Animal Nursing I Test One Review

Comprehensive vocabulary review flashcards for Animal Nursing I covering medical abbreviations, physical exams, POMR/SOAP, basic patient needs, disease classifications (DAMNIT), and major infectious diseases of dogs and cats.

QAR

Quiet, alert, responsive.

s.i.d. / u.i.d. / q24hrs

Once daily.

t.i.d.

Three times daily.

q.i.d

Four times daily.

q.d

Everyday.

q.o.d

Every other day.

Caps

Capsules.

No reps

No repeats.

O.D.

Right eye.

O.S

Left eye.

ō

Owner.

ñ

Normal.

NAF

No abnormal findings.

NPL

No palpable lesions.

Bx

Biopsy.

Dx

Diagnosis.

Rx

Prescription.

Ad lib

Without restricting amount (as feeding).

Prn

As required.

History of Present Illness

Information regarding the animal's current illness or presenting complaint.

Past Medical and Surgical History

The record of previous diseases, medical treatments, and surgical operations the patient has experienced.

Environmental and Dietary History

Information regarding the animal's living surroundings, housing conditions, and nutritional or feeding regimen.

Medication History

A historical record of all past and current medications or supplements given to the patient.

Systems Review

Asking one or two open-ended questions regarding each body system during history taking.

Body Systems Examined in Physical Exam

A full physical examination of each of the $8\text{--}10$ body systems: skin + coat, eyes + ears + nares, gastrointestinal, respiratory, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, reproductive + urinary, lymphatic, and neurological.

Signalment

Patient identification consisting of age, species, breed, gender, and reproductive status.

Problem Oriented Medical Record (POMR)

A veterinary medical record system structured into four core components: Data, Problems, Plans, and Progress notes.

POMR: Data

The component of the Problem Oriented Medical Record containing the chief complaint, patient signalment, patient history, physical exam findings, and diagnostic test results.

POMR: Problems

The component of the Problem Oriented Medical Record documenting clinical abnormalities, physical findings, laboratory abnormalities, and disease status.

POMR: Plans

The component of the Problem Oriented Medical Record outlining diagnostic plans, therapeutic plans, and client education.

POMR: Progress Notes

Sequential medical entries written in SOAP format detailing patient status and ongoing care.

SOAP: Subjective

The section of progress notes describing non-measurable observations of how the patient appears.

SOAP: Objective

The section of progress notes recording measurable numbers and hard data.

SOAP: Assessment

The section of progress notes providing the clinician's interpretation of subjective and objective findings.

SOAP: Plan

The section of progress notes stating what needs to be done next, including additional tests or treatments.

Basic Need: Relief from Pain

The legal responsibility of clinicians to relieve pain and suffering in their hospitalized patients.

Basic Need: Adequate Respiration

Ensuring the patient is able to deliver sufficient $O_2$ to tissues and remove $CO_2$.

Basic Need: Appropriate Comfortable Environment

Providing clean, well-managed surroundings where caregiver attitude and nursing care make a significant difference.

Basic Need: Adequate Levels of Rest and Activity

Preventing impaired healing caused by lack of rest while regulating exercise based on the animal's specific health condition.

Basic Need: Adequate Nutrition

Addressing caloric and nutrient intake, recognizing that loss of appetite is an early indicator of illness that requires immediate attention.

Basic Need: Proper Excretion of Wastes

Facilitating elimination and recording any abnormalities in the colour, frequency, and odour of bodily wastes.

Basic Need: Social Interaction

Providing interaction with caregivers and owners to fulfill psychological needs alongside physical requirements.

Basic Need: Adequate Fluids and Electrolytes

Supplying sufficient fluid and mineral intake to meet physiological body needs and prevent dehydration.

Clinical Signs of Pain

Vocalization, abnormal posturing, frequent changes in position, unwillingness to move, increased HR, RR, BP and temp, restlessness, depression, inappetence, trembling, poor mm, licking, chewing, guarding, flinching, and staring at site.

Dyspnea

Labored, difficult, or distressful respiration.

Clinical Signs of Dyspnea

Mouth breathing, wheezing, coughing or labored breathing, tachypnea, reluctance to lay down, and muddy bluish MM colour (cyanosis).

Cyanosis

A muddy bluish mucous membrane colour indicating hypoxia and severe respiratory compromise.

Tachypnea

Abnormally rapid respiratory rate observed in respiratory distress or pain.

Causes of Dyspnea

Airway obstruction, less functional lungs, hydrothorax, pneumothorax, kidney disease, and congenital shunts.

Causes of Patient Discomfort

Improper room temp and humidity, insufficient or inappropriate bedding, soiled cage or bedding, limited or no access to facilities to eliminate, parasitic infestation, inadequate size of cage, and bandages or slings improperly applied.

Causes of Inappetence

Systemic disease, weakness, oral, pharyngeal or esophageal disease, pain, stress, and fever.

Causes of Urinary Problems

Obstructed urinary tract, ruptured urinary bladder, kidney or liver disease, inadequate nervous control, and inadequate facilities.

Causes of Constipation

Megacolon, nerve damage, blockage, pelvic fracture, inappropriate diet, inadequate water or fibre intake, and lack or insufficient exercise.

Causes of Diarrhea

Viral, bacterial, parasitic, or allergic etiologies.

Dyschezia

Difficulty or painful defecation caused by rectal disease, anal disease, or back pain.

