Veterinary Clinical Medicine-I (General and Systemic)

CLINICAL SIGNS

• Major clinical finding is diarrhea.
• Dehydration, abdominal pain, septicemia and toxemia with fever.
• In acute enteritis, feces are soft or fluid in consistency and unpleasant odor.
• Contain blood, fibrinous casts and mucus/ foreign material –sand.
• Color of feces- pale yellow; sometimes frank blood; hematochezia or melena.
• Distribution of the feces on animal’s perineum:

Systemic changes

• Septicaemia, toxaemia and fever .
• Increase in body temperature, dehydration, tachycardia or bradycardia and arrhythmia.
• Abdominal pain in heavy inorganic metal poisoning and in acute salmonellosis.
• Increased peristalsis and fluid rushing sounds

Chronic enteritis

• Feces are soft homogenous in consistency,
• Considerable mucus and do not have abnormal odor.
• Progressive weight loss and runting are common.
• Hypoproteinemia and subcutaneous edema.
• In terminal ileitis there is usually chronic progressive weight loss and mild diarrhea.