A 21‐year‐old, suspected female captive ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) was followed for 3 years due to an iridial mass of the left eye (OS) that progressively increased in size. Enucleation of OS was eventually recommended due to the iridial mass taking up approximately 75% of the anterior chamber, and the bird seemed less active. A complete physical examination, complete blood cell count, biochemistry, and survey radiographs were performed pre‐surgery with no findings indicating metastasis. A subconjunctival enucleation was performed and the globe was submitted for histopathology through the Comparative Ocular Pathology Lab of Wisconsin. The histopathologic evaluation determined the mass to be consistent with an iris melanocytoma, which has not been previously reported in this species. The patient recovered well from surgery and has remained comfortable and active for 117 days post‐surgery. This case report aimed to review the current available information on avian ocular neoplasms as well as describe the clinical presentation, medical management and surgical procedure, and long‐term follow‐up for this patient to enhance clinical understanding of the behavior of iris melanocytic tumors in avian species.

There is limited knowledge on amphibian sedation, and drug doses appear to be species-specific and affected by the administration route. Alfaxalone, a neuroactive steroid, has gained popularity in veterinary medicine and has been evaluated in some amphibian species. Previous studies in amphibians have demonstrated a sedative dose range of 10-30 mg/kg IM. No peer-review publication has investigated this drug in Sonoran Desert toads specifically. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1) determine the effective dose 50 (ED50) of IM alfaxalone for sedation and 2) determine the cardiopulmonary effects of the effective dose 99 (ED99) in 13 Sonoran Desert toads. Using the Dixon’s Up-and-Down method, the ED50 was calculated as 9.02 mg/kg while using a non-linear regression, the calculated ED50 was 9.65 mg/kg, and the ED99 was 9.91 mg/kg. Based on these results, 10 mg/kg IM was administered, and its cardiovascular effects were determined for 120 mins post-injection. The 10 mg/kg IM dose resulted in significant transient cardiorespiratory depression in all toads, with most toads (11/13) showing signs of sedation (recumbency and/or loss of righting reflex) within 30–40-minutes post-injection. There was no associated mortality with this study, and the side effects associated with this dosage (cardiorespiratory depression, ventral erythema, dysphoric behavior such as rolling and head pressing) resolved in all toads prior to the end of the 120-minute observation window. This study hopes to increase the understanding of the clinical application and limitations of this drug for sedation of Sonoran Desert toads.

Objective To determine intraocular pressure (IOP) estimates using rebound tonometry in juvenile northern bobwhite quails. Animals Studied Eighteen, 28‐day‐old, wild caught, captive raised, northern bobwhite quails. Procedures Birds were manually restrained in sternal recumbency with two fingers placed below the head, applying minimal pressure. Following detailed ophthalmic examination by a board‐certified veterinary ophthalmologist, IOP was obtained via rebound tonometry using the Tonovet “P” setting for undefined species in animals without obvious ocular pathology. IOPs were estimated three times on each eye. The mean result of the three estimates was recorded for further analysis. Only readings with low or no reported error were recorded. Results No difference was detected between the eyes; therefore, a reference interval was calculated using both eyes. The overall IOP (n = 36 eyes) was 5.6 ± 1.2 mmHg (mean ± SD), the median was 6 mmHg, and the range was 2–7 mmHg. The 95% reference interval was 2.2–7.6 mmHg. All quails were ultimately released with no clinically appreciable abnormalities. Conclusions This study provides information on normal IOP values for juvenile northern bobwhite quails, which can be used to evaluate the ocular health of this species. Future studies with a larger number of animals are needed, as well as validation of the rebound tonometry method using direct manometry.