Introduction

• Cause: inadequate access to food, inappropriate diet, stress induced anorexia, disease process leading to anorexia (eg dental disease, renal disease, neoplasia), altered metabolism or absorption, poor husbandry.
• Signs: poor body condition, muscle atrophy, weakness.
• Diagnosis: clinical appearance, body condition score, history, diagnosis of underlying disease process
• Treatment: correct hydration and electrolyte imbalances prior to implementing assist feeding, treat underlying medical cause, correct husbandry.
• Prognosis: fair if husbandry deficits are corrected, poor if underlying clinical disease.

Pathogenesis

Etiology

• Inappropriate husbandry Snake husbandry Chelonia husbandry Lizard husbandry, eg temperature too low, inadequate UVB exposure, inappropriate diet offered.
• End stage of chronic disease process, eg chronic renal failure, chronic dental disease, neoplasia, cardiac disease Heart disease, intestinal parasitism Snake parasitology overview Lizard parasitology overview Chelonia parasitology overview.

Predisposing factors

General

• Any chronic disease process leading to altered metabolism, impaired digestion or absorption.
• Poor husbandry Snake husbandry Chelonia husbandry Lizard husbandry such as inadequate temperature, humidity, UVB exposure.

Specific

• Renal failure leading to protein losing nephropathy.
• Chronic intestinal disease leading to protein losing enteropathy.
• Neoplastic disease.
• Cardiac disease Heart disease.
• Chronic infectious/inflammatory disease.
• Intestinal parasitism Snake parasitology overview Lizard parasitology overview Chelonia parasitology overview, eg cryptosporidiosis Cryptosporidiosis in Leopard geckos.

Pathophysiology

• Malnutrition.
• Maldigestion.
• Malabsorption.
• Leads to loss of protein from skeletal muscle leading to atrophy.
• Loss of body fat reserves.
• Loss of protein from liver, heart, intestine impairs function.
• Increased mobilization of fat reserves by the liver may result in hepatic lipidosis due to excessive fat accumulation in the liver.

Timecourse

• Chronic: weeks, months.

Diagnosis

Treatment

Prevention

Outcomes