Intro to Equine Clinical Exam Flashcards
What part of an equine passport should you look at for the examination process? What does it tell you?
Section 10 - tells how/if the animal goes into the food chain, which determines treatment/medications that can be performed on the horse
List the items required for an exam of horses
stethoscope, watch, thermometer, rectal sleeves & lubrication, twitch as needed, sedation as needed
What are the 3 main things you should look at in your initial observations?
Mentation of the horse
BCS
Surroundings/environment
What are common causes of weight loss in horses?
nutrition, parasites, dental dz
What are the 2 systems that may be used for BCS scoring?
Henneke system: 1-9/9
Carroll & Huntington Method: 0-5/5
When observing the environment of the horse, what might you look for?
Feces, blood, urine, discharge
Tracks in the ground
Upon an initial physical, what might you examine?
temp, pulse, respiration rate, hydration
What are some causes of febrile disease (fever) in horses?
Autoimmune
Neoplasia
Infection
Inflammation
What is the normal temp of a horse & foal?
Adult: 37.2-38.3C (99-101F)
Foal: 37.2-39C (99-102)
What are some causes of tachycardia in the horse?
Dehydration
Exercise
Stress
Pain
Hypovolemia
Cardiac Dz
When feeling the pulse in a horse, what negative characteristics might you find?
Deficits, bounding
How do you feel the pulse in a horse?
Use 2 fingers w/ light pressure.
Do NOT use the thumb
Differences in pulses in the feet can show issues w/
the leg affected
What is the normal rate of pulse in a horse?
36-42 bpm
When assessing hydration status in a horse, what might cause changes of the mucous membrane color or consistency?
Cyanotic - poor oxygenation
Pale - poor perfusion
Endotoxemia
What is the normal CRT in a horse?
2 secs
When taking a respiration rate, what are some things to remember?
Take it from a distance before approaching the horse as your approach will cause stress which will increase RR.
What are items to note when observing respirations?
Increased RR/effort
Crackles, squeaks, wheezes
Pleural rub
What is a normal RR for a horse?
8-12 breaths/min
What factors are observed on the head in a physical exam?
Head
Eyes
Ears & Nostrils
MMs
Sinuses
Musculature
On the face, what might you see if a horse is in pain?
holding their eyes closed
What are you looking for when you percuss the sinuses of a horse?
To see if there is suspicion of a mass or fluid in the guttural pouch or any other areas of the sinuses
If an abscess in the retropharyngeal LN is present, what differential might you suspect?
Strangles
If you are able to the jugular fill with no occlusion of the vein, what might this indicate?
Cardiovascular dz
What valves of the heart are present on the right side of the body?
Tricuspid valve
What valves of the heart are present on the left side of the horse?
mitral, aortic, pulmonary
The lung field in horses is…
large
If you hold a bag to the horse’s face and have it breathe for awhile, taking in CO2, what would you be looking for?
Toleration of CO2
Coughing (if present, underlying respiratory dz)
if takes deep breath after removal of bag to listen to lung sounds (multiple people req’d to listen simultaneously)
What are the four regions of the GIT?
Left and right dorsal abdomen
Left and right ventral abdomen
When palpating the skin & musculature, what are you looking for?
lumps, bumps
excess fat/thinness, muscle atrophy, etc
Palpate all four feet…
individually
If you are examining a colt or stallion, what additional organ might you observe?
Testicles
If you are examining a pregnant or lactating mare, what additional organs might you assess?
uterus, mammary gland
if you are examining a foal, what might you assess?
heart, eyes, umbilicus, joints
What goes into a cardiovascular workup?
Auscultation of the heart - Murmurs? Arrhythmias?
Eval the pulses
Check MM, urine, or for cold extremities
Auscultation of the lungs
ECG, echo
What are you looking for in a respiratory system work up?
epistaxis
discharge - mucopurulent, purulent, hemorrhage? 1 or both nostrils?
Differentiate between URT & LRT
If a horse has an upper respiratory tract disease, what areas of the horse would be expected to be involved? How would you assess these?
Nasal passages, sinuses, LN’s, guttural pouches, larynx
Radiography, endoscopy
If a horse has a lower respiratory tract disease, what areas of the horse would you expect to be involved? How would you assess these locations?
Trachea, Bronchi, Alveoli, Lung parenchyma, Pleura
Endoscopy, Radiography, Ultrasonography, Bronchoalveolar lavage, transtracheal wash, thoracocentesis
What parts of the GIT system are evaluated in an exam?
Mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, cecum, large intestine, peritoneal cavity
When doing a neurologic exam, what parts of the body are being assessed?
Brain, cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord, lower motor neurons
What do you have to differentiate neuro signs from?
lameness, muscle dz, urinary tract dz
If lameness or stiffness are present, how might you proceed with testing?
lameness workup
Muscle dz workup w/ bloods, Bx
The upper urogenital tract consists of which organs?
Kidneys, ureters
The lower urogenital tract consists of which organs?
Bladder, urethra
How would you assess the urogenital system?
urinalysis, bloods, ultrasound, endoscopy
How would you assess the integument?
skin scrapes, hair plucks, Bx, wood’s lamp
Measure lumps/bumps
Itchy? Painful?
Localized? spread out?
What endocrine organ is affected by Cushing’s? What clinical signs might be evident in a horse?
Pituitary
FLUFFY COAT, pot-bellied, slouched back
If a horse has insulin resistance, what symptoms might be present? What condition is this known as?
Unable to lose weight despite diet/exercise
Equine Metabolic Syndrome
How would you assess the haemolymphatic system?
Bloods, BM Bx/aspirate
When doing an eye examination, what might be assessed?
Orbit, Cornea
What goes into an exam of the cornea?
Bright light to look for pupil dilation
Fluoresceine dye for ulcerations
Schirmer tear test for lacrimation
Rose Bengal dye for fungal
What instrument is used to assess the eyes?
ophthalmoscope
What instruments can be used to assess the ear?
otoscope, endoscope, radiographs, CT, MRI
What are the 3 main parts of the ear?
Outer ear - ear canal
Middle ear - communicats w/ pharynx
Inner ear - w/i petrous temporal bone
When evaluating a stallion, what would you assess?
Testicle size, shape, symmetry, etc
Infertility/sub-fertility: semen analysis, cytology, culture, ultrasound, Bloods, Bx
When evaluating a mare, what would you examine?
Mammary gland
reproductive organs
infertility/sub-fertility: culture, cytology, ultrasound, Bx
When evaluating a foal, what specific organs are of major concern?
heart, eyes, umbilicus, joints/ growth plates
