Focus on Exotics 2024 – Flexible Endoscopy in Ferrets and Rabbits

Gastrointestinal diseases are common complaints in ferrets and rabbits. Although routinely used in cats and dogs, little information is available about flexible endoscopy in ferrets, apart from a few references in biomedical research articles. Recent technical advances, especially in smaller videoendoscopy, have both decreased the diameter and purchase price of flexible endoscopes. General practitioners now have affordable access to suitably sized endoscopes for ferrets that provide high-quality images. The relatively simple and short gastrointestinal tract of ferrets makes them ideal candidates for flexible endoscopy. Rabbits however due to the fact that fasting could led to some life threatning complication are not the best candidates for GI flexible endoscopy. But new techniques could allow these techniques to be perform in rabbits.