Foundations of Veterinary Medicine: Concepts and Systemic Disorders is a concise and essential resource tailored for students, interns, and early-career professionals in the field of veterinary science. This book introduces readers to the history, scope, and evolution of veterinary medicine, establishing a strong foundation for understanding animal health and disease management.
Beginning with the conceptual underpinnings of veterinary practice, the book explores general systemic states and moves into core diagnostic and clinical areas including gastrointestinal and urinary system disorders. It addresses the pathophysiology, clinical signs, diagnostic approaches, and treatment options for common diseases affecting companion and production animals.
Designed to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical clinical application, this book supports veterinary learners in understanding the interconnection between anatomy, physiology, pathology, and therapeutic interventions. With an emphasis on system-based learning and real-world relevance, it serves as a valuable introductory text for veterinary curricula.
Veterinary medicine is the offshoot of the medicine dealing with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases/disorders of all animal species including domestic, wild and exotic, companion, draught and pack animals. Veterinary medicine appears to exist in some form or other from the time of earliest domestication of animals. India has a rich heritage of animal care since Vedic period. The diseases related to general systemic states
The word “Veterinary” has originated from Latin “veter?n?rius” concerning draught animal and “Medicine” from Middle English, Middle French, Old French and Latin words meaning “healing”. Veterinary medicine is the offshoot of the medicine dealing with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases/disorders of all animal species including domestic, wild and exotic, companion, draught and pack animals. CONTRIBUTION OF VETERINARY MEDICINE • Reduction in number of cases of tuberculosis and brucellosis in human. • Development of safe and effective vaccines to prevent and control of animal diseases such as Rinderpest, Foot and mouth, Hemorrhagic septicemia, Black quarter, Pox, Parvo, Distemper,
The concept of health and diseases is essential to veterinary medicine. Understanding of such concepts provides the basis of disease classification. But these concepts are rarely given precise definition in the textbooks of veterinary medicine. HEALTH Health is generally considered as absence of the disease. But it is an incomplete definition. The concept of health can be split into five categories viz. health as normality, health as biological function, health as homeostasis, health as physical and psychological wellbeing, and health as productivity including reproduction. Therefore an animal is stated to be healthy only when it is in a complete state of physical, social and mental wellbeing and not
HYPERTHERMIA Hyperthermia is a condition characterized by elevated body temperature due to increased heat production or absorption, or reduced heat loss owing to physical cause. Etiology • Physical causes such as exposure to high environmental temperature, severe and prolonged physical activity especially in hot humid condition or animals confined with poor ventilation. • Spontaneous hemorrhage in hypothalamus can cause neurogenic hyperthermia. • Severe dehydration affects the heat loss by evaporation and thus can lead to hyperthermia. • Too much muscular activity.
MANIFESTATIONS OF GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT DISEASES Diseases of gastro-intestinal tract may be acute or chronic. Dehydration and shock are the major effects of acute and hyper acute diseases of gastrointestinal tract respectively. While major effect of chronic dysfunction of gastrointestinal tract is exhaustion from lack of food and water owing to loss of appetite (anorexia,). Other manifestations of gastro-intestinal tract diseases are abnormalities of prehension, mastication and swallowing; salivation; diarrhea: constipation and tenesmus; ileus; vomiting; hemorrhage; abdominal pain; abdominal distension; and shock and dehydration. Abnormal Prehension • Prehension abnormalities may arise from paralysis of jaw muscles and tongue, dentition defects, mouth pain
MANIFESTATIONS OF URINARY SYSTEM DISEASES Urinary tract diseases in farm animals are generally clinically characterized by pain and difficult urination (dysuria); alterations in urine volume and its composition; rupture of the renal pelvis, bladder and urethra; and inadequacy of nervous control of urination. Clinical Signs • Dysuria and abdominal pain are common expression of discomfort owing to urinary tract diseases. Acute abdominal pain is rarely seen in cattle due to sudden distension of renal pelvis (pyelonephritis), ureter or renal infarction. Abdominal pain from urethral obstruction leading to distension of urinary bladder is clinically manifested by tail switching, kicking at belly, straining at urination and grunting. Horses with acute tubular nephrosis may show signs of renal colic (arching back, rubbing perineum and tail head). Dysuria (frequent passage of small amounts of urine with pain) is associated with cystitis, vesicle calculus and urethritis • Uremia is commonly seen in cases of acute renal failure and is manifested
