Type of feed is an important consideration in herbivore colony management, yet limited studies report on the effects of diet on common conditions such as urolithiasis in guinea pigs. Urolithiasis is a well-documented cause of lower urinary tract disease in guinea pigs, with calcium carbonate uroliths reported as the predominant calculi formed in the guinea pig urinary tract. A calcium-rich diet has been suggested as a risk factor for of urolithiasis, with numerous commercially available guinea pig diets formulated for adults avoiding ingredients that are higher in calcium. Due to the high incidence of urolithiasis in our strain 13/N guinea pig colony, we conducted a prospective control study following the implementation of dietary changes aimed at improving overall urinary tract health and reducing risk factors for urolithiasis, thus improving colony welfare. A control group was kept on the original ad libitum alfalfa hay-based pellet diet with restricted loose timothy hay (control diet, 14 juveniles and 24 adults). An experimental group was placed on a portioned, 1 oz daily, timothy hay-based pellet diet with ad libitum loose timothy hay (experimental diet, 21 juveniles and 23 adults). Juveniles and adults were followed for a total of 14 and 26 wk, respectively. Longitudinal blood and urine samples were collected to evaluate blood chemistry and urinary parameters, along with weight and body condition scores to assess general health. Overall, dietary changes did not improve parameters associated with improved urinary tract health or reduced risk of urolithiasis; feeding strategy was not found to meaningfully affect calcium crystalluria, urine protein, urine specific gravity, or renal values. These data support alfalfa hay-based pellet or timothy hay-based pellet, when fed with loose timothy hay, as viable options and suggest that practices aimed at reducing dietary calcium by reducing pelleted diet portions are insufficient to mitigate risk factors for urolithiasis in guinea pigs.

Rabbits can develop anemia due to serial phlebotomy or secondary to induced disease states. This study evaluated theeffects of a single injection and three consecutive injections of erythropoietin in rabbits at 150 IU/kg and 1,000 IU/kg in orderto determine whether these dosages produce a sustained increase in hematocrit. Analysis of CBC and chemistry parametersshowed significant elevation in hematocrit one week after administration of 1,000 IU/kg erythropoietin for three consecutivedays. These results indicate that this dosage regimen can increase hematocrit in apparently healthy, nonanemic rabbits forone week.

Environmental enrichment is a necessary component of all research vivarium settings. However, appropriate enrichmentdecisions vary greatly depending on the species involved and the research use of the animals. The increasing use of ferrets inresearch settings-notably for modeling the pathogenicity and transmissibility of viral pathogens that require containmentin ABSL-2 to -4 environments-presents a particular challenge for veterinary and research staff to ensure that enrichmentneeds for these animals are met consistently. Here, we discuss the species-specific enrichment needs of ferrets, enrichmentconsiderations for ferrets housed in research settings, and the challenges and importance of providing appropriate enrichmentduring experimentation, including when ferrets are housed in high-containment facilities. This article is organizedto support the easy availability of information that will facilitate the design and implementation of optimal environmentalenrichment for ferrets used in diverse research efforts in vivarium settings.

In this study, we evaluated the pharmacokinetic profiles of meloxicam and sustained-release (SR) buprenorphine in prairie dogs. The 4 treatment groups were: low-dose meloxicam (0.2 mg/kg SC), high-dose meloxicam (4 mg/kg SC), low-dose buprenorphine SR (0.9 mg/kg SC), and high-dose buprenorphine SR (1.2 mg/kg SC). The highest plasma concentrations occurred within 4 h of administration for both meloxicam treatment groups. The therapeutic range of meloxicam in prairie dogs is currently unknown. However, as compared with the therapeutic range documented in other species (0.39 - 0.91 microg/mL), the mean plasma concentration of meloxicam fell below the minimal therapeutic range prior to 24 h in the low-dose group but remained above therapeutic levels for more than 72 h in the high-dose group. These findings suggest that the current meloxicam dosing guidelines may be subtherapeutic for prairie dogs. The highest mean plasma concentration for buprenorphine SR occurred at the 24-h time point (0.0098 microg/mL) in the low-dose group and at the 8-h time point (0.015 microg/mL) for the high-dose group. Both dosages of buprenorphine SR maintained likely plasma therapeutic levels (0.001 microg/mL, based on previous rodent studies) beyond 72 h. Given the small scale of the study and sample size, statistical analysis was not performed. The only adverse reactions in this study were mild erythematous reactions at injection sites for buprenorphine SR.