1 Topic 3051: Animal Health Evaluation

2 I. The Owner A. Is the most vital link to continued and progressive health of their animals and also can interpret symptoms of illness and convey those to a health professional.

3 B. In order to interpret irregular behavior as an illness or lack of health one must first understand normal behavior of that animal. 1. Normal behavior is determined by time spent observing habits of normal & healthy animal. 2. Once normal behavior is determined, abnormal is easier to identify by contrast 3. It is important to note that what may be a normal habit for one animal or group may be abnormal for another.

4 I. The Owner (cont..) C. A physical examination involves using all 5 senses: listening, touching, seeing, smelling and at times tasting. 1. Inspection at a distance should be done first, look at animals:

5 a. Sleeping habits- time of day, standing or lying. b. Eating habits/nutritional state- time spent eating, time of day preferring to eat, & meal eaten throughout day or all at once. c. Attitude-gregarious, pecking order,social behavior, and solitude.

6 d. Posture- weight shifting from one foot or side. e. Gait- is there indication of lameness f. Breathing- difficult, fast, or slow. g. Physical condition- weight loss, hair coat, skin and odor.

7 D. Next restrain the animal and note (see also Unit 363): 1. Temperature 2. Heart rate (pulse) 3. Respiratory rate

8 E. Then begin a systematic examination of all major areas of animal body, noting amount, color, turbidity, odor, and consistency of discharges from any of following body openings: 1. Nose 2. Mouth 3. Eyes

9 4. Ears 5. Uro-genital (excretory, genital) 6. Anus- take samples of feces and urine if needed. 7. Any wounds, scratches or abrasions.

10 F. Continue to review external body surfaces; look for changes in color, size, and shape indicating abnormalities. Evaluate the following: 1. Status of hydration- does he look dehydrated; use the skin pinch test. 2. Color of mucous membranes- which should be pink, not yellow or white. 3. Capillary refill time- should be quick (demonstrates this on your arm)

11 4. Mouth/throat- too much saliva may indicate infection in mouth or inability to swallow. Lack of saliva may indicate fever or colic, check for choking, coughing drooling, gagging vomiting, foul odor, or difficulty swallowing. 5. Ears- no discharge, head should not be tilted (ask the students what does it {hint: ear infection} mean if head is tilted?) 6. Ribs- bloat or labored breathing. 7. Legs/feet- lameness, stiffness, straining, or any leg favored. 8. Genitals- swelling or rash.

12 9. Hair coat/skin- parasites or abnormal roughness. 10. Swelling/lumps/wounds- wound discharge or ulceration's. 11. Position of animal- is it down, unable to rise or uncoordinated. 12. Temperature- does it have a fever; dry muzzle, loss of appetite, thirst, constipation, or indigestion. 13. Milk production- is it normal for animal. 14. Possibility of animal being in pain- are there tender spots, of things animal avoids doing that are abnormal?

13 G. After through review, symptoms and clinical signs will serve to narrow and determine source of problem. An important symptom of any animal is PAIN and it should always be a major concern when evaluating an animal’s overall health. 1. Pain can be indicated by an animal in many ways, including: a. Irritability b. Avoidance of certain activities c. Atypical fear d. Demeanor- (not alert, hunched up, etc.) e. Loss of appetite