Veterinary Medicine and Clinical Diagnosis
Veterinary medicine and clinical diagnosis tests systematic examination, vital signs, differential diagnosis and common infectious and metabolic diseases. The exam favours field presentations: a downer cow, a febrile buffalo, a young calf with diarrhoea.
Core rules
- Examine from a distance, then handle; record temperature, pulse, respiration, rumen motility, mucous membrane colour, lymph nodes and hydration.
- Normal cattle: temperature about 38.5°C (101.5°F), pulse 60–80/min, respiration 10–30/min, rumen 1–3 contractions per 2 minutes. Buffalo are slightly cooler.
- Fever with salivation and oral vesicles suggests FMD; sudden death with blood from orifices suggests anthrax-do not open the carcass.
- Metabolic disease: milk fever (hypocalcaemia) causes recumbency, cold extremities and subnormal temperature; ketosis causes weight loss, acetone breath and low milk.
- Diarrhoea in calves: assess dehydration, acidosis and electrolyte loss; treat with oral rehydration, not antibiotics alone.
Worked example
A freshly calved buffalo is recumbent, cannot rise, has cold ears, a temperature of 37.2°C and dilated pupils. Reasoning: these signs fit hypocalcaemia; recent calving and cold extremities are strong pointers. Give calcium borogluconate slowly IV while monitoring the heart. If the animal had a normal temperature, diarrhoea and sunken eyes, hypocalcaemia would be less likely and dehydration would lead the list.
Traps
Do not open an anthrax suspect. Do not diagnose milk fever in a cow with a high fever. Do not give calcium too fast IV-arrhythmia risk. Do not overlook pregnancy or a retained placenta when treating a downer cow.