EXAMINATION OF T HE PATIENT
A complete clinical examination of an animal patient includes:history- taking
examination of the environment.
physical and laboratory examinations.
The examination of a patient consists of ageneral inspection done from a distance (the distant examination, and the particular distant examination of body regions), followed by a close physical examination of all body regions and systems.
GEN ERAL INSPECTION (DISTANT EXAMINATION)
Behavior and general appearance:The behavior is also a reflection of the animal's health.
Exmple: Separation of an animal from its group is often an indication of illness.
If it responds normally to external stimuli, such as sound and movement, it is
classified as bright.
If the reactions are sluggish and the animal exhibits relative indifference to normal stimuli, it is said to be dull or apathetic.
The animal remains standing and is able to move but does not respond at all to external stimuli is the 'dummy' syndrome , this occurs in subacute lead poisoning, listeriosis and some cases of acetonemia in cattle
The terminal stage of apathy or depression is coma, in which the animal is unconscious.
More extreme degrees of excited demeanor include mania and frenzy . In
mania, the animal performs abnormal movements with vigor. Violent licking at its own body, licking or chewing inanimate objects and pressing forward with the head are typical examples. In frenzy, the actions are so wild and uncontrolled that the animals are a danger to anyone approaching them. In both mania and frenzy there is usually excitation of the brain, as in rabies, acute lead poisoning and some cases of nervous acetonemia.
Head , Neck , thorax , Respi ratory rate , Respiratory rhythm , Type of respiration
Respiratory noises or stridors
These include:
Coughing - due to irritation of the pharynx, trachea and bronchi
Sneezing - due to nasal irritation Wheezing - due to stenosis of the nasal
passages.
Snoring - when there is pharyngeal obstruction, as in tuberculous adenitis
of the pharyngeal lymph nodes.
Roaring - in paralysis of the vocal cords.
Grunting - a forced expiration against a closed glottis, which happens in
many types of painful and labored breathing.
Abdomen
Variations in abdominal size are usually appreciated during the general inspection of the animal. An increase in size may be due to the presence of excessive feed, fluid, feces, flatus or fat, the presence of a fetus or a neoplasmExternal genitalia , Mammary glands , limbs
CLOSE PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONSome of the techniques used in making a close physical examination are set out below.
Palpation
Direct palpation with the fingers or indirect palpation with a probe is aimed at determining the size, consistency , temperature and sensitivity of a lesion or organ. Terms used to describe palpation
findings include the following:
Doughy - when the structure pits on pressure, as in edema.
Firm - when the structure has the consistency of normal liver.
Hard - when the consistency is bonelike.
Fluctuating - when the structure is soft, elastic and undulates on pressure
but does not retain the imprint of the fingers.
Tense - when the structure feels like a viscus distended with gas or fluid
under some considerable pressure.
Emphysematous - when the structure is puffy and swollen, and moves and
crackles under pressure because of the presence of gas in the tissue.
Percussion
In percussion, the body surface is struck so as to set deep parts in vibration and cause them to emit audible sounds. The sounds vary with the density of the parts set in vibration and may be classified as follows:
Resonant - the sound emitted by organs containing air, e.g. normal lung
Tympanitic - a drum-like note emitted by an organ containing gas under
pressure such as a tympanitic rumen or cecum.
Dull - the sound emitted by solid organs such as heart and liver.