Livestock Thoracic Disease

Question 1

pleuritis and pleural effusions in livestock

Answer 1

• primary: rare in cattle, sheep, goat
• can be secondary to overhydration in camelids

Question 2

pleuritis and pleural effusions in livestock is secondary to

Answer 2

• bronchopneumonia: histophilus, mannheimia
• traumatic reticulopleuritis
• camelid strep. zoo
• neoplasia

Question 3

T/F: pleuritis and pleural effusions is very painful

Answer 3

true!! VERY PAINFUL

Question 3

do you see pulmonary hypertension or hypotension with pleuritis and pleural effusion in livestock?

Answer 3

pulmonary hypertension

Question 4

what is the most common secondary cause of pleuritis/pleural effusion in livestock?

Answer 4

bronchopnuemonia: histophilus, mannheimia

Question 5

what test do you do to confirm thoracic pain with pleuritis and pleural effusions?

Answer 5

grunt test

Question 6

what diagnostics do you run on a cow with suspected pleuritis and pleural effusion?

Answer 6

• US
• rads
• thoracocentesis with cytology or culture
• CBC/CP

Question 6

what are clinical signs of pleuritis and pleural effusion in livestock

Answer 6

• signs of pneumonia, wheezes and crackles
• thoracic pain: reulctant to move, abducted elbows, grunting, groaning, abdominal breathing
• decreased ventral breath sounds: “fluid line”
• ventral dullness on thoracic percussion
• friction rubs

Question 7

pulmonary ultrasounds with livestock with effusion?

Answer 7

• good diagnostic tool!
• difficult to use with hardware because so much pus in thoracic cavity causes US to bounce off

Question 8

what causes pneumothorax in livestock species

Answer 8

• rupture of emphysematous bullae: BRSV, AIP, lungworm, metastatic pneumonia
• rib fracture/puncture of lung
• laryngeal trauma
• other trauma
• usually unilateral: ruminants have complete mediastinum

Question 9

what is the main viral cause of pneumothorax in livestock species?

Answer 9

BRSV

Question 10

is pneumothorax unilateral or bilateral in ruminants? why?

Answer 10

unilateral because ruminants have complete mediastinum: what affects 1 lung might not affect the other one

Question 11

tension pneumothorax

Answer 11

extremely, rapidly fatal!!
ruptures, lets air out, collapses
lungs do not close, but ruptures and air continues to release into the thoracic cavity and creates a pulmonary tamponade

Question 12

what is the major diagnostic you should do with a suspected pneumothorax?

Answer 12

thoracic percussion! high pitched boingy basketabll sound = tells you you likely have air thru the thoracic cavity. best is to US or xray

Question 13

what is the biggest diagnostic finding leading you to a diagnosis of pneumothorax in a ruminant?

Answer 13

SQ emphysema!!

Question 14

you walk up to a cow that hasn’t been doing well. she has an expiratory grunt. you put your hands to palpate. you feel subcutaneous edema. what do you diagnose in her

Answer 14

pneumothorax: feel crackly bubble wrap emphysema everywhere. this is diagnostic for pneumothorax, or a differential for a penetrating wound

Question 15

pulmonary edema is most commonly secondary to __________

Answer 15

hypoproteinemia

Question 16

pulmonary edema is most commonly secondary to hypoproteinemia. what are causes of this

Answer 16

• protein loss from kidney or GI tract
• cachexia, cardiac
• fluid overload- calves
  usually mild because it’s mostly right sided

Question 17

you run bloodwork on a cow you suspect has pulmonary edema. you know that this would be from decreased oncotic pressure. what findings do you expect to see on BW? (TP, albumin)

Answer 17

TP: <4.0 g/dL
albumin: <2.0 g/dL

Question 18

what bacteria may be associated with left ventricular failure and pulmonary edema?

Answer 18

Histophilus somni
a death with fluid out the nose: think fog fever, sweet potatoes, IAP, then look at LV. if you see abscesses within the LV, think histophilus

Question 19

you look at the LV of a cow with pulmonary edema. you see abscesses in the LV. what bacteria do you expect to come back + on culture?

Answer 19

Histophilus

Question 20

you get a phone call from a friend saying they had a calf born backwards 3 days ago. he had to manipulate it some and got it out but hasn’t shown much life at all. it nurses and lays down and gets worse. what do you tell the owner?

