Veterinary Clinical Medicine-I (General and Systemic)

Pnemonia - Clinical findings

PNEUMONIA - CLINICAL FINDINGS

• Rapid, shallow respiration is the cardinal signs of early pneumonia, dyspnea occurring in the later stages.
• Polypnoea may be quite maker with only minor pneumonic lesions and the rapidity  of the respiration is an inaccurate guide to the degree of pulmonary involvement.
• Cough is other important sign (the type of the cough varies with the type of the lesion). Bronchopneumonia is usually accompanied by a moist painful cough, interstitial pneumonia by frequent, dry, backing cough, often in paroxysms.
• Cyanosis is not a common signs and occurs only when large of the lung are affected.
• A nasal discharge may or may not be present in the bronchioles whether or not there is accompanying inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.
• The odour of the breath may be informative. It may have an odour of the decay when there is a large accumulation of inspissated pus present in the air passages, or putrid, especially in horses, when pulmonary gangrene is present.
• Auscultation of the thorax before and after coughing may detect exudate in the air passages.
• By auscultation in the early congestive stage of bronchopneumonia and interstitial pneumonia the vascular murmur is increased. Moist rales develop in broncho- pneumonia as bronchiolar exudation increases but in uncomplicated interstitial pneumonia, clear, harsh bronchial tones are audible.
• Consolidation also causes increased audibility of the heart sounds. When pleurisy is also present it causes a pleuritic friction rub in the early stages and muffling of the pulmonary sounds in the late exudative stages. Consolidation can be detected also by precussion of the thorax or by tracheal percussion.
• There may be an observable difference in the amount of movement in the two side of the chest if the degree of consolidation is much greater in one lung. Additional signs evident in pneumonia include fever of variable severity, anorexia, depression, and an increase in pulse rate.