Bovine Flashcards
What nerve(s) need to be blocked to dehorn cattle?
Cornual
What is the earliest stage post-breeding that an experienced practitioner can reliably feel placentomes, fremitus and chorioallantoic membrane slip rectally in the gravid uterine horn in a pregnant cow?
S - 30-35
P - 70-75d
F - 90-120d
(reverse alphabetical)
An infarct in the liver is discovered on post mortem exam of a mature beef cow which died one hour before in a western mountain pasture, after being observed to appear normal one day earlier. There is also dark red urine in the bladder. The pasture contains native plants, some pine trees, and a marshy area with water plants. The cows are unvaccinated and were never wormed. Given this history and the lesion found, which is the most likely cause of death:
Blue-green algae toxicity Viral hepatitis Pine needle poisoning Death camas toxicity Bacillary hemoglobinuria
Also known as redwater, bacillary hemoglobinuria is caused by germination of Clostridium Novyi type D spores in the liver after anaerobic damage by migrating liver fluke larvae. Cl. Novyi was formerly called Cl. hemolyticum, vaccination can prevent this disease.
Which of the following would be associated with a ping in the right dorsocaudal paralumbar fossa of a cow?
Cecal dilation and volvulus Abomasal ulceration Ruminal free gas or frothy bloat Hardware disease Omasal impaction and torsion
Cecal dilation and volvulus is associated with a ping in the dorsocaudal right paralumbar fossa.
Other possible causes of right-sided pings - right-displaced abomasum and abomasal volvulus (both typically further cranial), and spiral colon or uterine disorders.
Abomasal ulceration does not typically cause a ping. Most commonly seen in high-producing, mature dairy cows within 6 weeks of parturition.
Ruminal bloat produces a left-sided ping.
Hardware disease (a.k.a. traumatic reticulopericarditis) is not associated with a ping.
There is no such thing as omasal torsion.
A 2 year-old Hereford cow is presented with a 1-week history of blepharospasm, lacrimation and corneal opacity. There is a large central corneal abscess secondary to suspected infectious keratoconjunctivitis (pinkeye). What is an appropriate treatment plan?
Subconjunctival oxytetracycline, Topical polymyxin B ointment
Systemic oxytetracyline, Subconjunctival penicillin
Systemic long-acting penicillin-gentamicin
Systemic Florfenicol, Topical erythromycin ointment
Systemic Sulfamethazine, Topical atropine ointment
Ampicillin, penicillin and kanamycin can be injected subconjunctivally; best results are obtained with injection into the bulbar conjunctiva.
In the past, veterinarians used gentamicin subconjunctivally, but this is now a gray area of off-label use, because gentamicin is not FDA-approved for systemic use in cattle.
Oxytetracycline is generally considered the drug of choice for systemic therapy because it is concentrated in corneal tissue.
Oxytetracycline cannot be injected in the subconjunctiva because it will cause conjunctival necrosis.
Two injections (20 mg/kg, IM) of a long-acting oxytetracycline formulation (200 mg/mL) at 72-hr intervals is the systemic treatment of choice.
