Wounds/Fractures in Ruminants Flashcards
What common procedure performed in FA med is considered clean contaminated?
C-sections
What systemic pain meds are often used ruminants during procedures?
Butorphanol, xylazine, flunixin
T/F: Local anesthetics are better than regional
FALSE- should do regional as local anesthetics are irritating and may delay healing
If performing primary wound closure, what type of suture are usually used to close the muscle/fascia layers and the skin?
Muscle/Fascia: chromic gut-cheap and absorbable
Skin: non-absorbable monofilament (polyamid or braunamid)
What type of mattress pattern is better for preserving the blood supply to tissue?
Vertical mattress
When providing tension relieving sutures, how can you reduce pressure necrosis?
Use stents!
How can you avoid dead space when closing the layers of the body wall?
Tack the layers to one another, utilize drains and pressure dressing (but last two rarely used in food animals)
What is meant by secondary closure?
Wound is closed after granulation tissue forms. Often requires the use of skin flaps and closure must be under tension
Why is healing by second intention so common in food animals?
There is often excessive contamination and delayed healing response due to field condition
What are the clinical signs of flystrike in sheep?
Discolored wool, wool falling out, decreased activity/eating
How do you avoid flystrike?
Shearing/clutching at appropriate times, mulesing (illegal in US), environmental fly control
What is the treatment for flystrike?
Clip all fiber leaving a 5 cm area of intact healthy skin without fiber around the wound
- put the maggots/contaminated fiber in a trash bag and dispose immediately
-spray aggressively with Catron to kill the maggots
-clean the wound thoroughly through debridement and lavage
-use systemic antibiotics, pain meds, and topical skin trt and spray aggressively with catron daily
What is the only prescription topical treatment commonly used in FA?
Silver Sulfadiazine
What type of wound are the majority of wounds in food animal?
Iatrogenic
ex: castrations, dehorning, tail docking, etc
What are the advantages/disadvantages to surgical dehorning?
Shorter healing times, elimination of open wounds
-often done for cosmetic reasons and pain is often severe- not good for animal welfare
When should disbudding be performed?
At <4 weeks of age, <2 in goats
What should always be sprayed onto the stumps after disbudding?
aluspray- greatly expedites wound healing and prevents infection
What technique is commonly used for dehorning?
Barnes technique. should have pain meds and local anesthestic on board (cornual block and subQ line block caudal to the horn
Should anything be applied to castration wound post-procedure?
No topical effective at improving healing times, but need to use fly spray to prevent infection (catch-on preferred)
Name the common areas of fractures from most frequent to least frequent
Metacarpus > metatarsus> tibia > radius and ulna > humerus > femur
What are the advantages to fracture healing in ruminants compared to horses?
They spend much more time lying down allowing for a greater potential for bone healing. They also rarely suffer contralateral limb breakdown for this reason
What 3 complications greatly decrease the prognosis in fracture cases?
Presence of sepsis, nerve damage, and vascular trauma
When do you use internal fixation in ruminants?
If the long bone fracture is proximal to the carpus and tarsus, since its impossible to immobilize joint above
What are the advantages and disadvantages to internal fixation in cattle?
Advantages: can bear weight and ambulate easily
Disadvantages: cost, general anesthesia, special equipment, long recovery (stall confinement for up to 9 months)
How often should casts be changed in cattle?
0-6 mo old- change every 3 weeks
6-12 mo old change every 6 weeks
12 months + old change 6-8 weeks
What is the prognosis for open fractures?
poor to grave
What is the thomas schroeder splint used for?
tibial and radial fractures
- animal has to be small <500 kg and needs to be confined for 6-10 weeks
What are the options for fractures in the distal phalynx in ruminants?
Digit amputation or glue block + wiring of affected claw into flexion
