A transferase enzyme which is deficient in some cats, resulting in MUCOLIPIDOSIS II.
Nagana is an unscientific but convenient name for trypanosomiasis transmitted by tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) in Africa. The TRYPANOSOMES involved are Trypanosoma vivax, T. uniforme, T. congolense, T. brucei, T. simiae, and T. suis. The signs of nagana include ANAEMIA, intermittent fever and (except in pigs, in which the disease may be very acute) a slow, progressive emaciation. In both horses and dogs the eyes may be affected, as shown by corneal opacity. Horses often have oedema affecting the limbs and abdomen. Cattle may abort.
The drug QUINAPYRAMINE is used (among others) in treatment.
The kudu, hyena and bush-buck, as well as other wild animals, act as reservoirs of the infection.
(See INJURIES FROM SHOEING.)
A claw contains a matrix with blood vessels, nerves, etc., from which it grows and is nourished. Lying within the matrix is the bone of the terminal phalanx of the digit, which gives the nail its characteristic form in the different animals. When not in use in the carnivora, nails are retracted by ligaments in an upwards direction; this is more marked in cats, where the nail may almost disappear, than in dogs. Dew claws in dogs are non-weight-bearing claws on the inner aspect of the legs. In some countries they may be removed at birth. They commonly become torn through catching on soft furnishing or clothing.
The nails of cats and dogs sometimes become torn or broken through fighting or accidents. Sometimes only the tip is injured, and the matrix higher up is undamaged; in such cases a fine pellicle of horn covers the tip until such time as the horn has grown down from above, and the whole nail is not shed. In other cases infection occurs, causing great tenderness of the part. (See ONYCHOMYCOSIS; PARONYCHIA.)
Ingrowing nails particularly occur in the ‘dew claws’, on the insides of the paws of dogs. These more or less rudimentary digits do not touch the ground, and are consequently not subjected to wear from friction. The nails grow, and owing to their curve eventually penetrate the soft pad behind them. Where actual penetration has occurred, the nail should be cut short and an antiseptic dressing applied. It is customary for owners of sporting and other dogs to have the dew claws removed during puppyhood to avoid future trouble of this nature. Amputation of dew claws can be carried out in the adult under anaesthesia. Ingrowing nails occur in other claws where there is not sufficient wear such as following arthritis.
Onychomycosis, or a fungal infection of the claws, is a not uncommon condition in cats, and is of public-health importance as a reservoir of ringworm transmissible to children. (See RINGWORM.)
Nairobi sheep disease is an acute infectious fever of sheep and goats, caused by a bunyavirus, and occurring in eastern and southern Africa. The virus is transmitted by the tick Rhipicephalus appendiculatus.
Signs Imported sheep usually show an acute febrile disturbance within five or six days after being infected by the ticks. This lasts for up to nine days and then a fall in temperature occurs and other clinical signs appear. Death may take place a day or two later, or a further rise in temperature may be shown, death or recovery following. There is rapidity and difficulty in breathing, a mucopurulent nasal discharge and green watery diarrhoea, which may contain mucus or blood. The genital organs of ewes are swollen and congested, and abortion may occur in pregnant ewes.
Immunity In the great majority of cases, recovery confers a strong and lasting immunity. This is also possessed by sheep in areas where the infection is endemic.
An antagonist to narcotics; it is structurally related to oxymorphine. It reverses the effects of previously administered narcotics.
Popular name for an adult female goat (DOE).
An abnormally small head.
A unit of weight equivalent to 10-9 g; 1000 micrograms 1 microgram (μg) is 10-6 g; 1000 micrograms equal 1 milligram (mg).
A congenital problem where there are undersized extremities.
A unit of linear measurement used in e.g. virology. One nm equals one billionth (1 x 10-9) of a metre.
These are extremely small particles which are 1 to 100 nanometres (1x10-7 to 1 x10-9 m) in size. Each particle is able to act as a whole unit or entity in terms of its transport and properties.
Naphthalene poisoning might arise from the ingestion of mothballs. In the dog, it has been shown experimentally to give rise to haemolytic anaemia. (In children, poisoning from mothballs gives rise to ‘port-wine coloured’ urine.) Another sign is cataract. Chlorinated naphthalenes have been identified as one cause of HYPERKERATOSIS in cattle; and tear stains may be a sign of this type of poisoning.
An anticoccidial medicine used on its own or together with nicarbacin.
