Unit 1 - PE and Restraint of the Ruminant Flashcards
What PE observations can be made prior to touching the patient?
Attitude, dehydration, BCS, and posture/gait
What BCS scale do dairy cattle use?
A scale of 1-5
What BCS scale do beef cattle use?
A scale of 1-9
What bony prominences should you see when observing the side of a cow?
Pins, thurl, hooks, and short ribs
Identify A.
Pins
Identify B.
Hooks
Identify C.
Thurl
Identify D.
Short ribs
What bony prominences should you see when observing the rear of a cow?
Short ribs, hooks, sacral ligament, pins, tailhead ligament, and thurl
Identify A.
Short ribs
Identify B.
Hooks
Identify C.
Sacral ligament
Identify D.
Pins
Identify E.
Tailhead ligament
Identify F.
Thurl
Describe a locomotion score of 1 in a cow.
Normal - stands and walks normally with a level back. Makes long confident strides.
Describe a locomotion score of 2 in a cow.
Mildly lame - stands with a flat back, but arches when walks. Gait is slightly abnormal
Describe a locomotion score of 3 in a cow.
Moderately lame - stands and walks with an arched back and short strides with one or more legs. Slight sinking of dew claws in limb opposite to the affected limb may be evident.
Describe a locomotion score of 4 in a cow.
Lame - Arched back standing and walking. Favoring one or more limbs, but can still bear some weight on them. Sinking of the dew claws is evident in the limb opposite to the affected limb
Describe a locomotion score of 5 in a cow.
Severely lame - Pronounced arching of back. Reluctant to move, with almost complete weight transfer of the affected limb
What are some methods of restraint in a cow?
Chute, haltering, tailing, nose lead, and casting techniques
Haltering allows for control of the animal’s _____.
head
What is the proper placement for a cow halter?
Lead on the left side, the part that draws goes under the jaw, and ensure that the halter runs over the back of both ears and the poll
How is tailing done?
Firmly lift the tail upwards, arching over the cow’s back
When is tailing used?
It is used as a temporary distraction technique for procedures that cause minor discomfort
Explain a nose lead.
A digital pinch or clamp device that puts pressure on the nasal septum
When is a nose lead used?
It is used as a temporary distraction technique for procedures that cause minor discomfort
When are casting techniques typically used?
To cast an animal for surgical procedures
What is an alternative to Reuff’s method of casting?
Place the first loop between the forelimbs to prevent choking during casting
When is urine collection best done?
Before thoroughly examining the animal
How do you induce urination in a heifer/cow?
manual stimulation of the perineal area
How do you induce urination in a steer/bull?
Stimulation of the prepuce
How do you induce urination in a small ruminant?
The breath holding technique (plug their noses and close their mouth) - be careful
What external observations should be made during the PE of the ruminant?
Check hair coat for external parasites, confirmation/contours of the abdomen, abnormal masses, pattern of breathing, consistency of fecal material, anal tone, and tail tone
What can cause an elevated rectal temperature in the ruminant?
acute inflammatory disease
What can cause a pathological lowering of the rectal temperature in the ruminant?
Peri-parturient paresis, end stage chronic disease, neonatal hypoglycemia, and septicemia/toxemia associated with gram - infections
What is the normal rectal temperature range for adult cattle? Calves?
Adult - 100.5-102.5
Calf - 101.5-103
What is the normal rectal temperature range for adult sheep? Lambs?
Adult - 102-103.5
Lamb - 102.5-104
What is the normal rectal temperature range for adult goats? Kids?
Adult - 101.5-103.5
Kid - 102-104
What heifer/cow specific observations should be made during a PE?
Mucosal membrane color (vulva)
If recent parturition - bruising, swollen/edematous vulva, udder edema
Uterine/vaginal discharge/odor
What steer/bull specific observations should be made during a PE?
External genitalia
What small ruminant observations should be made during a PE?
Lower eyelid mucosal membranes
What part of a PE should be done before rectal palpation?
Auscultation
On what side of the ruminant are heart sounds generally louder?
On the left
What heart valves are on the left of the ruminant?
Mitral, aortic, and pulmonic
What heart valve is on the right of the ruminant?
