only a few studies have been published. [4][5][6][7] In the scientific literature, information about Vet Radiol Ultrasound.…”

“…3,13,14 Although uncommon in guinea pigs, hyperadrenocorticism holds significance as a potential underlying cause for bilateral symmetrical nonpruritic alopecia, polyuria, polydipsia, and other generalized signs of illness, such as muscle atrophy, bilateral exophthalmos, inelastic and thinner skin, weight loss, abdominal distension, obesity, and lethargy. 2,[14][15][16][17] The mean age of the guinea pigs with suspected or confirmed hyperadrenocorticism reported in the literature is 4 years. 3,14,15 Achieving the diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism in guinea pigs may be difficult due to several limiting factors, such as the lack of validated testing methods, the challenges in collecting sufficient blood volumes, the interpretation of cortisol levels in highly stressed prey species, and the naturally larger size of their adrenal glands.…”

“…3,14,15 Achieving the diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism in guinea pigs may be difficult due to several limiting factors, such as the lack of validated testing methods, the challenges in collecting sufficient blood volumes, the interpretation of cortisol levels in highly stressed prey species, and the naturally larger size of their adrenal glands. 2 Moreover, the limited literature available regarding this syndrome, the reference values for the normal adrenals in this species, and the significant sonographic variation in size that these glands can exhibit, even among healthy subjects, make this achievement even more challenging. 2,3,18 Although endocrine tests are generally used for the diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism, ultrasonographic assessment of the adrenal glands is widely used in small animal practice because of its high sensitivity in discriminating between PDH and ADH 14,16 in both feline 19 and canine 20 populations.…”

“…2 Moreover, the limited literature available regarding this syndrome, the reference values for the normal adrenals in this species, and the significant sonographic variation in size that these glands can exhibit, even among healthy subjects, make this achievement even more challenging. 2,3,18 Although endocrine tests are generally used for the diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism, ultrasonographic assessment of the adrenal glands is widely used in small animal practice because of its high sensitivity in discriminating between PDH and ADH 14,16 in both feline 19 and canine 20 populations.…”