Todayโs path rounds are on ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ฒ!
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ฒ is caused by ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ฒ and is one of the most common management-related diseases in guinea pigs!
๐๐ก๐จ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
As mentioned, guinea pigs get this condition, but so can other species like capybaras and humans.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ?
At its simplest, scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency in the diet. However, only some species will develop scurvy. Guinea pigs lack the enzyme ๐-๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฑ๐ข๐๐๐ฌ๐, which is required for vitamin C production. Therefore, if guinea pigs do not have adequate vitamin C in their diet, they wonโt be able to compensate by producing their own, thus leading to scurvy.
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ?
Vitamin C has a critical role in the formation of ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ง, which is the most abundant protein in the body. In particular, collagen forms the major structural components of blood vessels, cartilage and ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ข๐ (unmineralized developing bone).
Without adequate vitamin C, this collagen becomes incredibly fragile, leading to massive hemorrhages around the body. In the bone, the guinea pig can develop swollen, painful joints due to the weak collagen causing irregular bone development. These guinea pigs can also start losing their teeth due to abnormal bone.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ฌ๐๐?
Typically the veterinarian can diagnose this disease based on a history of poor management, and clinical signs of lameness and pain.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐? ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐?
Any guinea pig will need vitamin C added into their diet, either by providing vitamin C in the water, or providing food items that have high levels of the vitamin. Example foods include tomatoes, spinach and asparagus, which are all tasty treats for a piggie! This proper management is critical for maintaining the health of your guinea pig.
๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ
1-3) Guinea pig legs showing hemorrhage from the fragile vessels.
4) An X-ray of a guinea pig with scurvy. The shape of the bones is somewhat irregular due to abnormal bone development and remodelling.
5) What the pathologist would see under the microscope! The blue material is mineralized bone forming ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, however there isnโt any bright pink ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐จ๐ข๐ around them to organize their growth. This results in irregular bone development!
๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ
Terio, KA, McAloose, D, St. Leger, J. Pathology of Wildlife and Zoo Animals. 2018.
Photos 1-5 ยฉ Noahโs Arkive contributors Bryan, Leathers, Harrington, Williams licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
