Metabolic Bone Diseases in Exotic Animals
Other than diseases which result from infection from bacteria and
viruses, diseases can also be caused due to deficiency of proper
nutrients in the diet. The metabolic bone disease is caused if there is a
deficiency of vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus. The condition specially
aggravates when the problem is not treated for a long period of time. The
major cause of this disease is due to improper care in dietary needs of
animals. According to some doctors, the disease can also be caused due to
high consumption of proteins.
Metabolic bone disease is also known by other names such as osteoporosis,
cage paralysis, nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism, rickets, and
paper bone disease. Even if the ratio between calcium and phosphorous is
disturbed, the disease is impending. A well balanced diet and close
monitoring can result in the proper absorption and retention of calcium
in the bones.
As long as the young one is totally dependant on mother’s milk, it has
very rare chance of developing this disease. But once it starts eating
other food and completely leaves mother’s milk, it can face the risk.
Also animals which live in the wild have lesser chance of developing
metabolic bone disease. The animals are able to eat the prey as a whole
and the meat is combined with skin, fat, fur, bones, feathers,
intestines, etc. Different parts of the prey provide different nutrients
and the animal feeding on it gets a balanced diet by eating it.
The major cause of this disease is the unbalancing of calcium. Chunks of
muscle meat which are provided to animals in captivity contain minute
traces of calcium and high levels of phosphorous. This high level of
phosphorous decreases the capacity of the body to absorb the available
calcium. Calcium deficiency can also occur when the animal is not fed
with fully grown animals and only neonatal prey. The actual ratio of
calcium and phosphorous that has to be consumed is 20:1. And this ratio
is reversed when only meat is given to the captive pet, which results in
nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. Even worse, organs such as
heart, kidney and liver will have calcium and phosphorus in the ratio of
1:44 which is alarming.
Even when vitamin A is taken in excess, it suppresses the absorption
capacity of vitamin D and even of calcium. The rate of vitamin A
consumption increases when liver is fed a lot. When the required quantity
of vitamin D becomes less it causes rickets disease. In this disease, the
bone density is reduced at joints and they become pliable and brittle.
The bones become more prone to pathological fractures. Other than that
neuromuscular abnormalities and poor motor reflexes can also be caused.
Calcium is not only required for proper bone growth but also for the
proper functioning of muscles. It also enables the blood clotting,
activation of enzymes, and activation of enzymes. The function of vitamin
D is to maintain the proper ratio of calcium and phosphorous in the blood
stream.
The diet should be well balanced. Twice a week, the animal should be
given bones which have scanty meat on it like ribs, necks, thigh bones,
etc. A more simple way is to give the animal a whole prey to feed on.
Commercially designed diets already have the required composition, but
that can be more expensive.
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