Physical Examination Terms and Techniques Flashcards
TPR
temperature, pulse, and respiration
symmetry
asses and compare both sides
asymmetry
anatomical, incoordination, facial, and body weight
palpation
to feel
auscultation
to listen, generally with a stethoscope
percussion
tapping to produce sound
inspection
visual observations
often missed areas during physical exam
under stomach, groin, under tail, throat latch
Important components of physical exam
signalment, history, and presenting complaint
signalment
age, breed, sex, primary use
history components
previous episodes/treatment, others w/ symptoms, medicine history, travel, changes in management
presenting complaint
why were you asked to look at the horse, duration, progression, treatments given
3 things to observe about the horse
condition, behavior, and habits
condition
observed in natural environment before moving
common habits
cribbing, weaving, bruxism (grinding teeth)
cribbing
placing front incisors on an object (fence or stall) and sucking in air fast, can be a condition or a nervous habit
body condition scoring
objective system of evaluating a horse’s level of stored body fat and assigning a numerical score to allow for the comparison between animals
locations for body scoring
crest, withers, loin, tailhead (dock), ribs, behind shoulder
thin (3)
prominent tailhead, discernible ribs, rounded hook bones, accentuated withers, shoulders, and neck
Fat (8)
fat along withers and neck, thick neck, area behind shoulder filled flush w/ body
weight estimation formula
[girth (in) x girth (in) x length (in)]/330
ideal bcs
- 5-6 is good for an average horse
- varies by breed, performance, and type (broodmare etc.)
-mid scores are possible
