VCP 411: Medicine Section

POSTURE

• Check for limping, in-coordination or unsteadiness and abnormal limb placement in animals brought for check up.
• Standing& Recumbent(Sternal or Lateral)
• Standing:Changes in posture associated with diseases takes a variety of forms including curvature of the vertebral column. Eg. Kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis, rotation of the head, abnormal position of the limbs.
• Horses shift its weight from limb to limb in laminitis
• Pain arching of back, praying position in pancreatitis in dogs are associated with abdominal pain
• Obvious abduction of the elbows seen when there is pain in chest or dyspnoea( difficulty in breathing)
• Erection and rigid ears, Stiff limb and rigid tail seen in tetanus
• Star gazing posture seen in early pregnancy toxaemia (sheep).
• Vestibular disease, listeriosis, coenurosis, ketosis (goat) there will be deviation of neck to one side.  

• Crossing of the legs, straddling, head pushing, learning into the stanchion: Ketosis (nervous form, OPC poisoning in dogs.
• Opisthotonus and lateral recumbency seen in hypomagnesemic tetany in calves.
• “Dog sitting” posture with kicking at the belly seen in colic in horses.