Week 6- General Health for veterinary technologists Flashcards
What is signalment
Parameters of your patients Age Gender Entire or desexed Breed Species
What is the structure of general health/ clinical examination?
- Obtain the patient’s history
- Patient Examination
a) Distant Observation
b) Physical Examination
What is different size pupils called
Anisocoria
What is involved with the distant observation ?
- behaviour
- Gait
- Body condition
- Coat
- Demeanour
What is involved with the distant observation regarding their demeanour?
BAR (bright, alert and responsive) Dull? Anxious (dilated pupils, quick movements) Conscious or unconscious? Segregated (isolating itself)
What is involved with the distant observation regarding the general appearance?
Body condition Conformation State of nutrition Apparent age degree of grooming care disposition mental alertness Gross deformities/abnormalities Striking findings (dyspnoea, weakness, and lethargy)
What is involved with the distant observation regarding the Posture?
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
what is cachexia
weakness and wasting of the body due to severe chronic illness.
What are some other factors that can be witnessed from distant observation?
- body condition? obese, normal, lean, Emaciation/cachexia
Conformation - body proportions and symmetry - Hair coat/ skin - alopecia?
Staining from faeces, urine saliva?
Skin- Dermatitis, erythema, pigmentation, hyperkeratosis, haemorrhage - Odour - skin lesions, ear problems (otitis externa), mouth lesions stomatitis), diarrhoea, urinary incontinence
What is involved with the physical examination?
Check patient vital signs, TPR, mucous membrane characteristics and if the patient is in pain
What does TPR stand for? and how do you check these parameters?
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?
What characteristics are looking for when checking the mucous membrane
Colour
Moisture
Capillary refill time
When will you avoid taking an animal’s temperature?
When animals tressed, scared or moving - may provide false result
Aggressive animals
Sore or painful rectum
No one to assist to restrain the patient
What is considered a normal temperature for canine, feline, bovine and equine?
canine/feline - 37.6 - 39 degrees
Bovine: 38-39 degrees
Equine: 37 - 38.5 degrees
What can high temperature be an indicator for?
Infection, inflammation or cancer
Heat stress, scared or agitated
What can low temperature be an indicator for?
Shock or very ill, anaesthesia
Young animals in a cold environment
What are considered normal heart rates for; Cats Dogs Bovine Equine
Cats: 70 - 120 bpm
Dogs: 70-120 bpm
Bovine: 48 -84 bpm
Equine: 24 -44 bpm
What does a tachycardia and bradycardia usually indicate?
Tachycardia - ill, painful, scared
Bradycardia - Shock or very ill; anaesthesia or sedation; athletic
What is a murmur
abnormal sounds caused by turbulent blood flow in the heart
What is a Arrhythmia
Irregular or abnormal heart rhythm - slow or fast
What is considered a normal respiration rate? Cat Dog Bovine Equine
Cat - 16-34 br/m
Dog - 20-34br/m
Bovine - 10-40 br/m
Equine - 8-20 br/m
What does high and low respiration rate indicate?
High - ill, painful, scared
Low - shock or very ill, anaesthesia or sedation
What are considered healthy mucous membrane
pink, moist gums, vulva, penis prepuce
How do you assess mucus membranes
assess the colour
Touch for moisture/tackiness
Press and release for capillary refill time
What do these coloured mucous membranes usually indicate? Pink Pale Blue or purple Yellow
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
What are the parameters of mucus membranes
Moist - normal
Slight loss of moisture - tacky which is a sign of dehydration but could be due to panting
Significant loss of moisture - dehydration
How do you measure CRT
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
How do you check the hydration of an animal?
- MM
- tent skin
- look at the eyes, are they sunken, bright or dull
How do you check if the animal is in pain
Palpation
Strategic questions to the owner
different behaviours
How do you begin a general exam
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
- Nose - any discharge?
- Eyes - discharge/ conjunctivitis
- Oral cavity -dental calculi, gingivitis?
- Ears? Otitis externa
- exam neck - skin, jugular veins, larynx, trachea, lymph nodes
- Palpable lymph nodes
- Examine Chest
- Examine Abdomen
- Examine Limbs and Tail
