Equine Respiratory Medicine Flashcards
What age of horses are you likely to see rhodococcus equi in?
Foals 2-4 months old
What sort of horses are you likely to see Inflammatory Airway Disease in?
Young racehorses
When are do horses cough with inflammatory airway disease? How about recurrent airway obstruction?
IAD - during exercise
RAO - at rest
What is the normal respiratory rate of a horse?
8-12 breaths per minute
What may cause rapid, shallow breathing in a horse?
Anxiety, pleurodynia (chest wall pain), musculoskeletal injury, reduced lung compliance - pleural effusion, pneumothorax, interstitial pneumonia
What may cause slow, shallow breathing in a horse?
CNS depression, metabolic alkalosis with compensatory respiratory acidosis
What may cause rapid, deep breathing in a horse?
Exercise, anxiety, anaemia, metabolic acidosis with compensatory respiratory alkalosis, pulmonary disease.
What may cause deep, slow breathing in a horse?
Severe airway obstruction
What is Cheyne strokes and what does it indicate?
Inconsistant rate and depth of breaths - CNS disease of the respiratory center
What are some signs and causes of inspiratory dyspnoea?
Signs - Prolonged inspiration, exaggerated diaphragm and external intercostal muscle activity, extension of head and neck, nostril dilation during inhalation
Causes - Obstruction in extrathoracic airways (many specific causes)
What are some signs and causes of expiratory dyspnoea?
Signs - Prolonged expiration, exaggerated abdominal muscle contraction (heave), nostril dilation during exhalation, heave line
Causes - Obstruction of intrathoracic airways (RAO)
What are Jamie’s steps for a respiratory physical examination?
- Nares
- Oral mucous membranes
- lymph nodes
- Paranasal sinuses
- Palpate larynx
- Auscult trachea
- Evaluate abdominal musculature
- Auscult entire thorax
Deciding if a nasal discharge is unilateral or bilateral can be useful because…?
It helps localise the source. A unilateral discharge is likely to be originating rostral to the nasopharynx while a bilateral discharge is most like originating from caudal to the nasal cavities.
What are your landmarks for lung auscultation?
Triceps muscle caudal border, olecranon and the last rib at the height of the tuber coxae
What is more useful for a bacterial culture of lower airways - bronchoalveolar lavage or a transtrachial wash?
Transtracheal wash from large airways, BALs are not sterile samples and are better for cytology of small airways.