Tricuspid
What sounds should you make sure to listen for in the lungs in cattle?
crackles and wheezes
What lung sounds can be normal in cattle?
bronchovesicular sounds
Why is respiratory disease often mis-diagnosed in small ruminants?
Because their lung sounds are easier to hear than cattle
Where is the heart located in relation to the thoracic limb in the cow?
It is right underneath (medial) to the crux of the elbow
Where is the imaginary line for the caudal border of the lung field in cattle?
From the costochondral junction of the 6th rib to the top of the 11th rib
Presence of rib fractures/enlargements are common in ________ following _______.
neonates, dystocia
Subcutaneous ________ (lung condition) is common in the post partum cow.
emphysema
A positive response to the withers pinch is a ______ and this is indicative of _______ disease.
grunt, hardware
What is hardware disease?
When a piece of metal pierces through the reticulum and into the thoracic cavity by poking through the diaphragm
Where should the rumen be palpated?
Externally in the paralumbar fossa
What should the rumen feel like normally? In dehydrated cows?
Normally it feels doughy, but becomes dry/stiff with dehydration
What should you be able to evaluate as you are palpating the rumen?
Rumen contractions, free gas distension, rumen fill
What are the ‘layers’ of contents typically in the rumen?
From bottom to top: Sediment, liquid phase, fiber mat, and gas cap
What should you hear when you auscultate the rumen?
A dull roar 1-3x per minute
What should you be listening for when you percuss (flick) the left side of the rumen (between the 11th and 13th rib and the paralumbar fossa)?
Pings - not valuable in small ruminants
What are the differentials for left sided pings?
Left displaced abomasum, empty gas filled rumen, free gas in the abdomen, and gas in the uterine horn
How do you differentiate a ping if you are trying to determine if there is free gas in the abdomen?
Slap over the lumbar shelf with an open hand and see if that elicits a ping - the gas will rise if it is free in the abdomen so you should hear a ping
You can also ballot the abdomen to listen for sloshing or gas bubbles
What will a displaced abomasum feel like on rectal palpation?
You will feel a gas filled sac around the rumen
If you chose to pass a stomach tube and auscultate the rumen, what will you hear if it is an LDA?
muffled gas sounds
Where should you auscultate on the right abdomen for intestinal motility?
In the caudal ventral area
Why should you ballot during auscultation of the right abdomen?
To listen for liquid sloshing
When auscultating the right abdomen, what can you hear?
pings and intestinal stasis
What is an LDA associated with? A RDA?
LDA - early lactation
RDA - not associated with any stage of lactation or other diseases
What increases the risk of an LDA?
Milk fever, ketosis, and metritis
How can LDAs be corrected?
surgical and non-surgical options
How is an LDA diagnosed?
With a ping on the left side
What is a RDA related to?
irregular feed intake and/or GI disturbances
Is an LDA or an RDA considered emergent?
RDA - because of torsion
How are RDAs diagnosed?
Distinctive ‘ping’ on the right side
What should be the primary differential in any ill male small ruminant?
urinary obstrution
If a male small ruminant acts constipated, what is likely the cause?
A urinary obstruction - this is an emergency
What lymph nodes are externally palpable?
pre-scapular, pre-femoral, supramammary, parotid, submandibular, and retropharyngeal
What lymph nodes are internally palpable?
Pre-iliac located cranial to the pelvis at the 4 oclock and 7 oclock positions
What should be examined/looked for during the oral examination of the ruminant?
Oral erosions, ulcers, vesicles, necrosis, the dental arcade, odor, and mucous membranes
What should you look for in the nares of the ruminant?
Discharges, erosions
What should you look for in the eyes of the ruminant?
Compare both eyes and look for discharge, ulcers, foreign bodies, etc.
What should the ears be evaluated for during PE of the ruminant?
That they are symmetrical and the temperature
What should the neck be evaluated for during the PE of the ruminant?
Skin tent for dehydration, swellings/abscesses, and the jugular furrow
What ancillary tests are often used in small and large ruminants?
Multistix or Ketostix, digital ketometers, iStat Blood Analyzer, California Mastitis Test (CMT), and pH assessment
