Diagnosis of Nontraumatic Blood Loss in Birds and Reptiles

Abstract

Blood loss due to trauma is recognized in all vertebrates. Other causes of blood loss, including coagulopathy and hemolysis, are common in mammals but rare in birds and reptiles. Blood loss syndromes may be underreported in birds and reptiles because of the inability of veterinarians to recognize these conditions. This review presents a summary of current knowledge of hemostasis in birds and reptiles, with emphasis on hemolytic and coagulopathic disorders that have been reported in these species. The focus of this article is on recognizing and diagnosing nontraumatic blood loss in birds and reptiles.