Tips for Restraining of Livestock & Physical Examination of animals for Diagnostic Approach
Physical Restraint Approach:
It is important to perform all the physical manipulations in a quiet and gentle manner in order to carry out the examination safely without causing danger to the clinician or his assistants and to avoid disturbing
the patient.
Restraining methods for equine, cattle, Pet animal, sheep and goats.
Procedure:
o Restraints of the equine:
• Twitch is applied to the upper or lower lip or to the ear
• Nose twitch
• Lifting the fore-leg and hind-leg by unaided hands or with Leg twitch
• A loop of strong cord or soft rope is applied to the appropriate part
• Two ropes one-person horse casting
• Two ropes four persons horse casting
o Restraint of the cattle:
• The nasal septum is gripped between the thumb and one finger or with ‘bull-holder
• Leg twitches are also employed
• One rope locking two horns on a post or tree
• One rope two person cattle casting
• Two ropes three person cattle casting
o Restraint of sheep and goat:
• One person holds the neck of the sheep or goat by two hands
• One person stands beside the sheep or goat embracing the animal
• Small animals are restrained by placing them on a table in the upright, lateral or dorsal position
o Pet animals
• Placing them on a table in the upright, lateral or dorsal position
• In the dog a tape muzzle or a leather muzzle is used
Chemical restraint-
Drugs that is useful for this purpose includes:
• Acepromazine, Acetylpromazine, Chlorpromazine, Promazine and Trimeprazine; members of this group can be used in most species of animals.
Verbal/moral restraining:
It is more practiced by owner e.g., feed provision, massaging, calling name of animal etc.
==Physical examination methods
Objective:
To apply general inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation methods used to detect clinical signs of abnormalities.
Procedure
General inspection:
It is done some distance away from the animal; sometimes go round the animal or herd/flock, in order to get the general impression about the case.
• Attention should be paid to the following items: (Behavior, Appetite, Defecation, Urination, Pasture, Gait, Body condition, Body conformation)
• Lesions on outer surface of the body can be observed: (Skin and coat, Nose, Mouth, Eyes, Legs and hoofs, Anus)
Palpation:
Objective: To detect the presence of pain in a tissue by noting increased sensitivity
Method: Use fingers, palm, back of the hand, and fist, in order to get the information about the variation in size, shape, consistency and temperature of body parts and lesions, e.g., the superficial lymph nodes. The terms, which can be used to describe the consistency of parts during palpation, are:
• Resilient, when a structure quickly resumes its normal shape after the application of pressure has ceased (e.g., Normal rumen)
• Doughy, when pressure causes pitting as in edema
• Firm, when the resistance to pressure is similar to that of the normal liver (e.g., neoplasia/tumor)
• Hard, when the structure possesses bone-like consistency (e.g., Actinomycotic lesion)
• Fluctuating, when a wave-like movement is produced in a structure by the application of alternate pressure (e.g., hernia, hemorrhage/hematoma)
• Emphysematous, when the structure is swollen and yields on pressure with the production of a crepitating or crackling sound (e.g., Black leg).
Percussion:
Objective: To obtain information about the condition of the surrounding tissues and, more particularly, the deeper lying parts. Percussion can examine the area of the subcutaneous emphysema, lungs, rumen and rump
Method: By means of striking a part of the body to be percussed
Immediate percussion: Using fingers or hammer directly strike the parts being examined.
Mediate percussion:
Finger-finger percussion; Pleximeter-hammer percussion The quality of the sounds produced by percussion is classified as:
• Resonant: which is characteristic of the sound emitted by aircontaining organs, such as the lungs.
• Tympanic: The sound produced by striking a hollow organ containing gas under pressure, e.g., tympanitic rumen or caecum.
• Dull: Sound emitted by a solid organ like the liver or heart.
Modified percussion:
• Ballottement percussion: Used to detect late pregnancy in small ruminants, dogs and cats
Procedure: Apply a firm and interrupted push on the uterine region of the abdomen of small ruminants Detection of rebound of floated material shows pregnancy
• Fluid percussion: Used to detect fluid in the abdomen
Procedure: Apply a push on one side of the abdomen, percussion on the other side The presence of wave-like fluid movement shows accumulation of fluid in the abdomen, e.g., ascites.
Auscultation:
Objective: To listen the sounds produced by the functional activity of an organ located within a part of the body. This method used to examine the lung, trachea, heart and certain parts of the alimentary tract.
Direct auscultation:
Procedure: Spread a piece of cloth on the part to be examined using two hands to fix the cloth and keep your ears close to the body, then listen directly.
Indirect auscultation: Use stethoscope.
Procedure: Fix the probe of the stethoscope firmly on the part of the body to be examined and listen to the sounds produced by the functional activities of the body carefully.
Reference-On Request
