T10: Providing client advice; core health protocols and common DISEASES Flashcards
Core clinic health preventative regimes, for any species normally include:
- Vaccination
- Internal parasite control
- External parasite control
- Reproductive management
You need to know for every animal species and age the recommended vaccination regime, including:
- Which vaccine is used at each age
- When boosters are required, and how often
- What diseases the vaccine protect against
- How vaccines act, and what can interfere with their action
- Under which circumstances vaccines are contra-indicated
- Possible side-effects, symptoms and how to respond to them
What information do you need to know about internal parasite control (worming)?
- every preparation your clinic stocks
- what they are effective against
- worming regime for each species
- which worms which species needs protection against
- how to administer preparation
- how often, at what age, which prep
For dogs and cats, how early in life is worming recommended and why?
- from 2 weeks
- due to transplacental and transmammory transmission
What is the worming regime for dogs and cats?
every two weeks up until 12 weeks of age, then once a month till 3 months of age, then every 3 months after the age of 6 months.
What types of flea treatments are available?
- spot-on treatments
- tablets
- powders
- washes
- collars
Can you use dog flea products on cats?
-?
- NO
- contain pyrethrin, can kill cats
How are mites identified and can mite medication be sold OTC?
- under microscope
- need consultation (so no)
What info do you need to know about desexing?
- at what age desexing is recommended
- the reasons and benefits of desexing
- the possible problems that could occur
- how to explain the procedure to clients and the aftercare
- the costs
What info do you need to know about breeding?
- recommended age for first mating
- how to tell the best time for mating - the signs of oestrus
- how normal mating occurs, and options for artificial mating (AI, Embryo transfer)
- normal length and signs of gestation (pregnancy)
- when / how to detect a positive pregancy
- housing, health care and nutrition for the pregnant animal
- signs of normal parturition, and whether to intervene or call the vet
- how to care for newborns
- when and how to wean
What is the general recommended age for desexing?
6 months
What is EAD?
- early age desexing
- 10 - 12 weeks of age
- can occue at 8 weeks so long is animal is a minimum of 1kg
Benefits of desexing female dogs?
Reduced incidence of;
- Unwanted pregnancy
- Mammary adenocarcinoma (tumour)
- Pyometra (uterine infection)
- Oestrus/heat (+ bleeding)
- Wandering/misadventure
Benefits of desexing male dogs?
Reduced incidence;
- Testicular carcinomas (tumour)
- Perianal adenomas (tumour)
- Prostate enlargement
- Prostatitis
- Constipation secondary to prostate enlargement
- Aggression
- Sexual behaviour
- Marking
- Wandering/misadventure
What behaviours can occur in unsterilised female rabbits?
- false pregnancies -pull hair out for nest
- aggression (also for males)
- high risk of uterine cancer
Options for desexing ferrets?
- desex
- but can save life of female
- implant that lasts 2 years
- as desexing can cause adrenal tumours
When should horses ideally be castrated?
< 1 yr old, but can be done at any age
Name 3 common diseases seen in canines
- diabetes
- pancreatitis
- osteoarthritis
Name 3 common diseases seen in felines
- Hyperthyroidism
- FLUTD (Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease)
- Renal disease
What is the pancreas responsible for?
What is pancreatitis?
- synthesising and releasing lipase, which breaks down fats in the diet
- lipase enzyme released locally around pancreas and autodigestion starts to occur, tissue breaks down and severe inflammation occurs
- signs incl. comiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain
What is diabetes?
how is it treated?
- Diabetes is a abnormally high blood glucose level, secondary to a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin.
- Normally insulin causes the glucose in the blood to become intracellular and stored in the hepatocytes of the liver as glucogen, however with insufficient insulin this does not occur.
- subcut glucose
What is osteoarthritis?
- degenerative condition of the joints, that most commonly effects geriatrics
- cartilige that normally lines the subcondral bone that makes up the joint surface, withers away with time. As progression occurs the subchondral bone rub together causing significant pain to precipitate
What is hyperthyroidism?
- TG control the bodies basal metabolic rate
- thyroid gland becomes overactive and the metabolic rate of these cats is greatly enhanced
- symptoms include weight loss, unkept coat, erratic behaviour, polyuria/dipsia
What is FLUTD?
- Feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD)
- a collection of conditions that can affect the bladder and urethra
- signs of difficulty and pain when urinating, increased frequency of urination, and blood in the urine
- most frequently seen in middle-aged, over-weight cats that get little exercise, use an indoor litter box, have restricted access outside, and eat a dry diet.
What are the most common causes of FLUTD?
- Feline Idiopathic Cystitis
- inflam of bladder for no reason
- Urolithiasis (Urinary Stones)
- Urethral Obstruction
What is renal disease?
- kidneys are responsible for regulating blood pressure and filtering the blood. also contribute to the production of rbc’s
- filtration units break down, toxic wastes can start to accumulate in the recirculating bloodstream.
- present as either actute or chronic, where acute insults are often associated with toxin injestion.
- common in older cats, drink often
- can be slowed but not stopped