Emergency Treatment for Dyspnea

Oxygen therapy, based on the protocol: 'unless they or clinic is on fire GIVE OXYGEN!'

Patient Comfort Nursing Interventions

Clean soiled cages immediately, provide elimination access, keep skin clean and dry, maintain appropriate room temp with extra warmth if needed, ensure adequate cage size, supply clean dry bedding, eliminate parasites, provide items from home, and maintain quiet surroundings.

Inappetence Treatment: Step 1

Stimulate voluntary appetite by warming up food, sitting with the patient, offering plate vs bowl, or smearing food on paws/mouth.

Inappetence Treatment: Step 2

Place a bolus of food directly in the animal's mouth if voluntary encouragement fails.

Inappetence Treatment: Step 3

Attempt enteral tube feeding if placing a bolus of food in the mouth fails.

Pain Pathway: Receptor Site Treatment

Treating pain peripherally at the receptor site by removing the cause and preventing further painful stimuli (local).

Pain Pathway: Peripheral Nerve Transmission

Treating pain peripherally by preventing transmission from the peripheral nerves to the spinal cord (local).

Pain Pathway: Spinal Cord Modulation

Treating pain centrally by blocking transmission at the spinal level using epidural analgesia or ketamine.

Pain Pathway: Central Perception Alteration

Treating pain centrally by altering brain perception using opioids or gabapentin.

Pain Pathway: Central Psychological Methods

Treating pain centrally by psychological interventions such as tender loving care (TLC visits).

Pre-emptive Analgesia

Administering pain management before painful stimulation occurs whenever possible.

Non-Drug Pain Treatment Options

Tender loving care, human contact, massage, acupuncture, and favourite toys.

Analgesic Drug Classes

Pharmacological classes used for pain management: NSAIDS, Opioids, Alpha-2-agonists, and adjunctive agents.

Hospital Socialization

Grooming, petting and talking, owner visits, toys, exercise, contact with staff outside treatments, and contact with conspecifics if tolerated.

Disease

Any abnormal condition of the body, which impairs normal function.

Pathology

The study of disease, cause, and progression.

Etiology

The cause of disease (bacteria, viruses, toxins, etc).

Lesion

Abnormality of a tissue, gross or microscopic.

Zoonosis

A disease of animals that can be transmitted to humans.

Peracute Disease

A disease with sudden onset and rapid course, where patients die or recover in several hours.

Acute Disease

A disease with rapid onset whose course lasts several days, with patients often hospitalized.

Subacute Disease

A disease state fitting between acute and chronic, where the animal appears well and disease is discovered by tests.

Chronic Disease

A disease with gradual onset, slow progression, and long duration, typically managed as outpatients.

DAMNIT Acronym

A mnemonic used to remember disease categories: Developmental/Degenerative, Autoimmune, Metabolic/Multifactorial, Nutritional/Neoplastic, Immunological/Infectious/Iatrogenic, and Toxicoses/Traumatic.

Developmental Disease

Diseases present when born or developing as animals mature, arising from genetics, maternal toxins, maternal infections, or gestation errors.

Cardiomyopathy in Dobermans

An example of a developmental disease caused by genetic inheritance.

Cyclops Lambs

A developmental defect occurring in lambs born to ewes that ingested a toxic plant during pregnancy.

Cerebellar Hypoplasia in Kittens

A developmental brain defect in kittens resulting from in utero infection transmitted from queens with panleukopenia.

Degenerative Disease

Chronic wear-and-tear conditions that are difficult to cure and treated to relieve pain and allow function (e.g., lens cataracts, hip dysplasia, hearing loss, congestive heart disease).

Autoimmune Disease

Disorder where the body develops antibodies or lymphocytes against its own cells or tissues.

Prednisone (in Autoimmune Disease)

An immunosuppressive drug commonly used to control or manage autoimmune diseases.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

An autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks multiple body systems and tissues.

Pemphigus Diseases

A group of autoimmune diseases that target skin cells and mucosal tissues.

Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia

An autoimmune disease in which the body produces antibodies that destroy its own red blood cells.

Metabolic Disease

Hormonal or endocrine diseases where too little or too much substance is produced causing metabolic abnormalities, diagnosed by biochemical tests (e.g., diabetes mellitus, Cushing's, Addison's, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism).

Multifactorial Disease

Diseases that have more than one contributing cause.

F.L.U.T.D

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, an example of a multifactorial disease.

Shipping Fever in Cattle

A multifactorial bovine respiratory disease complex triggered by transport, stress, and pathogens.

Nutritional Disease

Diseases caused by underfeeding, overfeeding, or inappropriate feeding.

Cardiomyopathy in Cats (Nutritional Cause)

Nutritional heart failure in felines caused by insufficient dietary taurine.

Osteodystrophy in Iguanas

A nutritional bone disorder resulting from feeding an imbalanced diet.

Neoplastic Disease

Diseases that produce unregulated cell reproduction in a tissue (tumors/cancer).

Hemangiosarcoma in Bernese Mountain Dogs

A neoplastic vascular tumor exhibiting a known breed predisposition in Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Canine Mammary Tumour Malignancy Rate

$50\%$ of mammary tumours in dogs are malignant.

Feline Mammary Tumour Malignancy Rate

$80\%$ of mammary tumours in cats are malignant.