Principles of wound management of small mammals: hedgehogs, prairie dogs, and sugar gliders.
The management of wounds is a common scenario for the exotic animal practitioner. When presented with such cases, the practitioner must first adhere to the firmly established principles of wound healing, and then modify available treatment modalities to fit the needs of the species at hand. Practicing wound management on exotic patients can be challenging due to their small size, unusual anatomy, difficult behaviors, and tendency for developing secondary stress-related health problems. A review of the stages of wound healing as well as traditional wound management techniques is provided here. This review is followed by a summary of typical wounds encountered in hedgehogs, prairie dogs, and sugar gliders, as well anatomic, physiologic, and behavioral characteristics that should be taken into consideration when managing wounds on such species.
Hernandez-Divers
Sonia M
SM
Exotic Animal, Wildlife and Zoological College of Zoological Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA. shernz@aol.com
D000818:Animals; D006364:Hedgehogs / Q000293:injuries; D008322:Mammals / Q000293:injuries*; D008394:Marsupialia / Q000293:injuries; D012589:Sciuridae / Q000293:injuries; D014945:Wound Healing; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy / Q000662:veterinary*