Equine Examination Flashcards
What do we need to establish about a lameness history?
- Lame before?
- Duration of lameness
- Onset of lameness?
–Acute – alarm bells for stress fractures
–Gradual – chronic
- Last shoeing?
- Exacerbated by?
–Hard
–Soft/deep – proximal limb lameness
•Medications?
–Response
•Other evaluations?
–Various vets
–Physio
–Chiropracter
- Farrier
Define conformation
‘Physical appearance and outline of a horse as dictated primarily by bone and muscle structure’
What do we look at for conformation fron the front?
Does the weight run vertically through the middle of limb?
What do we look at to evaluate conformation from the side?
Does vertical line down back of hock, straight metatarsal, back of the fetlock?
With foot balance what needs to be parallel?
Dorsal and palmar wall
Medial and lateral wall
What is the hoof angle of the forelimb?
45-50 degrees
What is the hoo angle in the hindlimb?
50-55 degrees
What should the length of the medial and lateral wall be?
Similar length
What is the normal fetlock angle?
125 degrees
What soft tissue structure is swollen?
SDFT involved – get a big bowing out at the back
Anatomy and palpation is essential – u/s is just to understand the lesion size
Which synovial structure is enlarged?
Fetlock effusion and tendon sheath effusion
What does it mean to have obvious muscle asymmetry?
Severe and/or chronic lameness, or change in underlying bone conformation
What should we check for with bone, synovial and soft tissue swelling?
Check for assymmetry, check for heat and pain, some may be normal for that horse (e.g. tendon sheath effusions)
What is an indirect form of palpation used in horses?
Hoof testing
What can be palpated at the scapula? (3)
•muscles, spine of scapula, shoulder joint
Wha can be palpated at the humerus? (4)
- Greater tubercle,
- Biceps tendon,
- Deltoid tuberosity,
- Overlying musculature
What can be palpated at the elbow? (4)
- Joint
- Collateral ligaments
- Olecranon
- Triceps
What can be palpated at the radius? (2)
- Overlying muscles
- Medial shaft of radius
What can be palpated at the carpus? (5)
- Extensor and flexor muscles,
- Antebrachiocarpal,
- Intercarpal and carpometacarpal joint,
- Accessory carpal bone,
- Carpal sheath
What can be palpated at the cannon bone? (4)
- Second, third and fourth metacarpal bones
- Extensor and flexor tendons,
- Suspensory ligament,
- Flexor tendon sheath
What can be palpated at the fetlock? (4)
- Dorsal and palmar pouches,
- Collateral ligaments,
- Sesamoid bones,
- Extensor and flexor tendons
What can be palpated at the pater region (5)
- Proximal interphalangeal joint,
- Distal interphalangeal joint,
- Flexor and extensor tendons,
- Collateral cartilages,
- Heel bulbs
What can be palpated at the foot? (6)
- Sole
- White line
- Heel bulbs
- Frog
- Bars
- Hoof wall
What can be palpated at the pelvis? (2)
- Tuber coxae
- Tuber sacrale
What can be palpated at the femur? (2)
- Greter trochanter
- Muscles
What can be palpated at the stifle?(7)
- Patella,
- Middle, medial and lateral patellar ligaments,
- Collateral ligaments of stifle,
- Medial and lateral femorotibial joints,
- Femoropatellar joint,
- Quadriceps,
- Tibial crest.
What can be palpated at the tibia? (2)
- Medial shaft of bone,
- Muscles overlying lateral, Cranial and caudal aspects
What can be palpated at the hock? (7)
- Tarsocrural,
- Proximal intertarsal, distal intertarsal and tarsometatarsal joints,
- Tarsal sheath,
- Lateral and medial malleolus of tibia,
- Trochlea of talus,
- Calcaneus,
- Superficial flexor tendon
What is the range of movement in the DIP joint?
Within hoof capsule
What iis the range of movement in the PIP joint?
Low motion
What is the range of mmovement in the MCP joint?
Bulbs of heel should almost touch ergot
What is the range of movement of carpus?
Cannon almost parallel to radius
What is the range of movement of the tarsus and stifle?
Flex together should be able to get cannon horizontal to ground
What is the name of the system that links the flexion of the hock and stifle?
Peroneus Tertius
What are the primary signs of lameness?
- Head movement
- Pelvic movement
What are the four less obvious signs of lameness?
- Shortened stride (tracking)
- Fetlock drop
- Arc of flight
- Landing of foot
What do you look for a walk in a lameness exam?
- Observe the horse from in front, behind and the side
- Look for stride length and symmetry
- Look for foot fall
How can you tell if there is lameness in forelimbs?
Symmetrical head movement
How can you tell if there is lameness in the hindlimbs?
Both hips regions move up and down the same amount
When does the head bob up with forelimb lameness?
When weight bearing on lame limb
How do you know if there is hindlimb lameness?
•Hip (tuber coxae/ gluteal region) motion
–Asymmetry
•Length of stride
–shortened
•Flexion and extension of the hock and fetlock
–decreased
What is the lameness grading system?
- 0 No lameness/sound
- 1 Mild, inconsistent lameness in a straight line (subtle or inconsistent head nod or pelvic hike)
- 2 Moderate and consistent lameness (consistent head nod or pelvic hike, moving by several centimetres)
- 3 Obvious, marked lameness (head and pelvis move by several centimetres), head and neck nod seen with hindlimb lameness
- 4 Severe lameness; extreme head nod/pelvic hike; horse is lame in walk but can be trotted
- 5 Severe, non-weight bearing lameness; horse cannot and should not be trotted
What is the purpose of lunging?
- Exacerbates weight bearing lameness of inside limb
- Exacerbates swinging leg lameness of outside limb
- Use different surfaces
What is the purpose of flexion tests?
Exacerbates baeline lameness
What does this show?
•Perineural (nerve block)
–Clean hair, clean hands, clean bottle
What is involved in intrasyovial anaesthesia?
5 min sterile prep, sterile gloves, sterile technique, new bottle of anesthetic
