Week 6- General Health for veterinary technologists

Question 1

What is signalment

Answer 1

Parameters of your patients 
Age
Gender 
Entire or desexed 
Breed
Species

Question 2

What is the structure of general health/ clinical examination?

Answer 2

1. Obtain the patient’s history
2. Patient Examination
   a) Distant Observation
   b) Physical Examination

Question 3

What is different size pupils called

Answer 3

Anisocoria

Question 4

What is involved with the distant observation ?

Answer 4

1. behaviour
2. Gait
3. Body condition
4. Coat
5. Demeanour

Question 5

What is involved with the distant observation regarding their demeanour?

Answer 5

BAR (bright, alert and responsive) 
Dull?
Anxious (dilated pupils, quick movements) 
Conscious or unconscious?
Segregated (isolating itself)

Question 6

What is involved with the distant observation regarding the general appearance?

Answer 6

Body condition 
Conformation 
State of nutrition 
Apparent age
degree of grooming care 
disposition 
mental alertness 
Gross deformities/abnormalities 
Striking findings (dyspnoea, weakness, and lethargy)

Question 7

What is involved with the distant observation regarding the Posture?

Answer 7

Kyphosis (arched back)
Abducted elbows? -Respiratory distress? thoracic pain?
Sitting posture/ sternal recumbency - normally cats with respiratory distress
Praying Posture - acute abdominal pain
Lameness, stiffness, ataxia, weakness, proprioceptive deficits

Question 8

what is cachexia

Answer 8

weakness and wasting of the body due to severe chronic illness.

Question 9

What are some other factors that can be witnessed from distant observation?

Answer 9

1. body condition? obese, normal, lean, Emaciation/cachexia
   Conformation - body proportions and symmetry
2. Hair coat/ skin - alopecia?
   Staining from faeces, urine saliva?
   Skin- Dermatitis, erythema, pigmentation, hyperkeratosis, haemorrhage
3. Odour - skin lesions, ear problems (otitis externa), mouth lesions stomatitis), diarrhoea, urinary incontinence

Question 10

What is involved with the physical examination?

Answer 10

Check patient vital signs, TPR, mucous membrane characteristics and if the patient is in pain

Question 11

What does TPR stand for? and how do you check these parameters?

Answer 11

Temperature
- apply digital thermometer into rectum, leave for 2 min or until it beeps

Pulse/ heart rate - number of beats per minutes
- Roll index finger over femoral artery to feel for pulse and count the number of pulses in 15 sec
- Auscultation, place hand or stethoscope over heart and
listen for heartbeat (count the beats in 15 secs)
- check if synchronous and pulse quality

multiply by 4 to get BPM

Respiration - pattern rate

• First part of exam
• check number of breaths per min
• watch chest fall or raise
• count the number of breaths in 15sec
• multiple by 4 to get (br/m)
• note respiratory effort, record any noises?

Question 12

What characteristics are looking for when checking the mucous membrane

Answer 12

Colour
Moisture
Capillary refill time

Question 13

When will you avoid taking an animal’s temperature?

Answer 13

When animals tressed, scared or moving - may provide false result

Aggressive animals
Sore or painful rectum
No one to assist to restrain the patient

Question 14

What is considered a normal temperature for canine, feline, bovine and equine?

Answer 14

canine/feline - 37.6 - 39 degrees
Bovine: 38-39 degrees
Equine: 37 - 38.5 degrees

Question 15

What can high temperature be an indicator for?

Answer 15

Infection, inflammation or cancer

Heat stress, scared or agitated

Question 16

What can low temperature be an indicator for?

Answer 16

Shock or very ill, anaesthesia

Young animals in a cold environment

Question 17

What are considered normal heart rates for; 
Cats
Dogs
Bovine 
Equine

Answer 17

Cats: 70 - 120 bpm
Dogs: 70-120 bpm
Bovine: 48 -84 bpm
Equine: 24 -44 bpm

Question 18

What does a tachycardia and bradycardia usually indicate?

Answer 18

Tachycardia - ill, painful, scared

Bradycardia - Shock or very ill; anaesthesia or sedation; athletic

Question 19

What is a murmur

Answer 19

abnormal sounds caused by turbulent blood flow in the heart

Question 20

What is a Arrhythmia

Answer 20

Irregular or abnormal heart rhythm - slow or fast

Question 21

What is considered a normal respiration rate?
Cat
Dog
Bovine
Equine

Answer 21

Cat - 16-34 br/m
Dog - 20-34br/m
Bovine - 10-40 br/m
Equine - 8-20 br/m

Question 22

What does high and low respiration rate indicate?

Answer 22

High - ill, painful, scared

Low - shock or very ill, anaesthesia or sedation

Question 23

What are considered healthy mucous membrane

Answer 23

pink, moist gums, vulva, penis prepuce

Question 24

How do you assess mucus membranes

Answer 24

assess the colour
Touch for moisture/tackiness
Press and release for capillary refill time

Question 25

What do these coloured mucous membranes usually indicate?
Pink 
Pale
Blue or purple
Yellow

Answer 25

Pink - normal
Pale - low red blood cell count (anaemia) or peripheral vasoconstriction
Blue or purple - cyanosis (low O2 content), severe heart or respiratory problem
Yellow - jaundice or infection in gums

Question 26

What are the parameters of mucus membranes

Answer 26

Moist - normal
Slight loss of moisture - tacky which is a sign of dehydration but could be due to panting
Significant loss of moisture - dehydration

Question 27

How do you measure CRT

Answer 27

press finger onto MM, should refill within 1-2seconds any longer could be an indication of blood not circulating adequately or the patient may be in shock, have heart disease or other illness

Question 28

How do you check the hydration of an animal?

Answer 28

1. MM
2. tent skin
3. look at the eyes, are they sunken, bright or dull

Question 29

How do you check if the animal is in pain

Answer 29

Palpation
Strategic questions to the owner
different behaviours

Question 30

How do you begin a general exam

Answer 30

Check vital signs (TPR)
start at the tip of the nose and finish at the end of the tail
look for symmetry
Use all 5 senses

1. Nose - any discharge?
2. Eyes - discharge/ conjunctivitis
3. Oral cavity -dental calculi, gingivitis?
4. Ears? Otitis externa
5. exam neck - skin, jugular veins, larynx, trachea, lymph nodes
6. Palpable lymph nodes
7. Examine Chest
8. Examine Abdomen
9. Examine Limbs and Tail