Snow Renata, Mans Christoph, Rylander Helena
1 Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
2 School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
Lab Anim. 2017 Dec;51(6):629-635. doi: 10.1177/0023677217698000. Epub 2017 Mar 16.
Chinchillas are popular as laboratory models and companion animals, and they can be affected by a variety of infectious and non-infectious neurological diseases. Little information is available on making a neurological diagnosis in this species, in part because the neurological examination has not been standardized in chinchillas and the expected physiological findings in healthy chinchillas have not been reported. In this study, a standardized neurological examination was performed on 30 clinically normal chinchillas. The perineal reflex and the menace response were absent in all chinchillas evaluated and so should not be used as functional tests. Several tests were consistently positive, such as the oculocephalic reflex, maxillary, mandibular and auricular sensations, withdrawal reflexes, thoracic limb paw replacement, and the wheelbarrow test. Other tests, such as the cutaneous trunci reflex and pelvic limb paw replacement, had variable responses. Based on these findings, it is advised that clinicians prioritize tests that can be easily performed without undue stress to the animal, and give consistent results in a healthy patient.
龙猫作为实验动物模型和伴侣动物广受欢迎，它们可能会受到多种传染性和非传染性神经疾病的影响。目前关于该物种神经诊断的信息较少，部分原因是龙猫的神经检查尚未标准化，且健康龙猫的预期生理表现也未被报道。在本研究中，对30只临床正常的龙猫进行了标准化神经检查。所有接受评估的龙猫均无会阴反射和威胁反应，因此不应将其用作功能测试。有几项测试始终呈阳性，如眼前庭反射、上颌、下颌和耳部感觉、退缩反射、前肢爪复位以及推车试验。其他测试，如皮肌反射和后肢爪复位，则有不同的反应。基于这些发现，建议临床医生优先选择那些在不给动物造成过度压力的情况下就能轻松进行，且在健康动物身上能得出一致结果的测试。
