AEMV ForumOphthalmic Disorders Observed in Pet Chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera)
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
A total of 385 chinchillas were presented between August 2000 and August 2010. The age of the animals varied between 2 months and 22 years (median = 4.6 years). The range of the animal’s body weight was between 280 and 810 g (median = 500 g). The patients included in this study were presented with a primary complaint of an ocular disorder, or with ophthalmic disease that was detected during clinical examination. Requirements for inclusion in the study were determined by the following minimum
Results
Ocular disease was observed in 30 chinchillas (15 intact females, 13 intact males, and 2 castrated males). Primary ocular abnormalities were the primary reason for presentation in 23 patients (77%). Ocular abnormalities were an additional finding during clinical examination in 7 patients (23%). Of these 30 patients, a simple evaluation of the anterior segment of the eye was performed in 15 (50%) of the animals, and a more thorough ophthalmic examination (e.g., measurement of intraocular
Discussion
This article represents a retrospective evaluation of ocular disorders identified in 30 (7.8%) of 385 pet chinchillas presented to a veterinary hospital over a 10-year period. The findings in this article may underrepresent the prevalence of eye disorders in the entire group of 385 chinchillas. Some alterations may have gone unreported in this population, since routine ophthalmic examinations, including slit lamp biomicroscopy, tonometry, dilatation of the pupil, and ophthalmoscopy, were not
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Update on Diseases in Chinchillas: 2013–2019
2020, Veterinary Clinics of North America - Exotic Animal PracticeCitation Excerpt :Conjunctivitis and other ophthalmic disorders are commonly reported in pet chinchillas (Fig. 8). In a retrospective study, abnormalities of the lens were the most common finding followed by corneal abnormalities and conjunctivitis.16 The prevalence of ophthalmic disorders in the population reported was 30/385, or 7.8%.
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2023, Open Veterinary JournalOphthalmology of hystricomorpha: Porcupines, guinea pigs, degus, chinchillas, and relatives
2022, Wild and Exotic Animal OphthalmologyEpidemiology of bacterial conjunctivitis in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera): 49 cases (2005 to 2015)
2017, Journal of Small Animal Practice