Health and Husbandry - Health Checks

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What senses do you use when health checking?

  • sight
  • smell
  • feel
  • hear
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Health Checking at Different Life Stages - Young

  • biting as a result of teething
  • spaying/neutering 
  • hip dysplasia/elbow dysplasia 
  • free from parasites 
  • no lumps (hernias)
  • crying
  • gaining the right amount of weight
  • vaccinations 
  • any defects 
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Different Life Stages - Breeding

  • visual Health Check
  • nesting behaviour
  • weight gain
  • fertility
  • normal appetite until a later stage
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Different Life Stages - Lactating

  • weaning
  • all young suckling
  • check reproductive organs
  • need to give mym a break from young
  • careful about calcium deficiency
  • mum has a larger appetite
  • mastitis
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Different Life Stages - Geriatric

  • regular check-up
  • weight
  • teeth
  • movement fluid (arthritis)
  • weaker immune system
  • appetite and thirst (diabetes and excessive drinking)
  • visual problems
  • stiff
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Signs of Ill Health - Discharges

  • clear, blood-stained  or purulent
  • unilateral or bilateral
  • profuse and/or sudden
  • odour
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Signs of Ill Health - Inflammation

  • redness
  • lesions and flakiness
  • swelling
  • heat
  • pain
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Signs of Ill Health - Swelling

  • hard/soft
  • pain
  • fluid/fleshy
  • discharge present
  • sudden appearance and severe (acute)
  • slow development and minor (chronic)
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Pain Assessment

Pain and Injury occur under a variety of circumstances:

  • following accidental injury
  • following surgical procedures
  • as a result of disease
  • as a result of organ malfunction
  • as a result of poor husbandry and management

The early recognition of pain is essential to:

  • provide comfort for the animal
  • seek appropriate help
  • administer pain relief
  • maintain good welfare

The existence of pain is shown by

  • obvious anatomical dysfunction
  • distress/discomfort
  • actions of the animal
  • vocalisation
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Signs of Pain: Head and Eye Pain

Remember that many animals will not show abnormal physical or behavioural signs relating to pain until the pain level is at its greatest.

Head Ache:

  • half-closed eyes
  • pressing head into furniture
  • gently shaking of the head
  • vacant staring into space

Eye Pain:

  • pawing at eyes
  • constant preening/grooming
  • rubbing head on body/furniture
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Signs of Pain: Ear, Mouth and Throat Pain

Ear and Mouth Pain

Difficult to distinguish as nerve pathways are very close

  • head inclined to the affected side
  • ear held low
  • excessive salivation 
  • reluctance or inability to eat
  • frequent yawning 
  • head shaking

Throat Pain

  • retching
  • drooling
  • stretching neck forward and upward
  • gulping
  • dysphagia
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Signs of Pain: Abdominal and Limb/Joint Pain

Abdominal Pain:

  • looking at the site of pain
  • biting/excessive licking of the area
  • reluctance to move
  • hunched over
  • persistent straining

Limb/Joint Pain

  • carrying limb
  • nodding head or rump when sound leg on the ground
  • foot-dragging
  • difficulty raising
  • stiffened gait
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Signs of Pain: Spinal, Anal/Anal Gland and General

Spinal Pain:

  • resentment to touching the area of the spine
  • trembling when standing
  • 'lumping' in centre of the back
  • difficulty in defecating/urinating
  • the collapse of hind limbs
  • incontinence

Anal/Anal Gland Pain

  • dragging anus (scooting) along the floor
  • sudden or frequent inspection of the rear
  • excessive licking/grooming

General Internal Pain

  • similar to symptoms to abdominal pain
  • restlessness
  • pacing
  • inability to settle in one position 
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Signs of Pain: other signs of pain

  • vocalisations including yelping, crying, hissing, spitting
  • aggression which is normally radical change to normal temperament
  • fear of being touched, facial expression and of being moved
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Behaviour

