3.2 Dog and cat dyspnoea

How can amphetamine intoxication be distinguished VS dyspnoea?

Amphetamines = open mouth breathing but animal is able bodied, walking around well

Inspiratory effort

Extrathoracic (upper) airway disease

Expiratory effort

Intrathoracic (lower) airway disease

Asynchronous/inverse breathing patterns + decreased lung/heart sounds

Pleural space disease

• Inverse breathing patterns = e.g. inspiration while thorax contracts

Increased/moist auscultation findings (crackles)

Parenchymal diseases

Where does a high pitched noise on inspiration localise the problem to?

Larynx = collapses instead of expanding

• Laryngeal paralysis (ageing large breeds = labs)

• Laryngeal lymphoma (cats)

Upper resp tract dyspnoea differentials

(Upper resp tract = inspiratory)

• BOAS

  • Hyperthermic, hypercapnic, chronic stress = laryngeal oedema

• Laryngeal paralysis

• Polyps (cats, insidious onset)

• Viral infections (cats, can be very inflammatory)

• Neoplasia (lymphoma, SCC)

What does a goose honk cough suggest?

Tracheal collapse

Which cat breed is susceptible to asthma?

Siamese

Which dog breed is susceptible to tracheal/bronchial collapse?

Yorkies

A cat tolerates its arm being pulled from the elbow more than having it being pulled distally. What does this suggest?

Pleural effusion

In a dog, the thoracic wall expands and the abdominal wall is drawn in during inspiration. What does this suggest?

Diaphragmatic rupture

Where do you perform a thoracocentesis in a small animal?

• Cranial to ribs 7-9

• Dorsal for gas, ventral for fluid

Best site to find smaller volumes of pleural effusion on ultrasound

Between caudal heart and cranial liver

• Also cranial to heart

How do you rule out pneumothorax at a site being ultrasounded?

Glide sign = shimmering white lines that move laterally

What are these lines?

B lines → something is wrong within 1mm periphery of the lung