Introduction

• Cause: bleeding into tissues causes local hemorrhagic discoloration. Causes include trauma, thrombocytopenia, vasculitis, septicemia, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.
• Signs: variable sizes of discoloration to the skin or mucous membranes.
• Diagnosis: clinical appearance, hematology, clotting factors, biopsy.
• Treatment: pressure, cold compress, treat underlying cause.
• Prognosis: depends on cause.                                                                                                                                                                                            

Pathogenesis

Etiology

• Trauma Traumatic injuries: physical damage to vessels in area
• Vasculitis with loss of capillary integrity: immune mediated, infection, heat stroke.
• Disseminated intravascular coagulation.
• Coagulation disorders: due to consumption, destruction or lack of production.
• Hypovitaminosis C Vitamin C deficiency.

Pathophysiology

• Traumatic vascular damage.
• Guinea pigs lack the gene required to produce L-gulonolactone oxidase, which is required to convert L-gulonolactone to L-ascorbid acid:
  • They are unable to to synthesize or store Vitamin C Vitamin C. Vitamin C is required for hydroxylation of amino acids that are important in stabilization and cross-linking collagen peptides.
  • An absence of collagen causes fragility in blood vessels, weakened cartilaginous structures.

Timecourse

• Traumatic injuries are acute and take 7-14 days for bruising to resolve Traumatic injuries.
• Young guinea pigs that are growing (<4 months of age) are at higher risk for hypovitaminosis C; clinical signs can occur within 2 weeks of receiving a deficient diet.

Epidemiology

• Suboptimal husbandry (hypovitaminosis C).

Diagnosis

Treatment

Prevention

Outcomes