The consultation Flashcards
Outline the contents of the planning and explanation section of the consultation using the Calgary-Cambridge guide
- Usually merge into one
- Explanation of findings from physical exam, test results, outcome of surgery etc.
- Planning based on this
- Explanations along the way as decisions made are not always clear to the client
What should be included in the planning stage of the consultation?
- Options for treatment, diagnostic tests required, prognosis
- Utilise shared decision making
- Return to client’s agenda and check concerns have been addressed
What is meant by compliance?
Thee owner following the recommendations you have given
What is concordance?
Making and following through shared decisions
What is chunking and checking?
Giving small pieces of information and checking after each that it has been explained clearly
What is signposting?
Signalling what has just been discussed and what will be discussed next
What is safety netting?
Give options before they are needed, meaning decisions are less of a shock to owner, and owner is aware of how to respond to different situations
What are the benefits of using shared decision making?
- Improves compliance
- Improves owner understanding
- Less likely to encounter resistance if things go wrong
- True informed consent
What is meant by relationship centred care?
- Balance between paternalism and client autonomy
- Characterised by joint venture between vet and client to provide optimal care to the animal
What are the characteristics of relationship centred care?
- Respect for client’s interests and perspectives
- Elicits clients opinion
- Recognition of client’s expertise
- Acknowledgement of animal’s role in environment/family
- Lifestyle and social aspects all considered i.e. farmer vs child’s pet
What techniques can be used in breaking bad news?
- Relationship building
- Warning shots
- Pauses
- Hope and reality balancing
- Shared-decision making
What is meant by a warning shot?
- Give some indication that bad news is about to be delivered
- Allows client to prepare self
What diagnostic methods are commonly used in farm animal practice to improve reproductive performance?
- Internal examination (rectal and vaginal)
- Ultrasound
What structures can be felt in rectal palpation of the reproductive tract of the cow?
- Cervix
- Uterus
- Uterine horns
- Ovaries
What can rectal palpation in a reproductive exam of the cow be used for?
- Assessment of uterine tone to give idea of stage of cycle
- Presence/absence of follicles/CLs on ovaries
What structures can be examine by ultrasound in the reproductive exam of the cow?
- Uterus
- uterine horns
- Ovaries
What information can be gained from ultrasound in the reproductive exam of the cow?
- Presence of fluid in the uterus
- Presence of a foetus
- Follicles or CLs on ovaries and their size
- Assess preganncy status
- Uterine pathology (infection, trauma)
- Ovarian pathology (e.g. cysts, rarely may find neoplasia)
- Stage of oestrus cycle as an educated guess
Describe the tone of the bovine uterus in oestrus?
High one
What is assessed in the vaginal exam of the cow?
- Vaginal mucus quantity
- Mucus consistency
- Presence of blood
What features of the history are of particular interest in a reproductive exam of the cow?
- Calving dates
- Oestrus dates
- Treatments received
What are the limitations of the common diagnostic methods in large animal reproductive examination?
- Easy to miss information
- Farmer may not give full history
- Ultrasound is only a short snapshot of a 21 day period
At what point in the cycle can the stage of oestrus be accurately determined in the cow and how?
- 1-2 days after ovulation
- Lots of clear mucus +/- small amounts of fresh blood
- Increased uterine tone
- No CLs or folllicles on ultrasound of the ovaries
- Looks like anoestrus but with vaginal exam, know that cow has ovulated 1-2 days ago
Briefly describe the hormonal changes in the oestrus cycle of the cow
- After ovulation, CL forms
- Present for 15 days, progesterone high
- Minimal greyish vaginal mucus
- Low uterine tone
- At end of luteal phase becomes prostaglandin sensitive
- Luteolysis due to natural prostaglandin release
- Now into oestrus, oestrogen rises and falls
- Uterine tone rises and falls
- At beginning mucus is increasing, at ovulation have copious clear mucus
- High GnRH leads to LH surge, leading to ovulation
- After ovulation CL begins to form
- Mucus decreases and is often blood stained, no large follicles found
What drugs are mainly used in the management of reproductive performance of cows?
