Farm lameness etc Flashcards

Question

Flexor tendon injury in cows: Cause? Treatment?

Answer 1

Trauma most common with one wound and contamination Spontaneous/infectious less common Treat wound - intra-osseous AB?, debride/flush if can do clean Infection must be controlled before consider cast Tenorrhaphy and cast Cast alone Confinement +/- block Can use ultrasound to see how bad effect on tendon is - treatment will not work if severe

Answer 2

``` Position Synovial fluid present - viscosity Explore with sterile probe Radiography +/- contrast Expand synovial compartment - sterile saline, entry away from wound, if saline exits at wound then lavage ```

Answer 3

Guarded - often poor response to treatment

Answer 4

Typically lower leg due to not much most tissue padding Classically presents as normal wound, starts healing well but have persistent discharging tract Take radiographs - radiolucent line around a fragment of bone that has lost its association with the bone Treatment - surgical removal

Answer 5

Breeding bull acutely lame with swelling over stifle - drops down to hock over time Happens at point of dismount Diagnosis: - rule out foot/lower limb - clicking sound - joint effusion - pain - crepitus - cranial drawer - radiography: femoral condyles shift back in relation to tibial crest Box rest if young bull <400kg, likely to develop DJD, ligament replacement (difficult to find material strong enough for a heavy bull)

Answer 6

Leg fixed in full extension Adult steers? BCS no difference Treatment: cut medial patellar ligament, both legs! Ddx: spastic paresis: differentiate as if lift leg up can flex it manually, treat with tibial neurectomy, genetic so castrate if male at same time, or if female allow to fatten but don't breed

Answer 7

Diagnose by pulling leg backwards - fully extended hock, stifled remains flexed (usually both extend/both flex) Can be caused by pulling leg too high up in crush

Answer 8

Rickets: growing animal at growth plates Osteoporosis and osteomalacia - mature bone Mineral/vitamin deficiency: Ca, P, Cu, D - affects calcification and bone formation Combined with rapid growth, gender, housing, genetics Clinical signs: - stiffness/recumbency - bone distortion (angular limb deformities e.g. carpal valgus) - long bone fractures - swelling joints/epiphysis Diagnosis: - joint fluid - bloods low Ca, high AlkPhos - PME and histopath - bone ash concentrations on PM

Answer 9

Vitamin E and selenium deficiency Rising 1yo Trigger: increased activity e.g. when released into field Serum levels: low vit E and Se, high AST and CK

Answer 10

British natives, Charolais, Aberdeen Angus, South Devon, Galloways 3mo-2yo Bilateral - one leg often worse Dorsal acetabulum and femoral head

Answer 11

``` Aetiology uncertain - poss genetic O dissecans O latens O manifesta Little lameness until OCD Often bilateral - atlanto-occipital and femoro-patellar joints Diagnosis: - joint tap: mild inflammation, mild inc protein ```

Answer 12

Severe, progressive diffuse cartilage lesions Distal interphalangeal joint in calves Fetlock, carpus, tarsus

Answer 13

Reduced anterior phase of leg Swelling of greater trochanter Most common is dorso-cranial - still walking Second common is ventro-caudal - recumbent At risk after calving Treatment by closed reduction - 40-75% prognosis, walking normal in 3-4d

Answer 14

Clear fluid suggests haematoma | Echogenic fluid suggests abscess

Answer 15

Trauma Spontaneous - hypophosphataemia Pathological - infection/necrosis

Answer 16

Mc/Mt fractures from calving ropes Deep sedation/GA to realign and cast If blood supply has been disrupted will fail to work (can't predict)

Answer 17

``` Lower limb (below just above carpus or below hock): 2 splints Between carpus and elbow or hock and stifle: 1 lateral splint Above elbow or stifle: no splint Transport with good legs forward ```

Answer 18

``` Young better Distal better Closed better Simple better than comminuted Ambulatory better than recumbent ```

Answer 19

Box rest for humerus/femur if no displacement or joint involvement and animal is ambulatory (cull if not) Amputation - depends on meat price External co-aptation below elbow and hock Hanging limb pin cast (trans-cortical pins) - pins above fracture only, full leg cast, include foot Thomas extension splint External fixation Internal fixation

Answer 20

``` Osteomyelitis Dislocation/non nunion Reduced long bone development Ischaemic necrosis Nerve damage Disuse atrophy ``` Gradually reduce support by bandaging/box rest etc to rebuild muscle

Answer 21

Haematogenous - umbilicus, intestines Traumatic Clinical signs: pain, effusions, lame Diagnosis: arthrocentesis with 16G needle as pus thick (high protein and cell levels, poss pus) Conservative treatment - aggressive ABs, anti-inflammatories Surgical - GA, IVRA, lavage, arthroscopy, arthrotomy

Answer 22