Answer 20

• warning bells because of dystocia/backwards calf!!!*
• because the calf was backwards, the front body dips down into the cavity of the cow. the sternum can get caught on the pelvis and cause problems

Question 21

what are causes of diaphragmatic hernias?

Answer 21

• congenital
• acquired: trauma, dystocia, hardware disease (reticulum)

Question 22

how do you diagnose diaphragmatic hernia?

Answer 22

• US
• radiographs +/- barium

txt with primary surgical closure (valuable animals only)

Question 23

can ruminants vomit?

Answer 23

yes- from electrolyte imbalances don't vomit like dog or cat. need to determine if actual vomit or regurg

Question 24

you get a call about a 4H lamb that has been drooling a lot, and has been vomiting a lot. what do you do?

Answer 24

radiograph!! you suspect a megaesophagus. not common but not rare. poor prognosis these tend to be prolonged problems. if they regurgitate to chew their cud, majority will go to lungs and can aspirate

Question 25

what vitamin deficiency can lead to megaesophagus?

Answer 25

Vitamin E

Question 26

all ruminants with megaesophagus are ____________ deficient until proven otherwise

Answer 26

Vitamin E deficient

Question 27

are lung tumors common or uncommon in ruminants?

Answer 27

uncommon

Question 28

what is the most common tumor to metastasize to lungs in livestock?

Answer 28

lymphosarcoma (LAS) also uterine and ovarian adenocarcinoma

Question 29

what is a common tumor in livestock younglings

Answer 29

juvenile melanoma. in utero to a month of age. but not actually commonly seen in lungs

Question 30

what is the most common tumor in ruminants?

Answer 30

thymoma: sheep and goats often asymptomatic, dyspnea, muffled lung sounds. dx: radiographs, US prognosis not good. can affect vagal branches and vessels

Question 31

what are clinical signs of a thymoma in ruminants?

Answer 31

- can't swallow: body weight condition - often asymptomatic - dyspnea - muffled lung sounds - +/- CHF, rumen tympany, megaesophagus

Question 32

what is the prognosis of thymoma in sheep and goats?

Answer 32

guarded to grave. surgical excision is difficult and hemorrhages ventral cervical masses are often excisable with good prognosis

Question 33

Dottie, a 9 year old female was referred to you for chronic skin disease, weight loss, and pruritis. nothing you have tried helps. non responsive to abx, meds, etc. what do you do now?

Answer 33

chest radiograph! pulmonary tumor paraneoplastic syndrome: tumor secreting TNF, cytokines, things that stimulate immune system. all of those attack the skin, and nothing you can do will help not common, but not rare

Question 34

bovine cardiac lymphoma

Answer 34

- form of enzootic lymphoma secondary to BLV - Right atrium - HULA: heart, uterus, lymph node, abomasum are the most common sites for enzootic lymphoma in cattle

Question 35

what are the most common sites for enzootic lymphoma in cattle

Answer 35

HULA heart uterus lymph node abomasum

Question 36

how can you treat paraneoplastic lung tumors?

Answer 36

you can't treat them. very poor prognosis

Question 37

bovine cardiac lymphoma can be secondary to what virus

Answer 37

bovine leukemia virus

Question 38

what is the most common area seen affected by bovine cardiac lymphoma (lymphosarcoma)?

Answer 38

spinal cord!!

Question 39

what is the pathogenesis of diaphragmatic paralysis?

Answer 39

- suspected degeneration or trauma to phrenic nerve - Vitamin E deficiency *** - aberrant parasite migration - trauma to cervical spinal cord or thorax - nearby abscess or tumor treating with vitamin E often is curative very quickly

Question 40

phrenic nerve paralysis

Answer 40

- unilateral vs bilateral - unilateral may be subclinical - bilateral: bad. dyspnea, tachypnea, nostril flare, neuro signs maybe

Question 41

how do you diagnose diaphragmatic paralysis?

Answer 41

- radiographs - fluoroscopy

Question 42

what is the prognosis of diaphragmatic paralysis?

Answer 42

- no long term follow up available - animals may learn to compensate with abdominal muscles - some will resolve with time and return of fx of the phrenic n and diaphgram