Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ญ๐ฌ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐ข๐๐ค๐๐ญ๐ฌ is a disease of the skeleton in growing animals, that results in abnormal formation of bone at the growth plates, as well as poor quality bone in general.
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Any species can get this! As mentioned previously, this disease specifically affects growing animals prior to the closure of their growth plates.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
Basically, anything that can interfere with the mineralization of bone can cause rickets, but the majority of cases are due to dietary deficiencies in vitamin D or phosphorous.
Vitamin D deficiency is a major cause of rickets, particularly in animals kept indoors, due to lack of sunlight. Vitamin D plays a major role in calcium regulation by helping with calcium absorption in the diet. So, if an animalโs diet does not contain adequate vitamin D, the calcium levels in the blood stream decline, which stimulates the body to release calcium from the bones. This release of calcium is ultimately the underlying issue in rickets, because the bone cannot mineralize properly as it develops.
Phosphorous is another important factor in the formation of bone, because it is needed to form ๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐, the major mineral in bones. Again, without adequate phosphorous levels, the bone cannot mineralize properly, causing rickets. This typically occurs in animals grazing on pastures where soil levels of phosphorous are low, and the diet is not otherwise balanced.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
Well, having soft bones is not very conducive to living a long, happy and healthy life! These animals are generally very stiff and lame, and may even be reluctant to stand.
The bones often show irregular thickening of the growth plates, which can lead to deformities of the limbs as the growth plates become boney at different rates and thicknesses. This can further lameness and make animals extremely uncomfortable.
The bone itself can also have an irregular and disorganized appearance, reflecting its poor development. Because of how weak the bone structure is, these animals are significantly predisposed to bone fractures, even with mild traumas.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Typically these lesions are initially diagnosed when the animal fractures a bone seemingly out of the blue. From there, the irregular growth pattern of the bone can be identified on X-ray, because they are less ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ (white) than a normal bone.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐?
Typically, correcting the underlying dietary deficiency is the main treatment for rickets. If the animal is generally kept indoors, then letting it outside for frequently and for longer periods can also help. Usually animals have a good prognosis as long as the growth plates arenโt irreversibly damaged, and bone fractures can be prevented.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-3) Examples of bones displaying an irregular pattern in the ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ (main structure) of the bone.
4-5) Two examples where the growth plate (the grey gelatinous looking thing) has also become irregular. Normally they are an even, thin line extending all the way across the bone!
6) A normal bone and growth plate you can use for comparison to the other bones! See how thin the growth plate is?
7) An interesting presentation of rickets often seen in humans and birds called a ๐ซ๐๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฒ. What youโre seeing is enlargement of the ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐๐ก๐จ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง (the cartilage attachment between the ribs and the sternum) due to rickets. Crazy!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Maxie, G. Jubb, Kennedy and Palmerโs Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volume 1. Sixth Edition.
Photos 2-3, 5-7 courtesy of Noahโs Arkive.
Photos 1 and 4 courtesy of University of Calgary Diagnostic Services Unit.