Narcolepsy is a sudden collapse into deep sleep. It has been recorded in dogs, and may be partly genetic in origin and has been seen in horses. A case was recorded in the UK in a three-year-old Corgi which sometimes collapsed when taken for his first walk of the day, or offered food. Often yawning and a vacant expression would precede a sudden drop from a standing position to a sitting one or a lying one. No excitement, salivation, or convulsions were seen, and at other times the dog was active and mentally alert; he was easily aroused after he had collapsed. The condition has also been recorded in DACHSHUNDS, DOBERMANNS, LABRADOR RETRIEVERS and poodles.
Nares is the Latin word for the nostrils.
Relating to the nose.
These are serious parasites of sheep. (See under FLIES - ORDER DIPTERA - BOT AND WARBLE FLIES.)
(See NOSE AND NASAL PASSAGES, DISEASES OF.)
(See NOSE AND NASAL PASSAGES.)
These flexible tubes are used routinely to give fluids in horses. Cuffed tubes can be used to clear choke.
A duct at the inner CANTHUS of the eye, which drains tears after their passage across the eye’s surface. The duct passes into the nasal passage. When blocked or constricted, EPIPHORA or tear overflow occurs, and tear staining (CHROMODACTYORRHOEA) may be seen.
Narrow tubes inserted through the nose into the stomach. They are tolerated by many, if not most, cats, and can be used to provide nutritional support via liquid foods for a week or two. The use of small-diameter tubes does not prevent voluntary intake of food.
The upper part of the throat lying posterior to the nasal cavity.
(See WATERCRESS.)
An antibiotic used for the treatment of ringworm in cattle and horses. Application can be made with a knapsack sprayer. (See RINGWORM.)
The main association for farmers in England and Wales. Address: Agricultural House, Stonleigh Park, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire CV8 2TZ; telephone: 024 7685 8500; website: www.nfuonline.com.
A British organisation producing milk recording services, including individual and herd records for milk yields, butterfat, protein, lactose, somatic cell counts. It can also produce individual cow lactations, pedigree records and other information.
Founded in 1986, to represent those UK companies which manufacture animal-health products licensed under the Medicines Act. Address: 3 Crossfield Chambers, Gladbeck Way, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 7HF. Telephone: 0208 367 3131; email: noah@noah.co.uk: website: www.noah.co.uk. Publications include: Compendium of Data Sheets for Animal Medicines (annually and online at www.noahcompendium.co.uk); The Safe Storage & Handling of Animal Medicines; Poisoning in Veterinary Practice.
This provides a service for reuniting lost pets with their owners, and also for third-party liability. Address: Thorpe Underwood Hall, Great Ouseburn, York, North Yorkshire YO26 9SZ. Telephone: 0870 4023800.
A long-term UK plan which aims to reduce and, eventually, eradicate the number of sheep not genetically resistant to scrapie and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Under the scheme, sheep are individually identified by electronic tag, and blood-tested to establish whether they are susceptible or resistant to scrapie. Sheep identified as susceptible must not be bred from. Under DEFRA proposals in 2003, farmers with confirmed scrapie cases on their farms will have their flocks genotyped so that the more susceptible sheep can be identified and removed, or the whole flock disposed of.
A non-departmental public body responsible to the Secretary of State for DEFRA. Its remit is the protection and improvement of England’s natural environment and to encourage people to enjoy and become involved in their surroundings. Head Office: Natural England, 1 East Parade, Sheffield, S1 2ET. Telephone: 0300 060 6000; 0845 600 3078; email: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk.
(See LATEX.)
An informal name for OEDEMA of the udder.
Another name for the UMBILICUS.
(See JOINT-ILL.)
Navicular bone is the popular name for the sesamoid of the third phalanx of the horse. It is a little boat-shaped bone, developed just above the deep flexor tendon, and serves, as do all sesamoid bones, to minimise friction where the tendon passes round a corner of another bone. It enters into the formation of the ‘coffin-joint’, between the second and third phalanges of the digit. It is of great importance in deep punctured wounds of the foot when these are situated towards the heels, for, when damaged, its surface becomes inflamed, the inflammation spreads to the coffin-joint and may produce incurable lameness. (See NAVICULAR DISEASE.)
Fractures of the navicular bone can result in a hind-limb from a violent kick against a solid object. There is sudden onset of acute lameness.
