Questions arising in the field of veterinary dietary advisory services concerning small rodents.

摘要

Within the consultation hours for small rodents, in addition to having to deal with health disorders in these species and their causes, veterinarians are being increasingly asked about other topics like the general aspects of biology and keeping of small rodents, their species-specific behaviour and nutrition. A lot of such questions are related to the composition of the diet, information about the animal's feed and water intake, and the ability to use miscellaneous dietary components varying from oat flakes to cookies and chocolates. These questions show the owners' uncertainty concerning the nutritional requirements of their pets which are directly related to the animal's basic needs and are not performance related. Whereas in former times such inquiries were mainly about rabbits and guinea pigs, in recent years the impact of uncommon small animals like degus or ferrets has increased. The veterinarian should be the primary contact person as they should also be involved in prophylaxis and not just with the therapy of health disorders in these species. Against this background, the need is emphasized in this article for considering these topics within veterinary teaching and education; otherwise small animal medicine will run the risk that pet shops and the feed industry will perform the services that should be provided by veterinarians.