Physical Exams

urinary bladder, colon

What are two landmark structures that can be felt when palpating the abdomen?

both

In cats you should feel _______ kidneys when performing an abdominal palpation

left (caudal pole)

In dogs you should feel the __________ kidney when performing an abdominal palpation

small intestines, colon

What two digestive organs should you be able to palpate in the abdomen?

liver

In small dogs and cats, you can palpate the edge of ________ lobes just caudal to the ribs

uterus

What female reproductive organ might you be able to palpate during a small animal abdominal palpation?

prostate

What male reproductive organ can you palpate with a rectal exam in small animals?

can

In the majority of dogs and cats, you _______ (can/cannot) palpate the spleen during an abdominal exam

mid to cranial

During an abdominal palpation, you should feel the small intestines in the ____________ abdominal cavity of small animals

symmetry

When evaluating the hind limbs, look at:

1. General conformation

2. Movement

3. Whether or not they are weight bearing

4. Palpate major muscle groups for ___________ and pain

distal, proximal

In small animals, joints are evaluated ________ to __________ and manipulated individually WITHOUT moving the portion of the leg more proximally

submandibular, popliteal

What two lymph nodes are normally palpated in small animals?

popliteal

What lymph node is being palpated?

popliteal notch

When palpating the popliteal lymph nodes, press medial to lateral in the __________________, ensuring you locate the lymph nodes and not musculature or fat

popliteal, inguinal

What two sets of lymph nodes should you palpate for (one should not be able to be palpated if normal) during an examination of the hind limbs?

should not

In dogs and cats, the inguinal lymph nodes __________ (should/should not) be palpable

pelvis

When examining the ________ in a small animal, palpate the ilium and ischium, tuber coxae, and greater trochanter for pain and asymmetry of muscle mass

20/25

When administering intramuscular injections in small animals, you should use a small _________ gauge needle

5

When administering intramuscular injections in small animals, you should administer small volumes, generally less than ______ mLs

aspirate, massage

Always ____________ before injecting a drug intramuscularly to ensure there is no blood, and __________ the muscle once you have administered the medication

femur, femoral nerve

What two structures are we most worried about hitting when giving an intramuscular injection in the quadriceps?

quadriceps

What intramuscular injection site is being demonstrated?

good blood supply (fast onset)

What is a benefit of administering intramuscular medications in the quadricep?

lumbar

What is the most common intramuscular injection site in small animals?

lumbar

What intramuscular injection site is being demonstrated?

hamstrings

What intramuscular injection site is being demonstrated?

femur, sciatic nerve

What two structures are we most concerned about avoiding when administering an intramuscular injection in the hamstrings?

hamstrings

The ____________ are made up of two muscle bellies with a central cleft that houses the sciatic nerve which should be avoided when administering an intramuscular injection

20/22, bevel up, slowly (prevent collapse)

When performing a venipuncture, a _________ gauge needle should be inserted ____________ at a 25-30 degree angle. You should then aspirate ___________, release occlusion, and withdrawal the needle.

caudal, cranial

When performing a venipuncture on the lateral saphenous vein in dogs, the stifle should be extended and the vein should be rolled _________ to ___________. Be aware there is less connective tissue surrounding this vein so it tends to move more.

lateral saphenous

What venipuncture site is shown?

history, physical exam

What are the two overarching components of an equine patient examination?

history

The first step to an equine physical examination is to take a step back to look at the animal as a whole, looking for any obvious signs of discomfort or asymmetry. During this time, you can ask the owner about the __________ of the horse

abdominal pain

The Flehmen response could be behavioral, or may be an indicator of _______________

back pain

This angry response could be behavioral, or may be an indicator of __________________

laminitis

This is the classic ___________ stance in which the horse looks listless and painful, shifts weight to their hind end, and spends more time lying down (indicated by the bed sores on the hip)

difficulty breathing

Flared nostrils could be an alert or reactive response to outside stimuli, or may be an indicator of _________________

signalment, past history, recent history

What three components make up the patient history?

false (same signs in a fit show horse could be indicative of something different in a pasture pet)

True or False: The presenting symptoms lead you to a diagnosis, with no bearing on the horse’s history or signalment

respiratory rate

What component of TPR typically varies the most based on the state the horse is in (ie did they just exercise, are they overly excited, etc.)?

99.5 ± 1 F

What is the normal temperature of a horse at rest?

36 ± 10 bpm

What is the normal heart rate of a horse at rest?

