Animal Welfare Flashcards
Midline
The ‘imaginary’ line that separates animals into a left and right half.
Lateral
The side furthest from the midline (i.e. the lateral aspect of a dog’s femur, the lateral chest wall).
Medial
The side closest to the midline (i.e. the inner thigh would be the medial surface of the thigh and also the medial surface of the femur).
Dorsal
The view from above. With four legged animals, the dorsal surface would be the body surface that you see when looking down on it. (top of head, neck, back and tail).
Ventral
The view from below. With dogs that would be the lower surface of the jaw, neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis and tail.
Caudal
Towards the tail
Cranial
Towards the head.
Rostral
When specifically discussing the head, the rostral surface is the surface facing you when you are looking at the dog while standing in front of it.
Proximal
Refers to limbs. The proximal area of a long bone (i.e. a femur) is the area closest to the body.
Distal
The distal area of a long bone is the area furthest away from the body.
Midshaft
In the middle of a long bone.
Flexion
To reduce the angle of a joint. (i.e. when you flex your elbow, you pull your radius and ulna up to your shoulder causing the elbow joint angle to get smaller.
Extension
To increase the angle of a joint.
Abduction
To move a limb away from the body (i.e. when you hold your arm out horizontally away from your body, the arm is in an abducted position).
Adduction
To move a limb towards the body (i.e. holding your arm by your side close to your body).
Displacement
When the bones move out of alignment. This causes the muscles to contract, further pulling the bones out of alignment. Blood supply to the distal limb may be impaired.
Comminuted
When you have multiple pieces of bone.
Greenstick
A fracture where instead of going right through, it breaks partly into the short axis of the bone and then the break splinters up and down the long axis of it, much like if you try to crack a green stick. Commonly seen in younger animals.
Transcervical
Limited to the neck of the femur only.
Proximal fracture
One that occurs on a long bone at the end nearest the body.
Distal fracture
One that occurs on a long bone at the end furthest from the body.
Midshaft fracture
One that occurs in the middle of a long bone.
Compound fracture
One where broken bones are sticking out through the skin.
Transverse fracture
A fracture at right angles to the shaft of the long bone. It is directly across the short axis of the bone.