Navicular disease is a chronic condition of inflammation affecting the horse’s navicular bone and its associated structures. The fore-feet are usually both affected, though the condition may arise in only one of these, or in the hind-feet (rarely). Ulceration of the cartilage first, and later of the bone on the surface over which the deep flexor tendon plays, may sometimes be seen at autopsy.
Causes These are still a matter of hypothesis rather than certainty, and controversy persists. Some authors have referred to increased VASCULARISATION of the NAVICULAR BONE; others suggest that ISCHAEMIA may be responsible, leading to pain and, if at least two of the distal arteries are occluded, to chronic lameness. In horses lame as a result of navicular disease, occlusion of the main artery and progressive arterial thrombosis are frequent, with a resulting area of ischaemic necrosis and CAVITATION of the navicular bone.
Another view is that the disease is not caused primarily by ischaemia and subsequent necrosis, but is a consequence of bone remodelling due to altered pressure from the deep flexor tendon and increased load on the caudal part of the foot – the condition not being irreversible unless secondary lesions such as adhesions and bony spurs have developed. Special shoeing to alter the load on the navicular bone is recommended.
Signs Navicular disease usually develops so slowly that the owner has considerable difficulty in remembering exactly when the first signs were noticed. In fact, little or no importance may be attached to the almost characteristic ‘pointing’ of one or both fore-feet, because ‘he has always done that’. ‘Pointing’ consists of resting the affected foot (or feet) by placing it a short distance in advance of the other when standing in harness or in the stable. When both feet are affected, each is alternately pointed. Later, the horse may go lame or be tender on his feet at times, but with a rest he generally becomes sound again. As the disease advances, he may either start off in the mornings stiff and become better with exercise as he warms to his work, or may become lame as the day goes on. Sooner or later, however, there comes a time when he will go permanently ‘pottery’ or ‘groggy’. The length of the stride decreases and there is difficulty in advancing the feet, so it looks as if the shoulder is the seat of the lesion. When made to turn, the horse pivots round on the fore-feet instead of lifting them, and when made to back, drags the toes. If the shoe of such a horse is examined it is usually found to be more worn at the toes than at the heels. In fact a ‘groggy’ horse may wear his shoes quite thin at the toes before the heels show much sign of wear at all. In the final stages the horse becomes distinctly lame and unfit for work. When observed in the stable he is noticed to be continually shifting from one foot on to the other, and the resting foot is placed well out in front.
Treatment must aim at the relief of pain and improvement of the local blood circulation. The vasodilator ISOXSUPRINE or a formulation of WARFARIN may be added to the feed of horses; the dosage of warfarin requires great care – with overdosage there is a danger of haemorrhage. Warfarin treatment has been reported effective in about 75 per cent of cases of navicular disease.
Before the advent of drug therapy it was customary to perform the operation of neurectomy, which consists of removal of a section of the plantar or median nerve of the limb. In a favourable case, following operation, the horse becomes apparently sound, although the diseased condition is still at work in the bone. No pain is felt, and the horse is fit for light work at slow paces. The feet require constant attention to ensure that no stones, nails, etc. lodge in the hoof, for even when these inflict serious damage the horse still goes sound, not feeling the pain.
Navy beans may cause death if fed raw. (See LEGUME POISONING.)
(See NECROTISING ENTERITIS.)
An alphavirus infection of horses and donkeys; less frequently of cattle and sheep. Convulsions/paralysis may follow fever and precede death. (See EQUINE ENCEPHALITIS; BORNA DISEASE.)
The conversion of a liquid to a mist or fine spray. A nebuliser is used.
In animals, the neck is that part of the body connecting the head with the trunk. It contains the trachea, oesophagus, blood vessels, the spinal cord and cervical vertebrae. Both the mouse and giraffe have seven cervical vertebrae, as do most mammals.
The weight of the head is supported by the powerful ligamentum nuchae, which takes the strain off the muscles, thereby avoiding fatigue. In the horse the ligament extends from the spines of the withers to the posterior of the occipital bone of the SKULL.
Damage of an organ, or tissue, caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum. The necrotic area has a characteristic rotting odour.
(Synonym: HEPATOCUTANEOUS SYNDROME)
Examination of a dead body. (See AUTOPSY; POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION.)
Death of cells or of a limited portion of tissue. The resultant dead tissue may remain firm (COAGULATION NECROSIS) or liquefy (LIQUEFACTION NECROSIS).
(See CALF DIPHTHERIA.)
