Poultry Flashcards
Outline the approach to lameness in poultry
- Establish “normals”
- Establish history
- PM investigation
- Testing: blood, histology, faecal microscopy, gut content microscopy, electron microscopy, virus isolation, PCR
- Culling of severe cases of lameness
How many birds should be blood samples be taken from in order to confirm
a: infection, b: vaccination responses, c: diagnosis
a: 60
b: 20-30
c: 10-20
What are the broad categories of differentials for lameness in poultry?
- Viral
- Bacterial
- Parasitic
- Nutritional
- Genetic
- Metabolic
What are the differentials for a bird presented with sitting on the hocks, no obvious leg lesions and no obvious pain? How are these diagnosed?
- Spondylolisthesis (kinky back): can feel deformity at level of free vertebrae, radiography for diagnosis
- Osteomyelitis of thoracic spine: radiography
What are the differentials for a bird presented with: uncomfortable walking, bilateral lameness, thickened bones of hock, mild bone deformities present, malleable bones and beak
- Rickets
- Tibial dyschondroplasia
Describe the normal appearance of the avian pelvic acetabulum
Deep, perforated in centre (not a solid cup)
Describe the normal anatomy of the avian pelvis
- Pelvis (= ischium, ilium, pubis) fused to synsacrum at ilium
- Open ventrally
- Trochanter of femur articulates with antitrochanter of pelvis
- More running = wider pelvis
Describe the normal anatomy of the avian femur
- Directed cranially as goes distally
- Femoral condyles attached by ligaments to tibiotarsus and head of fibula
- Femorotibial joint similar to mammalian stifle: 2 menisci, 2 cruciate ligaments, lateral/medial collateral ligaments
What group of birds have a particularly large patella?
Aquatic birds
Describe the anatomy of the tibiotarsus of birds
- Tibiotarsus formed by fusion of tibia and proximal row of tarsal bones
- Fibula attached to tibiotarsus by tight fibrinous union at fibular crest
- Hock is intertarsal between tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus (single meniscus, single cruciate)
Describe the anatomy of the avian tarsometatarsus
- Fusion of distal tarsal bones to 3 main metatarsal bones
- Extends to the ground
- Hypotarsus is a groove on plantar aspect of tarsometatarsus through which the digital flexor tendons pass
Name the extensors of the hip in birds
- Pubo-ischio-femoralis
- Iliofemoralis
Name the flexor of the hip in birds
Iliotibialis cranialis
Describe the normal movement of the hip in birds
- Extends and flexes, also rotation in recovery phase
- Very little abduction/adduction
Name the flexor and extensor of the stifle in birds
- Flexor: iliofibularis
- Extensor: femorotibialis
Name the flexor and extensor of the hock in birds
- Flexor: tibialis cranialis
- Extensor: gastrocnemus
Describe the path and common disease of the gastrocnemus tendon in birds
- Passes through sleeve connected to caudal surface of cartilage, ends on plantar aspect of tarsometatarsus
- Heavy birds often develop slipped tendon