When a horse is hospitalized at Fox Run Equine Center, it gets a full physical examination every day. This is part of the daily hospitaliztion. The aim is to be thorough; repeated examination might reveal something new that could help with treatment, and helps to determine if the horse is improving or not. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION OF THE HORSE The key to performing an accurate physical exam in the horse is to develop a consistent and thorough systematic approach. You must incorporate all senses: sight, sound, touch, smell (ok, not taste). SIGHT- Look at the overall appearance, attitude, respiratory pattern, and abdominal contour; note the color of any discharge, the mucous membranes, urine, etc. of the horse. Also note obvious musculoskeletal abnormalities. SOUND- Auscultation and percussion of heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, listen to rhythm of each horse’s gait. TOUCH- Palpation of body and limbs, swellings, bumps, tendons, joints, pulses, etc. SMELL- infection, diarrhea, breath, etc. Perform a thorough evaluation of each body system in a step-wise fashion. Try to be as consistent as possible with each exam. Complete your exam in the same order every time to ensure that nothing is inadvertently overlooked. Included below are common descriptive terms and abbreviations often used in medical records to describe physical exam findings as well as schematics to help you visualize relative anatomic locations within the horse. The last page of this handout outlines some of the more common terms used by lay persons. GENERAL ASSESSMENT: Attitude- BAR= bright, alert, responsive to stimuli QAR= quiet, alert, responsive to stimuli EDUD= eating, drinking, urinating, defecating— be sure to note if each is normal Depressed, painful, dull, non-responsive, obtunded, and comatose General body condition-obese, good condition, thin, emaciated, cachectic Coat condition- shiny/glossy, dull brittle, thin, rough Hirsutism- excessively long, curly, rough hair seen with pituitary dysfunction (Equine Cushing’s Disease) Also note sweating, tremors, dehydration, weakness, etc. EENT- Ears, Eyes, Nose, Throat Ears- hearing, movement Eyes- equal sized pupils, normal Pupillary Light Response (PLR), eyelid function and epiphora? Conjunctivitis, blepharospasm, chemosis? Note masses (tumors) on the cornea or eyelids? Corneal translucency Nose- nasal discharge- serous, mucoid, or purulent; epistaxis; uni- or bilateral Percussion of sinuses, facial symmetry, air flow through nares, respiratory noise Throat- coughing, swelling, gag reflex MM-mucous membranes (oral or vulvar) Color- pink, pale, white, injected, bright red, cyanotic, toxic line CRT- capillary refill time, indicator of perfusion/hydration status, should be
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:00:01 +0000
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