A subacute or chronic enteritis which follows a more severe episode caused by infection with Salmonella spp. or Campylobacter sputorum var. mucosalis. A condition of unweaned and older pigs, characterised by scouring and loss of condition.
The lesions are in the caecum and ileum. (See also under ILEUM.)
Cold, damp, dirty surroundings appear to predispose to necrotic enteritis. (See PORCINE INTESTINAL ADENOMATOSIS.)
A disease of chickens characterised by unthriftiness and diarrhoea caused by Clostridium perfringens (welchii) type C. There is usually a concurrent defect in nutrition. The disease has been reported in most European and North American countries, and in Australia. In the USA when disease occurs, raising the ambient temperature and reducing light levels has a beneficial effect. The condition became more common following the EU ban on using antimicrobial growth promoters in diets.
(See HEPATOCUTANEOUS SYNDROME.)
A serious infection of the inside of the mouth and the tongue, seen in calves; it may also be found in reptiles. (See CALF DIPHTHERIA.
This is seen in several species. In pigs it occur in young piglets and is caused by Clostridium SPP. perfringens type C. It can be prevented by vaccinating the sows. Infection can persist on farms for several years after an outbreak.
Seen in reptiles including crocodiles and various lizard species, it is caused by the fungus Chrysosporium anamorph of Nannizziopsis vriesii.
(See ACCIDENTAL SELF-INJECTION.)
An airtight area over the wound subjected to a continuous vacuum of 75-125mm (Hg) mercury depending on the severity of the tissue damage will facilitate closure.
Negri bodies are comparatively large, rounded bodies in the brain cells of animals infected with rabies. Their presence can be demonstrated by staining with Seller’s stain, among others. The cerebral cortex, Ammon’s horn, and the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum are the main sites to examine. The diagnosis of rabies once depended upon the demonstration of Negri bodies in the affected animal. (See RABIES.)
Spherical, Gram-negative bacteria, some of which are associated with eye infections.
A drug that destroys nematodes.
Nematode is a general term applied to the parasitic Nemathelminthes, which include the roundworms, as distinct from the Platyhelminthes, or flatworms. (See ROUNDWORMS; WORMS.)
In the USA, larvae of Anguina agrostis on Chewing’s fescue in immature hay caused an outbreak of poisoning in cattle. Signs included knuckling of the fetlocks, head tucked between the fore-legs, recumbency, convulsions, and death.
Infection with Nematodirus species.
Parasitic worms of, particularly, lambs; also sheep and calves. N. battus infection is transferred from one season’s lambs to the next as large numbers of eggs are deposited on pasture. Development of the eggs occurs only after exposure to cold and moisture. However, there is a summer form of nematodiriasis which usually involves the sudden onset of thick black diarrhoea in lambs, with dehydration and death. The eggs in the faeces are twice as large as most other helminths. Deaths can also occur before eggs are produced. The infection risk is lessened by rearing young lambs on different pastures each year. In recent years, a summer/autumn type of infection has also occurred. It is thought to be due to spring shed eggs hatching without previous chilling in the south of England, or in Scotland due to prolonged survival of spring hatched larvae or a different Nematodirus strain. (See WORMS.)
(See PENTOBARBITONE SODIUM.)
A drug effective against BLACKHEAD OF TURKEYS. It has been largely superseded by dimetridazole and nifursol.
An aminoglycoside antibiotic obtained from Streptomyces fradiae. It is administered as an injection for horses, pigs, sheep, dogs and cats but should be used with care, especially in the young animal, as it can result in kidney damage. Its action closely resembles that of streptomycin. It is used, sometimes in combination with other medicaments, in a number of veterinary formulations, particularly ophthalmic and otic topical preparations. NB: A topical spray of this antibiotic has caused profound deafness in children. (See DEAFNESS.)
Referring to the newborn.
A neonate is a newborn animal.
A group of pesticides which may have an effect on BEES.
This describes the ready early acceptance of certain dietary ingredients following exposure to some of their chemical constituents or metabolites in the amniotic fluid during pregnancy. (See NEOPHOBIC EFFECT.)
This describes rejection of some dietary ingredients in young animals due to unfamiliarity, caused by their absence from the diet of the gestating mother. (See NEOPHILIC EFFECT.)
A tumour which develops persistent, purposeless, proliferative new growth.
Neoplasm means literally ‘a new growth’, and is applied to tumours in general.
