Unit 1 - Equine Respiratory Diagnostics Flashcards
What kind of big ticket items should you ask a horse owner about in respiratory illness cases?
Living environment, feeding, vaccine history, travel or stress inducing events, the horse’s job, performance
Where should all respiratory evaluations start?
Observe from a distance, followed by a complete physical exam.
What is the term for normal breathing? Increased rate with reduced tidal volume? Difficulty breathing?
Eupnea, tachypnea, dyspnea
What is the term for increased respiratory rate with increase tidal volume?
Hyperpnea
What is included in the upper respiratory tract?
Anything cranial to the thoracic inlet. Anything caudal is lower respiratory tract
What might you look at in the nares? Mouth?
Nares: air flow may be unequal and the nares may be flared In the oral cavity, smell for foul breath. Abnormal breath should elicit a complete oral exam and consideration of sinus involvement.
How can you make a horse breathe deeply?
Rebreathing exam
What abnormal results are associated with rebreathing exams?
Abnormal results include coughing, increased effort, and increase respiratory sound.
When shouldn’t you do a rebreathing exam?
Don’t do in a dyspneic patient or one with a history of aspiration pneumonia.
How should you characterize nasal discharge?
Unilateral or bilateral, persistent or intermittent, smell, consistency, color, presence of feed material
Why do we use endoscopy?
To evaluate the status of the upper and lower respiratory system, including some degree of function, anatomy, and lesions.
You should evaluate before and after anesthesia.
You can see turbinates, drainage, nasopharynx, guttural pouches, larynx, and more.
1
palatopharyngeal arch
2
arytenoids
3
epiglottis
What nerves can be found in or very near to the guttural pouches?
Nerves: 9-12 and the cranial cervical ganglion. Cranial nerve 7 is outside but directly adjacent to the lateral compartment.