- Prostaglandin
- Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone
- Progesterone Releasing Intravaginal Device (PRID) or Controlled internal Drug Release (CIDR)
Outline the importance of considering the cow as part of the herd
- Individual cow may act as indicator of wider problems/health
- E.g. more cows thinner than usual suggests herd wide nutritional problem
- Easy for farmer to miss if was a gradual herd wide change as cows wouldn’t stand out
Outline the role of prostaglandin (e.g. Estrumate) in reproductive management of the cow
- Causes luteolysis
- Progesterone production turned off
- Enters oestrus 3-4 days after administeration (80% of cows enter within 2-7 days)
- Decreases P4
Outline the role of GnRH (e.g. Receptal) in reproductive management of the cow
- Causes large release of LH
- Much larger than physioogical dose, little effect on FSH
- If follicle near ovulation then will ovulate, if not then will not ovulate but will luteinise and form CL
- New luteal tissue formed
- Progesterone productin increases
- i.e. Role is to increase P4
Outline the role of PRIDs or CIDRs in the reproductive management of the cow
- Slow release of progesterone over 7-11 days
- Effectively acts as temporary removable CL
- Removal mimics luteolysis
- If no other luteal tissue is present, removal results in cow coming into oestrus 2-4 days later
- Role is to decrease P4
Describe the basic information needed o assess reproductive performance in an individual cow
- Health assessment
- Locomotion score
- BCS
- Conformation (body, udder)
- Vaginal discharge
- Bulling signs
Describe the type of history that is likely to be given by a farmer with regards to a cow presented for reproductive examination
- Exception reporting i.e. will only give unusual information
- Gives reason for presentation e.g. not seen bulling
What can be inferred from a history of “not seen bulling”?
- Normal cow
- No calving problems
- No retained foetal membrane
- No vaginal discharge
- More than VWP days have passed
- Oestrus not observed
- Cow has not been served
- Cow is not run with a bull
- i.e. this cow is normal, should have been observed in oestrus but has not
What is the main purpose of pregnancy diagnosis in cows?
Identification of cows that are not pregnant when they would be expected to be
What history can be inferred from a cow presented for pregnancy diagnosis?
- Cow is normal, healthy and milking ok
- Cow has been inseminated
- Falls into PD window for this farm
- Has not been seen bulling since service
- No vaginal discharges seen
Where uterine infection is suspected, what information is required?
- Days since calving
- Nature of discharge
- General state of cow i.e. is she ill?
- CL present?
Describe metritis
- Whole uterus inflamed and infected
- Occurs straight after calving
- Cow sick
- Serious medical condition
- Risk of death
Describe endometritis
- aka whites
- Only lining affected
- Some vaginal discharge ranging from almost normal to normal with some yellow spots to completely yellow to worst case scenario of bad smell and blood present
Describe pyometra in the cow
- No discharge found on vaginal examination
- Scanning of uterus indicates it is full of pus
- Closed cervix i.e. closed pyometra
What is indicated by a persistent CL?
- No PG production from the endometrium
- If endometrium is damaged, then PG will not be produced and luteal phase will continue
What is the significance of a persistent CL for uterine infection?
- High progesterone, low uterine tone
- Uterus not cleaning itself so infection will not be removed
- Infection is likely to clear when cow comes into oestrus, especially if it is an endometritis
Why is oestrus beneficial for the clearing of infection?
- Cervix open
- Uterine tone increased and pushing out material
- Mucus production high which flushes the uterus
What actions can be taken following a PD exam in the cow?
- PD+ve: no action or abort if inappropriate pregnancy
- PD-ve: reassess as not seen bulling cow
How can uterine infections be treated in the cow?
- In sick cows: use parenteral antibiotics
- In cows with white and no CL: intrauterine antibiotics
- In cows with whites and a CL present: prostaglandin to bring into oestrus
Describe the OvSynch protocol
- GnRH at day 0
- PG at day 7 of protocol
- GnRH at day 9 of protocol
- AI 12-16 hours later