Domestic Animal Behavior and PE

Signalment

information about a patient that is relevant to the interpretation of exams, includes: age, gender, repro status, breed, and species

Attitude

BAR or QAR

Mentation

appropriate or inappropriate

Fear, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (FAS)

a 0-5 scale that determines the stress of an animal, 0-1 is good, 2-3 is an indication to go slow and pause, 4-5 means you should stop engaging with the animal

Integument

medical term for skin and coat, observe luster and thickness of fur, examine the skin, foot pads, and mucocutaneous junctions, insect for ectoparasites

Alopecia

loss of hair

Hypotrichosis

thinning of hair

Seborrhea

oily patches and stubborn dandruff

Erythema

skin redness caused by increased blood flow in tiny blood vessels near the skin’s surface

Body Condition Score (BCS)

scale of 1-9 in dogs, cats, and horses and 1-5 in cattle, determines fat and weight distribution of the animal (4-5 ideal in dogs and cats)

Capillary Refill Time (CRT)

how long the gums regain color after pressing, quick assessment of perfusion

Cardiothoracic Auscultation

using stethoscope to listen to heart and lung sounds

Left Cardiac Auscultation

listen for pulmonic, atrial, and mitral valve sounds (PAM in triangle starting in armpit)

Right Cardiac Auscultation

listen for tricuspid valve

Tachycardia

increased heart rate

Bradycardia

decreased heart rate

Sinus Rhythm

variation in heart rate in time with inhalation and exhalation

Eupeneic

normal unlabored breathing

Dyspneic

difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

Tachypneic

rapid and shallow breathing

Abdominal Ausculation

most important in herbivores, especially rabbits, using stethoscope to assess GI motility

Dog Domestication

disputed origins but likely 2 domestication events around 30-100k years ago

Physical Domestication Effects

domesticated dogs have 2 additional facial muscles to create puppy eyes, and almost 100% fast-twitch muscle fibers

Cat Domestication

began about 9500 years ago, commensal route with humans as they protected food storage from pests and humans offered food in return

Mesopredator

effective hunters but can be prey to larger animals (cats), likely to run or react with defensive aggression when startled

Horse Adaptations

Mental: instinctively cautious and alert, continuous threat appraisal, recognize subtle cues as threats

Physical: acute senses, long and powerful legs, physiological allowances

Behavioral: desire to herd, fight or flight

Horse Vision

wide field of view with mostly monocular vision, almost 360^o except blind spots in the rear and right in front of the face, poor depth perception and lmited acuity, good night vision, dichromatic

Horse Facial Expression

able to make 17 discrete facial movements, able to read and remember human facial expressions

Horse Ears

if relaxed: localized to whatever is piquing their interest, if stiff or flattened: annoyed or angry

Feral Horse Behaviors

constant foraging and constant exercise and freedom of movement, stabled counterparts are more prone to boredom/standing around and decreased grazing time

Horse Fear Behaviors

occur suddenly in response to threats, largely involuntary and guided by physiology, startle/spook, shying, flight, fight

Startle Response (Spooking)

generic behavioral arousal driven by fear, initiates physiological fear response, often leads to shying or fight/flight

Shying

movement away from a stimulus, generally backward and it is a swift and short movement, can be followed by flight

Normal Bovine TPR

Temp: 100-102

Pulse: 60-70

Resp: 10-15

Normal Equine TPR

Temp: 99-101.5

Pulse: 28-44

Resp: 8-15

Normal Canine TPR

Temp: 100-102.5

Pulse: small 90-120, medium 70-110, large 60-90

Resp: 18-24

Normal Feline TPR

Temp: 100-102.5

Pulse: 150-200

Resp: 20-30

Canine Neonatal Period

0-14 days, born altricial

Canine Transitional Period

14-20 days

Canine Socialization Period

3-12/14 weeks, positive experiences important

Canine Juvenile Period

14 weeks-5/9 months

canine sexual Maturity

6-9 months

Canine Social Maturity

18-36 months

Feline Neonatal Period

0-2 weeks

Feline Transitional Period

2-3 weeks, rapid physical and behavioral changes

Feline Socialization Period

3-7/9 weeks, positive handling and interactions with people decreases fear and aggression

Feline Juvenile Period

9 weeks - 4/10 months, weaned and independent

Feline Adult Period

from puberty onward