Emergency medicine Flashcards
An animal presenting with an English “H” or Spanish “J” airway sound is indicative of which type of obstruction?
Laryngeal or tracheal
What does the absence of the menace reflex indicate in rabbits and rodents?
Not necessarily anything, often absent in normal animals
If you are bitten by a ferret during exam, this is the best way to get them to release:
Hold them under a running faucet
What is the most common zoonotic risk associated with chinchillas?
Giardia
What condition can result after handling an aggressive/stressed rat that causes recurrent fever, vomiting, muscle ache and enlarged lymph nodes 6-10 days after handling?
Rat bite fever - caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis and/or Spirillum minus
What can occur when gerbils and mice are picked up too caudally?
Tail slip
How is tail slip in gerbils and mice treated?
Amputation at the level where the skin ends
What virus carried by rats, mice, and Syrian hamsters can result in mild symptoms that can progress to meningitis, especially in prenatal and immunocompromised people?
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus
What two factors does oxygen delivery to tissues depend on?
Arterial oxygen content and cardiac output
Why is the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve shifted to the right in ECMs relative to larger mammals?
They have higher oxygen consumption per gram of tissue (so diffusion gradient must be higher)
What direction should a tube be advanced for nasotracheal intubation?
Ventrally and medially into the ventral nasal meatus
List 3 contraindications for nasotracheal intubation:
- UR disease
- Edema of the nasal passages
- Narrowing of the nasal passages (s/a from apical elongation from the teeth)
A guinea pig housed with a rabbit is presenting with anorexia, oculonasal discharge, dyspnea, and other LRT signs. What are two most possible etiologic agents that may be causing the clinical signs?
Bordetella bronchiseptica or Streptococcus pneumoniae
What non-respiratory disease should be considered in prairie dogs with respiratory distress?
Pseudo-odontoma causing obstructive respiratory disease
Sedation with this agent will decrease hematocrit 15 minutes after induction in ferrets, so is not ideal to use prior to blood collection for transfusion.
Isoflurane
List 3 sites that are suitable for IO placement in most ECMs:
Proximal humerus, tibia and femur
Urethral catheters in guinea pig males should be placed where?
In the external urethral opening dorsal of the glans, avoiding the ventral intromittent sac
What is the normal PCV of ferrets?
45-65%
If rodenticide toxicity is suspected, what medication can be administered?
Vitamin K
If acetaminophen toxicity is suspected in ferrets, what medication can be administered?
N-acetylcysteine
If NSAID toxicity is suspected in ferrets, what medication can be administered?
Misoprostol
Why are ferrets more prone to heat stress?
They don’t have sweat glands and can’t tolerate temps above 86* >~10 minutes
Ingestion of ibuprofen in ferrets will result in what clinical signs?
GI - Anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, melena
Neuro - tremors, ataxia, depression coma
Renal - Anuria or oliguria
What course of action should be taken with a ferret with ibuprofen ingestion 1 hr ago?
- Induce emesis/gastric lavage and charcoal
- IV fluids
- Sucralfate, Misoprostol, Metoclopramide +/- anticonvulsants to treat GI ulcerations, renal failure, hepatic/CNS effects
A recently vaccinated 1 yr old ferret presenting with a 106* fever, pain, anorexia and muscle wasting is likely suffering from what disease?
Disseminated idiopathic myositis
If a jill presents with dystocia, after ensuring kits are positioned appropriately, what should be administered to induce labor?
Prostaglandin F2 alpha, then oxytocin if labor is not induced within 3 hours. C-section if no kits w/in 8 hours
Name the 4 stages of wound healing in order:
- Inflammatory phase
- Debridement phase
- Repair phase
- Maturation phase
How do neutrophils contribute to wound debridement and prevention of infections?
They phagocytose bacteria and cellular debris. They release enzymes and growth factors that facilitate the breakdown of necrotic material and stimulate monocytes to turn to macrophages
What do macrophages do in a wound during the debridement stage?
They help remove necrotic tissue, bacteria and foreign material. They secrete chemotactic/growth factors that recruit mesenchymal cells, stimulate angiogenesis and modulate matrix formation leading to granulation tissue formation
What cells migrate into wound along fibrin strands to deposit collagen, elastin and proteoglycans during the repair phase?
Fibroblasts
Following fibrin deposition, what is released from endothelial cells of new capillaries that invade the wound bed and clears the path for granulation tissue?
Plasminogen activator
What role does granulation tissue play in wound healing?
Provides a surface for epithelium to migrate across and helps with wound contraction
When does the maturation phase of wound healing occur?
2.5-3 weeks after the initial injury
What are factors that can affect wound healing?
- Infections/inflammation from foreign debris
- Seroma formation
- Excessive use of antiseptics in/around wounds
- Impaired blood supply
- Type of injury/instrument used (ie scissors vs. scalpel)
- Condition/age of patient
- Concurrent illness
- Stress/pain causing endogenous steroid release or iatrogenic steroids
- Radiation/chemotherapy
Scrubbing of wounds and flushing antiseptic agents into wounds is discouraged because:
It damages tissue and potentially promotes infection; Antiseptics can have cytotoxic effects that may delay wound healing
For wound lavage, which antiseptic is preferred and why?
Chlorhexidine 0.05% (over povidone-iodine 1%) because it least affects the healing process and has higher bactericidal activity and long residual effects