General Medicine Lecture On Weight Loss

Front 1

What are the 6 general categories for the cause of weight loss?

Back 1

1) Inadequate feed and/or water intake
2) Poor quality feed and water source
3) An inability or reluctance to eat or swallow
4) Incomplete digestion or nutrient absorption
5) Increased loss after absorbing nutrients
6) Increased metabolic demand

Front 2

True or false. There is usually a primary reason underlying weight loss.

Back 2

False, there is often more than one cause for weight loss is present making identifying an etiology and successfully managing weight loss more difficult

Front 3

What are 3 possible circumstances of inadequate feed intake?

Back 3

1) Poor management and simply feeding too little
2) Excessive competition from herd mates
3) Too many horses present in a restricted area

Front 4

What is a physical reason for weight loss?

Back 4

Reduced mobility may limit getting adequate feed

Front 5

Decreased ______ consumption leads to weight loss quickly, partly as a result of decreased feed intake.

Back 5

Water consumption

Front 6

What can cause an inability or reluctance to eat?

Back 6

-Feed palatability and quality
-Dental and oral disease
-Musculoskeletal problems
-Neurologic dysfunction

Front 7

If multiple horses on a farm are experiencing weight loss, _______ should be considered.

Back 7

Feed quality

Front 8

How do you diagnose palatability and feed quality as the issue causing decreased feed intake?

Back 8

By eliminating other causes in many situations

Front 9

How may an animal with a mandible or maxillary fracture present?

Back 9

Weight loss
Abnormal eating behavior

Front 10

Damage to what cranial nerves can affect chewing, swallowing and prehension?

Back 10

V, VII, IX, XII

Front 11

What are some ways that cranial nerves V, VII, IX and XII can be damaged?

Back 11

-Guttural pouch infections
-Abscesses
-Otitis interna
-Trauma

Front 12

Dental disease is not limited to geriatric horses and young horses may have ________ creating pain or physically inhibiting chewing.

Back 12

Retained deciduous teeth

Front 13

Anorexia may be observed secondary to ______ or chronic pain.

Back 13

Systemic disease

Front 14

True or false. Poor digestion as a result of pancreatic disease or enzyme deficiencies commonly cause weight loss.

Back 14

False, infrequent if at all

Front 15

An inability to masticate feed and present feed particles in an appropriate size for the colon to completely digest may be a factor of ______

Back 15

Poor dentition

Front 16

Colonic and cecal microflora disruption may develop asa result of __________ leading to abnormal cecal and colonic fermentation and absorption.

Back 16

small intestinal malabsorption

Front 17

What are 3 examples of pathologic processes that lead to increased nutrient loss?

Back 17

1) Protein losing enteropathy
2) Renal disease
3) Third space sequestration
-Regardless of process protein loss is a consistent finding

Front 18

Protein losing enteropathies will usually result in ______ and _______ as well as weight loss.

Back 18

Malabsorption and maldigestion

Front 19

What are 5 physiologic alterations that cause an increased metabolic demand?

Back 19

1) Lower environmental temperature
2) Pregnancy
3) Lactation
4) Breeding season for a stallion
5) Increased exercise

Front 20

What are 4 examples of chronic pathophysiologic changes that result in an increased metabolic demand?

Back 20

1) Neoplasm
2) Chronic laminitis
3) Renal failure
4) Liver disease

Front 21

What are the 5 stops in a general approach to diagnosing the cause for weight loss?

Back 21

1) Environment evaluation
2) Thorough history & physical exam INCLUDING RECTAL PALPATION
3) Feed evaluation including a complete feed analysis
-Takes ~1 week
4) Minimum data base
-always have at least 1 starting point - start w/ common things first then reassure differentials w/ exam/ tests

Front 22

Is pancreatic dysfunction more common in small or large animals?

Back 22

Small animals

Front 23

Why can we see tartar build up in horses with renal dysfunction?

Back 23

Because calcium is controlled by the kidneys so see tartar from calcium build up

Front 24

What would be a situation where a horse would lose weight due to exercise demands?

Back 24

Strenuous exercise after a horse stands around all winter, then can't keep up w/ increased demands