12 ± 4 bpm

What is the normal respiratory rate of a horse at rest?

head

When performing an equine physical exam, you should follow a set routine, starting at the ___________ and working around

color (horses usually are paler than small animals), moisture, CRT (capillary refill time → 1-2 seconds)

As you start the equine physical exam, what three parameters should you evaluate when you look at their gums?

teeth

What do you use to age horses?

gums

Step 1: The veterinarian is looking at the horse’s ________ for Capillary Refill Time, Moisture, and Color

asymmetry

Step 2: The veterinarian is looking for ______________ visually and when palpating the cheeks

percussing

Step 3: The veterinarian is ______________ the sinuses

menace

Step 4: The veterinarian is testing the ___________ response to ensure the horse is processing visual information

submandibular, retropharyngeal

What lymph nodes should you palpate for in equine during a physical exam?

submandibular

Step 5: Palpate the _______________ lymph node

retropharyngeal

Step 6: Palpate the ________________ lymph node

fluid wave

Step 7: Hold off the external jugular vein, then watch if refill. You are watching for a ____________

squat

When bending down near a horse, you should always _______________ (squat, kneel)

muscle fill

Step 7: As you palpate the horse, feel along the neck and topline for ____________ and vertebrae, then palpate each leg

distal pulse

Step 8: Check the ______________ of EACH limb for indications about the health and circulation to each limb

heart, lungs, trachea, abdomen (four quadrants)

Step 9: Auscultation

What four general regions of the body should you listen to?

upper

Listening to the trachea during an equine physical exam gives you a clue to ___________ respiratory disease that may be difficult to differentiate in the lung field

left dorsal, left ventral, right dorsal, right ventral

What are the four quadrants of the equine abdomen that you should auscultate during a physical exam?

low

Horses typically have normal, continuous, ________ frequency gut sounds in the abdomen

colic

Step 10: Feel for ________ scars

inguinal ring, mammary

Step 11: Feel for _____________ abnormalities in males or ______________ gland in females

temperature

Step 12: Take the ______________ which may be difficult due to the thickness of the rectum and potential for a low reading due to fecal presence

crest of neck, withers, behind shoulder, over ribs, along back, tailhead

What six regions of the horses’ body can be used to evaluate their body condition score?

1, 9

On a 1-9 scale, the overly thin horses fall closer to ______ while the overweight horses fall closer to ________

poor (1)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ are extremely emaciated such that their backbone, ribs, hip bones, tailhead, withers, shoulders, and neck are prominent, and NO fatty tissue can be felt

very thin (2)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ are emaciate such that they only have a slight covering of fat over the vertebrae. Their backbone, ribs, tailhead, and hip bones are prominent, and their withers, shoulders, and neck are discernable

thin (3)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ have fat built up about halfway on their vertebrae and a slight fat layer can be felt over the ribs (although they can be easily seen). The tailhead is prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be seen. The hip bones, withers, shoulders, and neck are faintly discernable

moderately thin (4)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ have a slight ridge along their back and palpable fat around their tailhead. A faint outline of the ribs can be seen, hip bones are not obviously discernable, and the withers, neck, and shoulders are not obviously thin

moderate (5)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ have a level back, rounded withers, and the shoulders and neck blend smoothly. The ribs can be easily felt, but not seen, and fat around the tailhead is beginning to feel spongy

moderately fleshy (6)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ may have a slight crease down the back with fat beginning to deposit along the sides of the withers, behind the shoulders, and in the crest of the neck. Fat over the ribs feels spongy and fat around the tailhead is soft

fleshy (7)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ may have a crease down the back with noticeable fat deposited along the withers, behind the shoulders, and in the crest of the neck. Individual ribs can be felt, but there is noticeable fat deposition over the ribs and the fat around the tailhead is soft.

fat (8)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ have a prominent crease down their back, barely palpable ribs, and prominent fat around the tailhead. The area along the withers and behind the shoulders is filled with fat, the crest is prominent, and fat is deposited along the inner buttocks

extremely fat (9)

Horses with a body condition score of ________ have an obvious crease down their back with fat patches over the ribs and bulging fat over the tailhead, withers, neck, and behind the shoulders. The crest of the neck is very prominent and fat along the inner buttocks may rub together. The flank is filled in flush with the barrel of the body

4-6

What is the ideal body condition score for equine?

overweight

A body condition score of 7 is considered _____________

obese

A body condition score of 8 or 9 is considered ___________

body condition score

A subjective measure of a horse’s weight

weigh tape

An objective measure of a horse’s weight

trends

Weigh tapes are a good way to monitor __________ in your horse’s weight