Maintaining Animal Health

Question 1

What are the key factors for maintaining animal health?

Answer 1

Housing
Feeding
Exercise
Grooming/foot care
Dental Hygiene
Vaccination
Parasite Control

Question 2

What is a Health Check?

Answer 2

A health check is a systematic assessment of both physical and behavioural health

Question 3

What is the recommended ambient temperature for an adult dog?

Answer 3

7 - 26 degrees

sleeping area should be at least 10 degrees

Question 4

What is the recommended ambient temperature for an adult cat?

Answer 4

10 - 26 degrees

Question 5

What is the recommended ambient temperature for hospital and isolation kennels?

Answer 5

18 - 23 degrees

Question 6

What is the recommended ambient temperature for whelping/kittening and neonate accommodation?

Answer 6

parturition area = 18 - 21 degrees
neonates first week = 26 - 29 degrees
neonates second week = 21 - 26 degrees
neonates until weaning = 20 degrees

Question 7

Why are health checks important?

Answer 7

• detect early signs of disease
• decide the most appropriate preventative treatments
• ensure routine care is appropriate to the needs of the animal

Question 8

Why would we perform a health check?

Answer 8

ensures the on-going health of animals and identify any developing conditions

Question 9

What checks do we do?

Answer 9

• physical health checks
• behavioural observations
• visual observations

Question 10

Why do we perform health checks systematically?

Answer 10

• so we don’t infect the facial area with bacteria from the back area
• so the whole body is checked and no areas a accidentally omitted

Question 11

Where can we record the health checks?

Answer 11

• a health check document

- a kennel chart

Question 12

What are the three main sections of a health check?

Answer 12

• animal details
• behavioural observations
• health details

Question 13

What sort of areas are involved in recording animal details?

Answer 13

• name/ID
• age (maturity, diseases, food requirements)
• sex ( gender specific diseases, pyometra)
• pregnancy/neutered
• diet (feeding regimes, life stages, physical conditions, species specific/deficiencies)

Question 14

What sort of areas are involved in recording behaviour changes?

Answer 14

• natural behaviour (e.g. coprophagia)
• sleep patterns ( diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular0
• vocalisation (talking, growling, whining, barking etc)
• breed specific behaviour
• species specific behaviour
• genetically predisposed behaviour (dogs behaviour)
• previous history ( cringing etc)
• seasonal changes ( hibernation, factors affecting oestrus cycle)

Question 15

What could behaviour changes indicate?

Answer 15

• Pain
• Senility
• State of mind
• stage of oestrus cycle

Question 16

What sorts of areas are involved when recording health details?

Answer 16

• eyes (cloudiness, redness, swelling, FB, discharge, entropion/ectropion)
• ears (head tilt, wax, discharge, smell, colour, itching, FB, parasites)
• mouth (teeth, FB, dental disease)
• nose (wet,dry,scabby, tumour-squamous cell carcinoma, discharge - distemper)
• skin (scale, spotty, pustules, wounds, parasites)
• fur ( condition, shine, alopecia, parasites, scabs)
• body (lumps, growths, warts)
• legs (wounds, pain, hair loss, bone problems)
• feet/toes/hooves (FB, cuts, nail lengths)
• tail (kinks/alopecia)
• genitals (swelling, discharge, season)
• anus (swelling, redness, clean, parasites)

Question 17

What other physical parameters should be recorded?

Answer 17

• excretions
• feeding
• exercise
• grooming

Question 18

Why is grooming important?

Answer 18

• identification of any skin problems
• stimulates blood supply to the skin
• increases bonding between animals and human

Question 19

What sorts of things are we looking for in excretions?

Answer 19

urine - cloudy/frequency/volume/turbidity/ painful?
faeces - hard/soft/colour/smell/quantity/quality/blood/mucus
coprophagia - normal/abnormal?

Question 20

What sorts of things are we looking for in feeding?

Answer 20

drinking - volume, excess or lack of intake?

eating - more, less, change in preference, painful?

Question 21

What sorts of things are we looking for in exercise?

Answer 21

dogs - on/off lead, mental/physical playing, walk alone, with other dogs, length of walks, swimming, number of walks a day?
cat - normally should have free access outside
reptiles - environmental enrichment, size of enclosure, company
rabbits - caged, period of activity, company to play, environment
mobility/movement - consider any changes in the animals levels of mobility as these may be indicators for possible problems e.g. arthritis, lameness.

Question 22

What is the criteria of the size of stabling for a horse?

Answer 22

Horse should be able to stand up and turn around without difficulty, lie down and roll easily and without risk of injury

• minimum for horses 12ft x 12ft and 12ft x 14ft for larger breeds
• minimum for ponies 10ft x 10ft and 10ft x 12ft for larger ponies

Question 23

How many horse per hectare of pasture should be allowed?

Answer 23

two