  • makes sure it's eating and drinking the correct amount
    • Polydipsia - excessive drinking
  • changes in behaviour can indicate an issue
  • Bright, Alert, Responsive
  • keen to exercise
  • not unusually aggressive
  • a change in behaviour can be caused by:
    • age
    • breed
    • temperament
    • pregnancy/lactation
  • to notice a change in behaviour, keepers must be familiar with the 'normal' behaviour of an animal
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Overall Ap

Overall Appearance

  • head to tail (including toes/feet/hooves/nails)

Body Condition Scoring

  • used on animals that are hard to weigh
  • works on a variety of species
  • generally on a scale of 1 to 5
    • 1 = underweight
    • 3 = ideal
      • ribs felt with little pressure
      • tucked in waist
    • 5 = obese
  • weight change can show disease, but can also occur because of reproductive status or seasonal patterns of fat deposition 
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Fur and Sk

Fur

  • glossy
  • dense
  • no parasites
  • no matting
  • even
  • no signs of flaky skin

Skin

  • no flaking
  • no sign of parasites
  • swollen areas indicate inflammation 
  • areas of hair loss symptomatic of ringworm or mange
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Respiratio

Respiration

  • regular, non-strained breathing
  • relaxed
  • no panting (without suitable cause)

Heart Rate

  • regular heartbeat with a suitable rate

Temperature

  • correct temperature for species
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Vomit, Mou

Vomit

  • not all animals are capable of vomiting (e.g. equids)

Mouth

  • no food remaining (may suggest a dental issue)
  • the tongue should be clean apart from just after eating

Gums

  • colour comes back quickly after pressure applied
  • not too pale but at the same time not inflamed
  • in dogs should be salmon pink in colour (depending on breed, if the dog has pigmented gums look at the eyes instead for issues)

Teeth

  • no trouble eating
  • no sign of decay
  • teeth are clean
  • no bad breath (could suggest tooth decay or underlying infection)
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Nose, Eyes

Nose

  • no discharge
  • no inflammation

Eyes 

  • clear and bright pupils
  • clean
  • no discharge
  • no red or yellow tinge to the white of the eye

Ears

  • clean
  • no excessive ear wax
  • response to sound
  • no pain
  • no inflammation
  • no infection
  • no hairs blocking the ear canal
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Ribs, Limb

Ribs

  • ribs can be felt but not seen

Limbs

  • even weight distribution on all limbs

Pads

  • no cracks
  • no trapped seeds
  • no cuts

Claws

  • not cracked/overgrown
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What does a healthy animal look like? - Genitals,

Genitals

  • (females) check for discharge from opening to reproductive organs

Anal Area

  • diarrhoea, cloudy urine etc. can result from a change in diet
  • (faeces) no diarrhoea, 1-2 times per day, firm and brown, passed without straining

Urinary Tract

  • urine is clear yellow in colour
  • (male) urinate frequently to mark territory
  • (female) urinate 2-3 times per day
  • urine is passed without difficulty
  • Polyuria - excessive urination

Tail

  • free movement
  • no bends in the tail
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Health Routines - Daily

  • coat
  • faeces
  • urine
  • appetite
  • thirst
  • exercise levels
  • temperament 
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Health Routines - Weekly

  • coat/skin condition
  • check genitals for discharge
  • ear canals for smell/wax
  • gums and teeth
  • colour of mucous membranes
  • check for 'lumps and bumps'
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Health Routines - Monthly

  • nails
  • beak
  • teeth length
  • weight 
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Problem Indicators

e.g. daily

  • Not eating/drinking
    • may indicate stomach problems, blockages, organ issues
  • Faeces
    • diarrhoea
    • parasites
    • constipation
  • Too much/little urine
    • bladder problem/infection
  • Exercise levels
    • lethargy
    • hyperactivity
  • Temperament
    • sudden aggression can indicate pain or brain disease
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