Small Animal Respiratory Exam

Question 1

TPR for canine

Answer 1

temperature: 100.5 - 102.5
Pulse: 70-160 beats/min
Respiratory:16-28 breaths/min

Question 2

TPR for feline

Answer 2

temperature: 100.5-102.5
pulse: 140-210 beats/min
respiratory rate: 20-28 breaths/min

Question 3

How do you count and report an animals respiratory rate in breaths per minute?

Answer 3

count the number of times the thorax/flank rises over a 15 second period, then multiply by 4.

Question 4

what can elevate respiratory rate?

Answer 4

stress, heat, excitement, fear, heart disease, and excessive heat.

Question 5

How do you check nares for patency?

Answer 5

place a microscopic slide just in front of the nose and observe for condensation that should occur from each nostril with exhalation.
you can also use a wisp of cotton or a piece of fur and place that in front of each nostril to look for movement from airflow.

Question 6

Is nasal discharge normal?

Answer 6

A normal small animal will have either very mild bilateral serous discharge or more commonly, none at all.

Question 7

what can nasal discharge indicate?

Answer 7

pathologic nasal discharge can indicate a wide range of conditions, including upper respiratory infection, allergy, neoplasia, and pneumonia.

Question 8

is coughing normal when palpating the larynx and trachea?

Answer 8

palpation of the larynx and trachea in SA usually do not result in coughing. However, it is normal for an animal to have one or two mild coughs.

Question 9

How do you check for compliance of the thoracic cage?

Answer 9

Place the palm of your hand over the sternum and gently squeeze the sides of the thorax.
A lack of compliance, so a stiff chest, could indicate a space occupying lesion such as a tumor in the cranial thorax.

check particularly in cats.

Question 10

list the anatomical boundaries of the thorax

Answer 10

cranial boundary- thoracic inlet
caudal boundary- costal arch
dorsal boundary- thoracic vertebrae (also epaxial muscles)
ventral boundary- sternabrae
lateral boundary- ribs, intercostal muscles.

Question 11

where is the lung field borders

Answer 11

extends in a gentle cranial and ventral curve from the 11th intercostal space dorsally, to about the 6th costochondoral junction.

Question 12

how do you auscultate the trachea? what do you hear?

Answer 12

You should auscultate the larynx and the entire length of the trachea, listening for 2-3 breaths per site.
The sounds you hear over the trachea are loud, almost hard, blowing, tubular, large airway sounnd

Question 13

how do you auscultate the lungs? what do you hear?

Answer 13

extends in a gentle cranial and ventral curve from the 11th intercostal space dorsally, to about the 6th costochondoral junction.

Air moving through the small diameter airways of lung parenchyma result in normal vesicular breath sounds, like wind blowing gently through trees.

Question 14

what can it mean if no sounds are heard over lung auscultation?
what about adventitious sounds?

Answer 14

absence of lung sounds may be significant.
Silence may indicate pleural cavity disease or lung lobe consolidation.
If any adventitious (abnormal) sounds are heard, check where they are the loudest and if they occur during inspiration, expiration, or both.

Question 15

Where are you likely to hear tracheal sounds?

Answer 15

over the trachea.
they are clearly audible, almost harsh, blowing, tubular, large airway sounds

Question 16

Where are you likely to hear bronchial sounds?

Answer 16

over the hilar region of the lungs.
they are clearly audible, almost harsh, blowing, tubular, large airway sounds

Question 17

Where are you likely to hear vesicular breath sounds?
what do they sound like?

Answer 17

Normal sounds heard over the thoracic wall away from the hilar region.
heard throughout inspiration, & early expiration.
Quieter than tracheal or bronchial sounds. quiet non musical sounds of wind blowing gently through trees.
may be barely audible or inaudible, in cats or other animal with low tidal volumes, shallow respiration.

Question 18

characteristics of crackles

Answer 18

crackles are discontinuous, short bursts of sound, sounds like crumpled cellophane.

Question 19

what causes crackles

Answer 19

result from small obstructed airways, particularly bronchioles and sometimes bronchi, snapping open on inspiration.

abrupt opening of the airway result in turbulence, vibrating the airway wall, producing crackles.

Question 20

in what clinical conditions can crackles be heard

Answer 20

pneumonia, pulmonary edema, and pulmonary hemorrhage.

Question 21

how may an airway be collapsed or obstructed?

Answer 21

• if lumen is narrowed due to inflammation of the airway
  -airway compressed from the outside, such as fluid in the interstitial space.
  -lumina of small airways are obstructed by fluid

Question 22

characteristics of wheezes

Answer 22

high pitched musical sounds
more pronounced on expiration

Question 23

what causes wheezes

Answer 23

result from the high velocity passage of air through narrowed small airways

Question 24

in what clinical conditions can wheezes be heard

Answer 24

asthma and bronchitis

Question 25

characteristics of stridor

Answer 25

loud, harsh, non-musical breath sounds heard over extra- thoracic airways
*can be heard without a stethoscope
*more prominent on inspiration

Question 26

what causes stridor

Answer 26

commonly due to narrowing of parts of the upper (extra thoracic) airway.

Question 27

in what clinical conditions can stridor be heard

Answer 27

roaring in horses (COSMIC FORCE)
nasopharyngeal polyps in cats
laryngeal paralysis in dogs

Question 28

what is pleural friction rub?

Answer 28

results when roughed, inflamed parietal and visceral pleural surfaces rub against each other.
this results in loud, coarse, continuous or discontinuous sounds, which resemble the creaking of new leather or rubbing rough cloth together.

Question 29

what can cause muffled, or absent lung sounds

Answer 29

can result when there is an acoustic barrier to sound transmission from the airways to your stethoscope.

masses, obesity, and pleural space abnormalities( such as pleural effusion, pneumothorax, and diaphragmatic hernia) may all result in muffled or absent lung sounds.

Question 30

what is thoracic percussion? what may it indicate?

Answer 30

involves putting your hands( or a plexor and pleximeter) to tap or thump on patients thoracic body wall while listening to the resultant echoes.

percussion over a normal lung field is described as resonant.
abnormalities of the lung or pleural space may result in flat/dull or hyper-resonant percussion.

Question 31

how would you differentiate pneumothorax and pleural effusion with thoracic percussion?

pneumothorax: buildup of air or gas in the pleural space
pleural effusion: excess fluid in the pleural space

Answer 31

• In a pneumothorax, you will have hyper-resonant on one side of the chest.
  -In a pleural effusion, it will be flat/dull.