Large Animal Respiratory Diseases Flashcards
common signs of respiratory disease in LA
- cough
- nasal discharge
- epistaxis, hemoptysis
- respiratory distress
- abnormal respiratory noises
- tachypnea
- exercise intolerance
- weight loss, fever
general evaluation during exam of respiratory system
- observation from a distance
- presence of nasal discharge
- evaluation of airflow at the nose
- mucous membranes color and CRT
- palpation of larynx and trachea
- palpation of regional lymph nodes
- percussion of paranasal sinuses
- observation of ventral abdomen, muzzle and limbs for edema
normal respiration rates of horses and ruminants
Horses: adults 8-24 neonates 25-40
Cattle: adults 12-36 neonates 30-60
Sheep/goats: adults 12-40 neonates 30-70
auscultation of respiratory system
- normal bronchiovesicular lung sounds
- abnormal (adventitious) lung sounds
- absence of, or increased lung sounds
normal bronchiovesicular lung sounds
- produced by turbulent air flow in the central airways
- louder ventrally than dorsocaudally
- attenuated by aerated lung parenchyma
abnormal (adventitious) lung sounds
- crackles: short, non-musical, sharp, explosive sounds
- wheezes: musical high-pitched sounds
- friction rubs
percussion
- using a rubber hammer and a spoon, or using fingers
- useful to:
- delineate the boundaries of the lungs
- identify consolidation, abscesses and pleural effusion
endoscopy
structures evaluated:
- nasal cavities
- ethmoid turbinates
- pharynx
- larynx and epiglottis
- trachea and bronchi
- guttural pouches
upper airway radiography
head
- nasal cavities
- sinuses
- ethmoid
- teeth
pharynx
- epiglottis
- soft palate
- guttural pouches
lower airway radiography
lungs
- normal
- alveolar pattern
- interstitial pattern
- bronchial pattern
- mixed patterns
heart
ultrasonography
- u/s beam doesn’t penetrate the normal lung parenchyma
- cannot detect deep lung lesions with overlying normal lung
- technique of choice to evaluate pleural space and peripheral lung
nasal washes
only useful to detect microorganisms that do not normally colonize the upper airways (viruses and Streptococcus equi equi)
tracheobronchial aspirate (TBA)
technique of choice to obtain a culture of the lower airways when pneumonia is suspected
cytology:
- normal: mainly macrophages and ciliated epithelial cells
culture:
- trachea is not a sterile site
- the significance of culture results must be interpreted in the context of clinical signs and cytological examination
bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)
cytology:
- correlates well with histopathology of the lungs when a diffuse disease is present
- not useful when a focal disease is suspected
culture:
- not a sterile procedure
thoracocentesis
- when pleural effusion suspected
- cytology and culture
