What is the cloaca?

In our reptile patients, there is one opening to the outside world, called the cloaca (or vent). There are three body systems that feed into the cloaca- the gastrointestinal tract (coprodeum), urinary tract (urodeum), and genital tract (proctodeum). This means that this one opening excretes products from each of these body systems (eg. fecal matter, urine).

INTRODUCTION

Why is vitamin A important?

Vitamin A is an essential, fat-soluble vitamin that is produced from carotenoids such as beta carotene. This vitamin plays an important role in the body including skin health, red blood cell production, antibody production, and immune responses to pathogens.