Upper limb lameness 1 Flashcards
What is seen with the stride in a upper limb lameness?
Reduced forward stride
What is seen with weightbearing lameness?
- Shortened stride of sound leg
- Head up on weightbearing if front leg affected
- Head down on weightbearing if hind leg affected
What may cause atrophy or swelling of a tissue?
- Atrophy =
-Disuse - e.g. pain-induced
-neurological - Swelling =
-Haematoma
-Inflammation
-Effusion
What are further diagnostic aidsof upper limb lameness?
- Radiography - bone integrity + position, joint effusion + degenerative changes, ST swelling, tissue integrity
- MRI
- Scintigraphy
- Thermography
What can cause contracted tendons in calves?
- Position in utero
- Manganese deficiency
- Hereditary
What is conservative treatment of contracted tendons? What can co wrong?
- Cast = 2-4weeks (change after 10-14days and re-apply half cast
- Can also use a metal splint
- Can cause decubitus ulcers if not enough padding
What should be done if you can’t manually extend the ‘tippy-toe’? what should not be used and why?
- Tendonectomy - ring of local, 3-4cm incision, cut superficial flexor tendon (see if sufficient - if not cut deep digital FT) + cast for 2 weeks
- DO NOT use Oxytet - not effective + can cause toxic necrosis
What can cause carpal flexion?
- Schmallenberg
What can cause gastrocnemius rupture?
Rotational force - wooden pallets on floor + calf foot stuck
* Sudden weight - mounting bulls
* Trauma
* Weakening
* Hypophosphataemia
* Compartment syndrome - muscular necrosis
How can you tell the difference between gastrocnemius rupture and tibial nerve paralysis?
- Loss of sensation / pain with tibial nerve paralysis
What causes a flexor tendon injury?
- Trauma - spontaneous / infectious
-open wound / contamination
What is treatment of flexor tendon injury?
- Treat as wound - clean + lavage (antibiotics)
- Cast (once infection under control)
- Can try to tie tendon back together then cast
How can you diagnose cruciate ligament rupture in a bull/cow?
- Rule out foot / lower limb
- Clicking sound
- Joint effusion
- Pain
- Crepitus
- Cranial drawer
- usually done after dismount
What is patellar fixation? Tx?
- Leg fixed in full extension
- Tx = cut medial patellar ligament -BOTH LEGS
How can you diagnose a peroneus tertius rupture?
Can draw hindleg backwards higher than what is normal / parallel
What are different osteodystrophy?
- Rickets - young growing animals
- Osteoporosis + osteomalacia = adults
What are causes of osteodystrophy?
- Mineral / vitamin deficiency = Ca, P, Cu, D
-combined with rapid growth, gender, housing, genetics
What are clinical signs of osteodystrophy?
- Stiffness / recumbency
- Bone distortion
- Long bone #
- swelling joints / epiphysis
How is osteodystrophy diagnosed?
- Joint fluid
- Bloods = low Ca2+, High Alk/Phos
- PME + histopathology
- Bone ash concentrations
What causes white muscle disease? What is seen with serum levels?
- Vitamin E + selenium deficiency (due to increased activity)
- Serum levels = low Vit E/Se, high AST, CK
What breeds are predisposed to hip dysplasia?
- Hereford
- Charollais
- Angus
- Limousin
- Belted Galloway
- South devons
- MALE
What is osteochondrosis? Where does it normally occur?
- Disruption to blood vessels supplying bones (3 stages)
-O. dissecans
-O. latens
-O. manifesta - Usually occurs around atlanto-occipital + femoro-patellar joints
How can you diagnose osteochondrosis?
- Young animals
- Little lameness at first
- Joint tap = mild inflammation, mild increase in protein
What are different causes of fractures?
- Trauma
-Mc/Mt = calving ropes/chain - Spontaneous - hypophosphataemia
- Pathological - infection / necrosis
If transporting a bull with a fractured leg what should be done?
- Good legs FORWARDS
- Care + aid in loading
- Pad out trailer
- Avoid sedation - NSAID + butorphanol instead
How can you treat fractures?
- Box rest - if femur / humerus + no displacement + animal able to walk
- Amputation - well tolerated
- External co-aptation - consider length, analgesia, padding, alignment, strength
- Hanging limb pin cast
- Thomas-extension splint
- External fixation
- Internal fixation - cost, material strength
What are complications of fractures?
- Osteomyelitis
- Dislocation / non-union
- Decreased long bone development
- Ischaemic necrosis
- Nerve damage
- Disuse atrophy
What pathogens can cause septic arthritis?
- T. pyogenes»_space;»
- Strep/Staph/ E.coli/Salmonella
- Histophilus somnus, M. bovis
What is the best way of diagnosing septic arthritis?
- Arthrocentesis
How would you treat septic arthritis?
- Conservative = aggressive antibiotics + anti-inflammatory
- Surgical = GA, IVRA, lavage, arthroscopy, arthrotomy
What are complications of septic arthritis?
- Epiphyseal abscess
- Osteomyelitis
- Relapse
How would you treat hygromas?
- Clip + prep
- Local
- Incision top + bottom
- Break down septae + drain
- Pressure bandage