``` Inadequate bedding or poor cubicle design Excessive pressure on hock/carpal joints Clip and prep Local infiltration Incision top and bottom Break down septa and drain Lavage Pressure bandage ```

Answer 23

Deep digital sepsis/sepsis arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint Complications associated with sole ulcers, white line abscesses, foul in the foot, penetrating injuries Retroarticular abscess Non healing wall lesions Toe necrosis

Answer 24

``` Method 1 = disarticulation of proximal interphalangeal joint Method 2 = cut through middle phalanx - not indicated (disruption of blood supply to the part of the second phalanx that is left/prolonged recovery) Method 3 = cut through distal proximal phalanx ``` Wash and disinfect food IV regional block Bandaging after

Answer 25

Alternative to digital amputation Fusion of one of the interphalangeal joint -> pain eventually then goes ``` Incise at heel bulb Usually remove navicular bone Drill through joint Takes time for joint to fuse Need drains ``` Wash and disinfect foot IV regional block Block unaffected claw

Answer 26

Dressing changes Antibiotics Analgesia

Answer 27

``` Poor post op care Problems with remaining claw (amp) Ascending infections Chronic pain Failure to achieve ankylosis of the joint (arthrodesis) ```

Answer 28

``` Attempts to minimise pain: - reduced activity - lying down - reduced load - posture Clinical signs: - HR, RR, temp - food intake, body weight, impaired rumen function - mentation (dull, depressed, little interest in surroundings) Communicate pain: - cow's stoical nature - vocalisation, facial expression ```

Answer 29

``` Arching of spine Hanging or nodding head as she walks Shortened stride length Adduct/abduct hind limbs Paddling and shuffling feet Unwilling to walk Reduction in weight bearing of affected limbs Highlight a lameness by gently walking up and down a slope ```

Answer 30

``` Lame -> thin: DMI falls due to: - increased lying times - less time spent eating - less meals/day - pain/reluctance to walk to feeding areas Thin -> lame due to: - thickness of digital cushion - increased metabolic load - BCS<2.5 has increased risk for lameness in next 2 months (so best to maintain BCS 2.5+) ```

Answer 31

Not fit for transport if 'unable to move independently without pain or to walk unassisted. Injured or present physiological weakness or pathological processes' Lame animal cannot be transported

Answer 32

Very lame cows should be taken off concrete and placed on a suitably bedded pen If lame cow does not respond to treatment a vet must be called immediately If a lame animal does not respond to the vet's treatment, should be culled rather than left to suffer

Answer 33

Ketoprofen

Answer 34

12-14 hours/day

Answer 35

Deep sand bedding

Answer 36

Overcrowding -> increased standing times and more aggressive interactions between cows Straw yards - at least 10 square metres resting area per cow, 10-15m for transition Cubicles - stocking density at 100% or less

Answer 37

76cm yokes, one/cow 70cm when not using yokes 75-100cm for transition cows

Answer 38

Weakening of the connective tissue of the claw suspensory apparatus So increased susceptibility to SU and WLD

Answer 39

Reduced DMI, fat mobilisation | Diet changes

Answer 40

Score rear hock (one or both) of 20+ cows Work out % of cows with each score Score 1 = no swelling or missing hair Score 2 = no swelling, bald area Score 3 = swelling evident or a lesion through the hide

Answer 41

At drying off, 60d before first calving 60-100d in milk And always as soon as lame - that day!

Answer 42

Delayed cyclicity Prolonged CI and calving-conception intervals Ovarian cysts Less likely to conceive

Answer 43

``` Treatment costs: drugs, vet, milk withdrawal Labour costs Reduced yield/repro performance Involuntary culling/low carcass quality £273/cow ```

Answer 44

Collagen fibres keeping pedal bone attached to dermal lamellae Can be compromised by increased activity of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)

Answer 45

Junction between wall horn and sole horn

Answer 46

``` Cloven hooved animals - cattle, pigs, sheep, goats Highly infectious Aphthovirus Signs: - fever - lameness - tongue, feet, snout and teat lesions - high morbidity, low mortality ```

Answer 47

70% of UK dairy herds have it | Prevalence of 40% on each farm

Answer 48

Milk drop Treatment costs Increased culling rate Increased labour costs

Answer 49

Housing periods | Rear feet

Answer 50

No virulence factors identified yet | Fastidious anaerobes which require complex media supplemented with serum for growth

Answer 51

Ruminant GI tract Slurry Direct contact Foot trimming equipment

Answer 52

Overloaded claws with associated sole bruising

Answer 53

Deep sepsis affecting the navicular bursa or digital flexor tendon

Answer 54

Inter-digital skin lesion, which presents as a necrotic focal epidermitis; the animal is often acutely lame

Answer 55

White line disease with abscess which discharges at coronary band