Animal Nursing Final Flashcards
What is the appropriate method for correcting a written error on a medical document?
Using pen, scratch one line through the mistake, followed by your initials and the date, and if possible a witness as well.
Who has legal access to a patients’ medical file?
The primary owner on file
What factors are included in “Patient Signalment”?
Breed, Species, Age, Gender, Reproductive status, colors, distinctive markings
What is the normal range for HR in a dog and cat?
Dog: 70-160 bpm
Cat: 150-210 bpm
What is the normal range for RR in a dog and cat?
15-30 rpm for both
What is the normal CRT for a dog and cat?
Less than 2 seconds
What does CRT stand for, and why are we checking this?
Capillary Refill Time - a way to assess blood flow to extremities (Tissue perfusion)
What are the 5 vitals we assess on every patient?
HR, RR, Temp, CRT, MM,
What is the normal temperature range for a dog and cat?
Dog: 37.5-39 degrees C
Cat: 38 - 39 degrees C
What are the 5 colors of mucous membranes, and what does each indicate?
White - Anemia, Hypothermia, pain
Pink - Normal perfusion
Brick red - Hypervolemia, shock, toxicity
Yellow - Jaundice - liver damage
Blue - Cyanotic - no oxygen
How do we assess hydration status in a patient?
- Skin turgor - tenting the skin, assess how long it takes to return to normal
- Mucous membrane moisture - should be slick to the touch
Why do we vaccinate animals?
To protect public - zoonotic disease
To treat or prevent disease
To lessen severity of disease and/or duration of disease
What are the 3 types of vaccine technology we use in veterinary medicine?
-Modified Live Vaccine (MLV) – virus or bacteria has been altered or weakened so it cannot cause clinical disease
-Killed Vaccines (KV) – virus or bacteria has been killed, rendered harmless
-Recombinant Vaccine (RV) – Small portion of virus or bacterial DNA is removed and implanted into a benign host
What are common vaccine side-effects and how do they differ from adverse reactions?
Side effects - Expected, the immune system is mounting a response to the vx - mild pain at injection site, mild lethargy, both resolving in 24h
Adverse reactions - anaphylaxis, hives, itching, swelling, vomiting, diarrhea, ongoing pain and lethargy beyond 24h
What is the purpose of antibody titer testing?
To assess antibody levels in a patient - see if there are enough antibodies against a pathogen for the patient to be considered protected
What are the 5 rights of medication?
Right patient
Right drug
Right dose
Right route
Right time
What does the S in SOAP stand for, what is an example?
Subjective – chief complaint, history of illness, history, current meds, allergies
What does the O in SOAP stand for, what is an example?
Objective – vital signs, PE findings, diagnostics
What does the A stand for in SOAP, what is an example?
Assessment – problem, rule outs
What does the P stand for in SOAP, what is an example?
Plan – details needed for further testing and consultation
What are questions to ask an owner when booking a vaccine appointment?
-Are they on any parasite control?
-Any vomiting or diarrhea?
-Any coughing or sneezing?
-Eating and drinking normally?
-Normal energy levels
-Have they reacted to any vaccines in the past?
-Are their records up to date here?
How does wound contamination differ from wound infection
Contamination - microorganisms loosely attached to wound
Infection - microorganisms multiply, bind to tissue, and illicit an immune response
What are the 4 wound categories, with an example of each?
-Clean – surgical incisions
-Clean/contaminated – surgical wounds with minor breaks in aseptic technique
-Contaminated – fresh traumatic injuries, fractures, penetrating wounds
-Dirty – grossly contaminated, abscess, necrosis, older than 4h
Briefly describe the 4 phases of wound healing
- Hemostasis – stop the bleeding
-Inflammatory – begins immediately, lasts 3-5 days, wound is weakest, clotting, debridement (via macrophages)
-Proliferative stage – begins after 2-3 days, wound is rebuilt with collagen, epithelialization, granulation, wound contracts
-Maturation – begins at week 3, lasts for months, remodeling of collagen fibers, wound fully closes and gains maximum strength
What factors effect wound healing?
