PSSSB Veterinary Inspector flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Abomasum

The fourth and only glandular compartment of the ruminant stomach, secreting hydrochloric acid and pepsinogen; it is homologous to the simple stomach of monogastric animals and lies on the right ventral abdomen.

Rumen papillae

Finger-like projections of the non-glandular stratified squamous rumen epithelium that greatly increase surface area for absorption of volatile fatty acids, ammonia and water; their development depends on dietary roughage.

Metabolic body weight

Body weight raised to the power 0.75 (W^0.75), used to express maintenance nutrient requirements across animals of different sizes because metabolic rate scales allometrically rather than linearly with body mass.

Bypass protein

Dietary protein protected from rumen microbial degradation so it reaches the small intestine intact, supplying amino acids to high-producing animals; achieved by heat, formaldehyde or tannin treatment of oilseed cakes.

Heritability

The proportion of total phenotypic variance attributable to additive genetic variance (h² = V_A/V_P); values above 0.4 indicate traits such as milk yield that respond well to individual selection.

Heterosis

The superiority of crossbred offspring over the average of their parents for traits such as fertility, viability and growth; it is greatest for lowly heritable traits and is lost on inter-se mating.

Standing heat

The period of oestrus when a female willingly stands to be mounted; in cattle it lasts about 12–18 hours and ovulation occurs roughly 10–12 hours after its end, guiding insemination timing.

Rothera's test

A chemical test detecting ketone bodies (acetoacetate and acetone) in milk or urine using sodium nitroprusside, producing a purple colour; used to confirm bovine ketosis (acetonaemia).

California Mastitis Test

A cow-side screening test in which a reagent lyses somatic cells in milk, causing gel formation whose thickness grades the somatic cell count and indicates subclinical mastitis in individual quarters.

Haemorrhagic septicaemia

An acute, often fatal disease of cattle and buffalo caused by Pasteurella multocida serotype B:2, characterised by oedema of the neck and brisket, fever and rapid death; prevented by vaccination.

Paravertebral nerve block

A local anaesthetic technique blocking the dorsal and ventral branches of spinal nerves T13, L1 and L2 alongside the vertebral column, producing anaesthesia of the flank for standing rumenotomy.

Xylazine

An alpha-2 adrenergic agonist sedative and analgesic used in cattle, horses and dogs; in ruminants it causes salivation and rumen atony, so fasting and head-down positioning are required.

Burdizzo castration

A bloodless castration method using a clamp that crushes the spermatic cord, causing testicular ischaemia and atrophy; performed in young animals and dependent on intact scrotal skin.

Methylene blue therapy

Intravenous administration of 1% methylene blue at 1–2 mg/kg to reduce methaemoglobin back to haemoglobin; the antidote for nitrate and nitrite poisoning in ruminants.

Pralidoxime

An oxime cholinesterase reactivator used with atropine in organophosphate poisoning; it regenerates phosphorylated acetylcholinesterase and is most effective when given early after exposure.

Sulphonamide-trimethoprim synergy

Sequential blockade of bacterial folate synthesis, with sulphonamide inhibiting dihydropteroate synthase and trimethoprim inhibiting dihydrofolate reductase; the optimal ratio is about 5:1.

Sterne spore vaccine

A live attenuated non-capsulated Bacillus anthracis spore vaccine used to protect cattle and other livestock against anthrax; it is given annually before the monsoon in endemic areas.

Acid-fast staining

A differential stain (Ziehl-Neelsen) in which mycobacteria retain carbol fuchsin despite acid-alcohol decolourisation because of mycolic acids in their cell wall; used to detect Mycobacterium bovis.

Triclabendazole

A benzimidazole flukicide at 10 mg/kg orally that is effective against both immature and adult Fasciola species in cattle, sheep and buffalo, acting on microtubule formation in the parasite.

Babesiosis

A tick-borne protozoan disease of cattle caused by Babesia bigemina and transmitted by Boophilus ticks, producing fever, haemoglobinuria and anaemia; treated with imidocarb dipropionate.

Colostrum

The first milk secreted after parturition, rich in immunoglobulins, protein and vitamin A; calves must receive 10% of body weight within the first six hours for passive immunity.

Persistency of lactation

The extent to which milk yield is maintained after the peak, expressed as the ratio of later monthly yield to peak yield; high persistency reduces the need for concentrate feeding.

FCR in broilers

Feed conversion ratio, the kilograms of feed consumed per kilogram of live weight gain; commercial broilers achieve 1.6–1.7 by 35–42 days under good management.

Diffusion of innovations

Rogers' model describing how new practices spread through a social system over time among innovators, early adopters, early and late majority, and laggards, following an S-shaped adoption curve.

Gross margin

Gross income from an enterprise minus its variable costs; a farm planning measure that excludes fixed costs and helps compare the profitability of competing livestock enterprises.

Break-even point

The output level at which total revenue equals total cost, calculated as fixed cost divided by the difference between unit price and unit variable cost; below it the enterprise runs at a loss.

Saprozoonosis

A zoonosis in which the causative agent has a vertebrate host and an inanimate reservoir such as soil, water or feed; examples include anthrax, listeriosis and erysipeloid.

Methylene blue reduction test

A test of raw milk bacteriological quality in which the time taken for methylene blue to decolourise reflects bacterial load; more than five hours indicates good quality milk.

HACCP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a seven-principle food safety system identifying biological, chemical and physical hazards and controlling them at critical points from production to consumption.

GADVASU

Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, established in 2006 as Punjab's dedicated veterinary university, conducting teaching, research and extension in animal health and production.

Baisakhi

The Punjabi harvest festival celebrated on 13 or 14 April, marking the wheat harvest and the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699; noted for Bhangra and Giddha performances.

Punjab state symbols

Punjab's state animal is the blackbuck, state bird the goshawk (Baaz), state tree the shisham and state language Punjabi written in Gurmukhi script; the capital is Chandigarh.