Cardio Diseases

Question 1

CV disease usually happens in individual cattle except…

Answer 1

• toxicities like ionophores and plants
• high mountain disease
• hardware disease

Question 2

general signs of CVD?

Answer 2

abnormal jugular veins, edema, effusion in body cavities, murmurs, arrythmias, weight loss, intermittent fever, sudden death, exercise intolerance, diarrhea

Question 3

if you see what 4 clinical signs you can predict CVD?

Answer 3

tachycardia, abnormal heart sounds, jugular distention, and peripheral edema

Question 4

what are some general ways we can diagnose CVD?

Answer 4

historty, PE, echocardiography, BP, pericardiocentesis, ECG, rads (small calves only), and cardiac troponin 1 test

Question 5

how useful is the cardiac troponin 1 test?

Answer 5

it can be useful in ruling things out; if its high it can be heart problems OR secondary disease, but if it’s low, you likely dont have CVD. helps you rule out and not rule in

Question 6

how common is traumatic reticulopericarditis?

Answer 6

not common at all, rare outcome of hardware disease, but when it does happen it creates a constrictive pericarditis and reduced cardiac output

Question 7

you have a cow that has a sudden drop in milk production and has abducted elbows. when you listen to the heart it sounds like sandpaper/washing machine but NO murmur. dx?

Answer 7

hardware disease–>traumatic reticulopericarditis

Question 8

if you suspect a cow has hardware disease progressed to pericarditis what testing could you do?

Answer 8

CBC: neutrophilic leukocytosis
US–>pericardial effusion
pericardiocentesis on L side

Question 9

how do you treat hardware disease in cows progressing to pericarditis?

Answer 9

salvage ASAP is no antibiotics were used but the carcass will likely be condemned

more conservative tx: antibiotics, rumenotomy

usually euthanize

Question 10

pathogenesis of endocoarditis?

Answer 10

theres an abscess somewhere and then it travels to the R side of the heart–>tricuspid valve

Question 11

you have a cow with an intermittent fever and a murmur. dx?

Answer 11

endocarditis

Question 12

prognosis and treatment of endocarditis?

Answer 12

treatment with antibiotics may hols the disease in check but the cow will often regress

prognosis is grave and the valves are usually permanently damaged

Question 13

explain what high mountain disease is

Answer 13

when cows are at a high elevation and are not well adjusted

Question 14

clinical signs of high mountain disease

Answer 14

usually slow onset, weak, depressed, unthirfty, and signs of R sided heart failure like brisket edema, jugular pulse, etc.

Question 15

pathogenesis of high mountain disease

Answer 15

low oxygen leads to chronic alveolar hypoxeia, leading to a bovine artery reaction (vasoconstriction), causing increased vascular resistance which creates pulmonary hypertension, leading to RV hypertrophy and R sided heart failure–>brisket edema, pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, ascites

Question 16

what breed is predisposed to high mountain disease?

Answer 16

angus cows

Question 17

possible prevention of high mountain disease?

Answer 17

breed it out of the herd using genetic testing

Question 18

what is one “test” you can do to determine if a cow is at risk of high mountain disease

Answer 18

use pulmonary arterial pressure, if its higher than 49mmhg, they have a high risk of developing HMD

Question 19

do cows with high mountain disease have a heart murmur?

Answer 19

NOOOOOO gurl

Question 20

how do you treat high mountain disease?

Answer 20

bring em down in altitude LMAO but if they’re already recumbent GAME OVER

meds like diuretics and dex dont work dont try

Question 21

white muscle disease is a result of what? what do cardiac lesions look like? best way to diagnose this?

Answer 21

vit E & selenium deficinecy

cardiac signs are not common though

lesions: myocardial damage–>check the skeletal muscles for white streaking

use serum cardiac troponin 1, CK, AST–>all will be increased
UA stick positive for “blood” but its actually myoglobin

Question 22

what toxin causes myocarditis?

Answer 22

ionophore toxicosis–>monsensin, lasalocid

usually an accidental overdose with feed mixing errors

ruminants are fairly resistant

Question 23

CS of ionophore toxicosis? how to diagnose?

Answer 23

multiple animals affected, anorexia, weakness, muscle tremors, heart failure

if alive: serum troponin 1 test

PM: dilated heart & pulmonary congestion

Question 24

what bacteria commonly causes myocarditis? what other body systems does it affect? what do lesions look like?

Answer 24

histophilus somni

respiratory, joints, cardiac, neurologic

lesions: pale lesions in the papillary muscles/myocardial wall. acute lesions are more dark while chronic lesions are more pale

Question 25

what is the most common arrhythmia in cows and what is it associated with? why does this happen?

Answer 25

atrial fibrilation usually associated with GI dysfunction like DAs

increased vagal tone and electrolyte disturbances from GI disease causes the disturbances

Question 26

CS of atrial fibrilation? treatment

Answer 26

irregularly irregular rhythmm variations in pulse amplitude, pulse deficits

tx: find and fix the GI problem

Question 27

most common types of congenital cardiac disease in cows?

Answer 27

VSD most common, can be ASD too

Question 28

you are examining a calf that has a heart murmur with a palpable thrill and has exercise intolerance and is a RUNT. DX?

Answer 28

VSD

left to R shunting

remember loudness of the murmur does not have anything to do with the size of the murmur

Question 29

PE or history things unique to the following:
- endocarditis
- pericarditis
- HMD
- ionophore toxicity

Answer 29

endo: murmur
pericarditis: no murmur but sandpaper sounds or decreased heart sounds
HMD: history, angus cows
ionophore tox: new feed software, new employees, mixing errors