-Patient - age, disease, nutrition
-Wound classification - degree of contamination, length of time it’s been open
-Concurrent treatments - Chemotherapy, Steroids
What items would you find in a first aid kit?
Bandages
Gauze
Scissors
Gloves
Tape
Antiseptic wipes
Blankets
Tongue depressors
What are questions to ask an owner who’s dog is vomiting?
- When did it start?
- Could they have gotten into something?
- How often are they vomiting?
- What does the vomit look like? Bile or food?
- Energy level?
- Up to date on vaccines?
- Parasite control?
- Eating/drinking?
What does “Triage” mean?
Sorting patients by the severity of their condition - in order of most life-threatening to least
In terms of emergency medicine, what does “ABC” stand for?
Airway, Breathing, Circulation
What is a “Crash Cart”?
A mobile unit stocked with all emergency supplies and drugs
What are questions to ask an owner with a constipated cat?
-When was the last normal bowel movement?
-Is there any urine in the litterbox?
-Eating/drinking?
-Licking at genital area?
-Any history of either constipation or urinary issues?
-Gender and age of cat
How would you advise an owner to monitor a bandage at home?
Recheck if pet starts licking or chewing at it
Check for toe swelling if the toes are left out
Cover before going outside
Recheck if bandage gets dirty or wet
Recheck if any odour
Do not try to replace bandage themselves
Always call if they have any questions
If a pet has a toxicity, what questions would you ask the owner?
-Species and age of the animal
Toxic agent ( if known)
Amount ingested and strength if a medication
How long ago ingested
Rough weight of the animal.
Symptoms animal is displaying
Any other underlying illness or medications
What common toxicities can be found in or around the home?
Chocolate, grapes/raisins, THC products, NSAID’s, Xylitol, raw dough, caffeine, nicotine, Lilies, owner medications, anti-freeze, permethrins
When a cat becomes blocked, they are unable to void waste products from their body. One electrolyte builds up to toxic levels, causing death. What is it, and which organ does it affect?
Potassium - affects the heart - elevations can cause cardiac arrest
Why is nutrition so important for sick patients?
Immune system function, tissue synthesis for healing, GI function, regulating physiological function
List the 4 methods of delivering enteral nutrition
-Naso-esophageal
-Esophagostomy
-Gastronomy
-Jejunostomy
What is refeeding syndrome and how can we avoid it?
-Feeding food to quickly can cause organ shut down, leading to death.
-Introduce small volumes of food slowly – 4-6 small meals – 25% of cals on day 1, gradually increasing until day 4-5 when all daily calories are offered
Dystocia means…?
Difficulty giving birth
What is the purpose of Oxytocin?
Stimulates uterine contractions
What does Eclampsia mean?
Low calcium levels
What questions should you ask an owner with a pet in dystocia?
What is the female doing now?
What concerns prompted the owner to call?
What is the age and breed of the female?
What is the breed of the male who bred with her?
Is the due date known?
Does the owner know how many puppies/kittens exist?
Have any fetuses been delivered?
Is the female actively pushing?
List the 4 stages of the ovarian cycle
-Proestrus
-Estrus
-Diestrus
-Anestrus
Briefly describe the 3 stages of partruition
-Stage 1 – animal becomes restless/ nesting behavior/ may go off food/ temp drops by 1degree
-Stage 2 – Active uterine contractions/ dilation of cervix
-Stage 3 – Expulsion of fetus and amniotic sac
What are the 4 routes of fluid therapy?
IV, SQ, IO, IP
What are the Core vaccines for dogs?
Rabies, DA2PP
What are the non-core vaccines for dogs?
Bordetella, Lyme, Lepto
What are the core vaccines for cats?
Rabies, FVRCP
What are the non-core vaccines for cats?
FeLV
Why do we dry ears after a cleaning, before instilling medication?
Some cleaners can inactivate the medication
When giving eye drops AND eye ointments, which needs to be administered first, and how long do you separate each medication by?
Eye drops go in first so they can fully absorb, wait 5 minutes before applying the ointment
