Bovine Cardiology

Question 1

When assessing the cardiovascular system what history is needed?

Answer 1

– Presenting sign
– Stage of production

– Past disease
* Pneumonia
* Rumenitis - acidosis

– Management
* Mixing
* Worming
* Altitude – e.g. 1600 meters in Colorado

Question 2

On exam what subjective view should be noted?

Answer 2

• Undisturbed - then after handling – “provocation test”
• Condition score
• Visible oedema
• inter-mandibular
• brisket,
• Posture
• Respiratory effort

Question 3

What are non-cardiac system signs of cardiac disease

Answer 3

• Reduce production
• Exercise intolerance
• Increased urine output
• Syncope
• Poor appetite when failing

Question 4

What is different dehydration?

Answer 4

• 4-6% loss Normal (PCV 40%)
• 6-8% - Tenting 2-4 secs (PCV 50%) dry nose, mouth.
• 8-10% - Tenting 6-10 secs (PCV 55%) cold extremities, ± recumbant.
• 10-12% - Tenting 20+ secs (PCV 60+%) comatose, shock.
• 12+% - Death

Question 5

What can be used to check reginonal temperature?

Answer 5

• Ears
• feel base + tip of ear to see difference

Question 6

Why would mucous membrane appear pale?

Answer 6

• Anaemia - deficiencies (iron, copper, cobalt)
• toxicities (Kale, nitrate/nitrite, molybdenum)
• blood/protein loss (Haemonchosis, fasciolasis, johnes, sucking lice, PGE, redwater, lepto)
• Poor perfusion - shock (RDA)
• heart failure
• thrombosis

Question 7

Why would mucous membranes appear red?

Answer 7

• Toxaemia
• Salmonellosis
• Pasteurellosis
• Malignant catarrhal fever
• Infectious bovine kerato-conjuctivitis
• Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis

Question 8

What would cause cyanotic mucous membranes?

Answer 8

• Respiratory failure
• Nitrate/nitrite, metaldehyde poisoning
• Congenital cardiac abnormalities - calves (heart in neck- ectopic)

Question 9

What would cause jaundice of the mucous membranes?

Answer 9

• Hepatitis
• Haemolytic anaemia - babesia
• Photosensitisation
• Ragwort, kale, lupin, copper poisoning
• Post-partum haemoglobinuria
• Leptospirosis

Question 10

What would cause haemorrhagic mucous membranes?

Answer 10

• Anthrax
• Bracken
• Sweet vernal grass poisoning
• Copper toxicity (acute)
• Leptospirosis
• Mycotoxicosis

Question 11

Where could you take a pulse of a cow?

Answer 11

• Middle coccygeal - 10cm below anus
• External maxillary
• Medial, inside forelimb
• Caudal auricular

Question 12

Normal HR for cow /calf?

Answer 12

• Cow = 50-80 (high yielders up to 95)
• Calves 100-120
• 120+ suggestive of primary cardiac disease

Question 13

What is increased amplitude suggestive of?

Answer 13

• Aortic valve incompetence

Question 14

What is decreased amplitude suggestive of?

Answer 14

• Myocardial weakness
• Toxaemia
• Shock

Question 15

What is normal jugular pulse? What would cause it to be all the way up?

Answer 15

• Normal = up to 1/3 way up
• All the way:
• endocarditis
• pericarditis
• haemothorax
• hydrothorax
• congestive heart failure
• valvular stenosis
  -sporadic bovine leukosis - thymic form
  -enzootic bovine leukosis - cardiac form

Question 16

What would cause dark red mucous membranes?

Answer 16

• methaemoglobin - nitrate/nitrite - acute - ingestion of fertiliser or freezing weather and grazing turnips

Question 17

What are different sounds of valvular murmurs?

Answer 17

• Stenosis - rough /harsh
• Regurgitation / incompetence - softer, prrr
• Pre-systolic - brr-lub-dup
• systolic - lub-brr-dup
• diastolic - lub-dup-brr

Question 18

What are different causes of endocarditis?

Answer 18

• Trueperella pyogenes, Cl. chauvoei, E.coli
• Mycoplasma - contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
• Streptococci
• Staphylococci
• Mannheimia

Question 19

What are congenital causes of murmurs?

Answer 19

• Ventricular septal defects - most common
• Patent ductus arteriosus
• Patent foramen ovale
• Tetralogy of fallot - VSD, pulmonary stenosis, dextroposed aorta + secondary ventricular hypertrophy
• Aortic stenosis / persistent right aortic arch - milk regurgitation

Question 20

What can cause murmurs from interference of blood flow / turbulence?

Answer 20

• Anaemia
• Cardiac - myocardial weakness (septicaemia, nutritional, poisoning, congenital)
• Extra-cardiac - vagal indigestion
• diaphragmatic hernia
• ruminal tympany
• oesophageal obstruction

Question 21

What can cause pericarditis?

Answer 21

• Organisms similar to Endocarditis
  – plus Haemophilus somnus, Mycobacterium Bovis
• Traumatic reticulitis

Question 22

What can be done to check for pericarditis?

Answer 22

• Grunt / Eric Williams test
• Bar (xiphisternum) test
• Withers pinch

Question 23

What is dilated cardiomyopathy?

Answer 23

Genetic- seen in 2-3y/o holsteins

Question 24

What is Caudal vena cava thrombosis?

Answer 24

• Between liver + right atrium
• Secondary to liver abscess

Question 25

What is treatment for cardiac problems?

Answer 25

• Frusemide - for udder oedema
• Don’t tend to give long treatment - tend to die - send to slaughter ASAP

Question 26

What are cardiac degenerative changes in farm animals?

Answer 26

• Fatty change - reversible
• Atrophy - common in ruminant
• Mineralisation - organomercurial poisoning in cattle
• Xanthosis - brown pigmentation of myocardium (Ayrshire cattle)

Question 27

What infectious diseases cause myocardial necrosis?

Answer 27

• Foot and mouth disease in neonates
• Histophilus somni infection
• Clostridial infections - except blackleg

Question 28

What non-infectious diseases cause myocardial necrosis?

Answer 28

• Vitamin E + selenium-responsive syndrome
• Saccharated iron toxicity in piglets
• Porcine stress syndrome