General Pathology:

Animal well-being is a priority for farmers and if one of the flock falls ill there is a best practice to follow. Here are some guidelines on what to do when things go wrong, to protect the rest of the flock. 

What you should keep in mind and do when you have a sick animal, before calling the vet for advice. 

 

General Pathology:

1.    In the living animal look for clinical signs. General examination – start at the head, remember feet and mouth (blue tongue); openings (discharges, colour, swellings, diarrhoea); mucous membranes, behaviour, temperature; general body condition;

2.    History!!!! – Clinical signs, vaccinations and previous treatments, diet, age group, veld type etc. are important.

Post Mortem:

1. Animal must lie on it’s right hand side, lift forelimb and hind limbs and cut – look for subcutaneous lesions (bruising; anaemia).
2. Cut abdominal cavity open gently along the midline – note if fluid comes out, and colour of fluid. Cut up to the end of the rib cage. Cut attachment of the diaphragm to the rib cage – listen for a popping sound – lugs collapsing due to loss of negative pressure. If the lungs do not collapse it could be a possible pneumonia/
3. Cut open the thorax along the sternum so all the organs in the chest are exposed.
4. Remove organs of the abdominal cavity: spleen (sample for bluetongue); gastrointestinal tract (parasites; bacterial infections; faecal collections); rumen contents (acidosis; plant remnants) mesenteric lymph nodes and ileocaecal lymph nodes (Johnes disease); liver (liver fluke; toxic plants; copper deficiency/toxicity; domsiekte); kidneys (pulpy kidney, copper toxicity). Look at the bladder and if full look at urine (possible copper toxicity if urine is red). Remove all organs carefully and only once samples have been taken cut into the organs.
5. Do the same for the thorax. Cut open the trachea into the bronchi and into lung tissue. Cut open the heart (look at clot in ventricle).
6. Head and Brain – brain can be sent in for histopathology if nervous symptoms have occurred e.g. thiamine deficiency.

Sample Collection – label them clearly!!!!

·         Bacteriology – as sterile as possible; all affected organs; tied off GIT loops; swabs;       abscess contents; take many samples in separate containers – keep cold/on ice.

·         Virology – spleen and lymph nodes on ice; blood tubes with green lid.

·         Histopathology – in formalin, numerous samples about 1cm thick with bit of normal tissue with abnormal tissue.

·         Mineral analysis -  fresh and frozen / in formalin: liver and kidneys