TREE KANGAROO PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
Reviewed and revised 2007 by: Mitch Bush, DVM, Terry Phillips, Ph.D., and Judie Steenberg, Darin Collins, DVM, Holly Reed DVM
Routine Physical Exams
A general physical exam of each animal should be performed routinely, except in the case of pouch-gravid females whose exams should be postponed until their joey is permanently out of the pouch. This will aid in the health maintenance of the individual as well as the collection, early disease detection, and provide a source of physiological and developmental data from which normal values can be developed. Routine procedures pertinent to tree kangaroo care that could be performed at this time (or whenever an animal is handled/anesthetized for shipment or diagnostic exam) include:
Nail trimming: to decrease the chance of torn nails or conspecific trauma.
Dental/Oral Exam: to maintain good tooth/gum condition and catch/prevent infections that might lead to tooth loss and the development of osteomyelitis (lumpy jaw). The National Zoological Park’s Conservation and Research Center (NZP-CRC) noted remarkable improvement in the condition of the teeth and gums of their Matschie’s (Dendrolagus matschiei) collection with the addition of apple biscuits (Marion Leafeater Diet) to the tree kangaroo diet. (pers. comm. M. Bush, DVM). The routine feeding of browse also aids in dental/oral health in tree kangaroos.
Pouch exam: to check for the presence of a joey, the approximate age of a joey, and to check the condition of pouch and teats. Once a pouch check has been done to confirm the presence of a joey, no further restrained checks are made. Standing pouch checks should be kept to a minimum so as not to cause unnecessary stress to the dam. Joeys are generally NOT examined until they are permanently out of the pouch and it is time to separate them from their dams
Rectal cultures: to check for Salmonella or other enteric pathogens that can cause diarrhea.
Fecal exams: to check for intestinal endoparasites and /or ova are conducted at least twice a year. Treatment is usually contingent upon isolation and identification of a parasite and related symptoms
Microchip installation: for the purpose of identification, a microchip should be placed under the skin or in the muscle between the shoulder blades, to the left of center.
TB testing: Not recommended as of this writing. Intradermal TB testing has not been shown to be a reliable detection test for the exposure to mycobacterium species in tree kangaroos. Both false positives and false negatives have been reported in tree kangaroos. Interpretation of test results is equivocal at best and may confuse if immunological testing is being performed. For recommendations regarding the use of the lymphocyte stimulation test, consult the tree kangaroo Veterinary Advisor Group
Blood collection: sample from the lateral tail base vein (this vein is found in the mid-lateral position on either side of the tail base), jugular or cephalic veins for routine CBC, serum chemistry, toxoplasmosis, serology, vitamin E /selenium levels, frozen serum bank, and for other disease survey protocols requesting samples.
Body Weights: should be taken at least annually. Weights taken on a monthly basis would be ideal. They can be an important and early indicator of disease. A good husbandry practice would be for keepers to condition tree kangaroos to stand on a scale for a food reward or other positive reinforcement on a regular basis. Note: Be sure the tail is on the scale, or hanging free, for an accurate weight.
Note: Obesity in tree kangaroos is a health concern, and can interfere with reproduction.
Measurements: length of feet, tail, and crown to rump should be documented, making sure to specify age and sex of each animal. This should be done at all ages.
ECG/Cardiac Ultrasound: this may be important for baseline information since tree kangaroos are being found with dilated hearts (pers. comm., Bush, DVM, May 1996).
Radiographs: full body, focusing on chest and long bones, to look for pulmonary lesions and osteomyelitis associated in many cases with avian TB, and for documentation of gastrointestinal trichobezoars (Zdziarski and Bush, 1991).
Inoculations:
At this time, killed rabies (Imrab), clostridial and tetanus toxoid are the only inoculations used with any regularity in tree kangaroos. Rabies vaccines should probably only be used in endemic areas since marsupials are fairly resistant to the disease. Most institutions appear to vaccinate against rabies on an opportunistic basis.
Reviewed by E Travis, J Blessington, J Steenberg, Spring 2011