A breed relatively new to the UK. It is possible that an eye condition, EURYBLEPHARON, is inherited by an unknown mechanism.
This parasite was discovered in Norway in 1984, and later recognised in Sweden, the USA, Australia and the UK in 1990. It is now found worldwide.
Cause A protozoan resembling Toxoplasma gondii. Congenital infection occurs in cattle, dogs and cats. The life cycle involves the definitive host, the dog, and the secondary host, mainly cattle infected by oral ingestion. There is transplacental infection in cattle; the calves are usually born healthy but persistently infected and thus infection continues within the herd. Concurrent infections such as with pestivirus increases the incidence of abortion.
Signs Infected animals (puppies, calves) may develop ataxia, a fleeting paralysis and NYSTAGMUS. Meningitis appears in some cases. The parasite is a common cause of bovine abortion; it may also be found in aborted ovine fetuses. There is currently no effective vaccine in UK, although one available elsewhere does reduce herd abortion levels. The only control is to cull all infected cattle as identified by serology.
A disease of dogs which is important as the causal parasite Neospora caninum. (See NEOSPORA CANINUM.)
The retention of juvenile activities and appearance into adulthood. It is the basis of popularity of some breeds of dog that remain as playful as puppies throughout their life. The extreme example is an amphibian, the axolotl or Mexican walking fish, which rarely matures to the adult stage.
The current name for the harvest mite, which used to be called Trombicula autumnalis. (See MITES, PARASITIC - OTHER MITES - HARVEST MITES.)
(See IMIDAZOLINE COMPOUNDS.)
Nephrectomy is the operation by which one of the kidneys is removed. (See KIDNEYS, DISEASES OF.)
Inflammation of the kidneys (see KIDNEYS, DISEASES OF; LEPTOSPIROSIS).
The presence of a stone (calculus) in the pelvis of the kidney.
The structural unit of the KIDNEY.
Any disease of the kidney. (See also FAMILIAL NEPHROPATHY.)
‘Floating kidney’ – abnormal positioning of the kidney (see KIDNEYS, DISEASES OF).
A condition found in hamsters characterised by polydipsia, polyuria, proteinuria and weight loss. Diagnosis is by urine analysis. Anabolic steroids may assist in treatment.
This is a disease of the kidneys, involving damage to the tubules. It leads to albuminuria and often to oedema. (See also KIDNEYS, DISEASES OF.)
A disease of chickens. (See GUMBORO DISEASE; INFECTIOUS BURSAL DISEASE.)
(See NEPHROSIS.)
Surgical incision into a kidney.
Anaesthesia of a nerve or nerves supplying part of the body to assist diagnosis or treatment. Often used in diagnosing the cause of lameness in the horse.
(See OLFACTORY NERVE.)
The nerves are fibre-like tissues that convey impulses (‘messages’) between the central nervous system and other parts of the body. The basic unit of the nervous system is the neuron, a cell with at least one projection. Bipolar neurons have one long projection, the axon, and one short branching projection, the dendrite. A typical neuron (multipolar) has several dendrites but usually only one axon (nerve fibre).
Dendrites conduct nerve impulses towards the nerve cell; axons conduct away from it.
A synapse is a point or area where one neuron is able to make contact with another; the contact being between the axon of one neuron and a dendrite of another neuron, or between the axon of one neuron and the cell of another neuron. Any neuron may connect with axons or dendrites of several other neurons.
Nerve fibres may be myelinated (enclosed in a sheath) or unmyelinated (see MYELIN). Some nerve fibres (axons) convey impulses to brain or spinal cord from skin or sense organ, and are termed sensory or afferent. Their impulses are passed, through connecting links or interneurons, to motor or efferent nerves from brain or spinal cord (but see spinal reflex under SPINAL CORD Functions).
Nerve impulses are dependent upon the permeability of cell membranes. There is a potential difference of about 70 to 80 millivolts between the inside and the outside of an axon – the inside being the negative. This is owing to the fact that in a resting state the cell membrane is permeable to K(+) and Cl(–) ions, but not to Na(+) ions. Stimulation of the nerve results in the membrane becoming permeable to the sodium ions, which flow in causing the inside of the axon to carry a positive electrical charge instead of a negative one. A so-called depolarisation wave is set up, ‘self-perpetuating’, along one neuron after another. A single nerve fibre can send about 1,000 separate impulses per second.
ACETYLCHOLINE is released by somatic (muscle) nerve fibres at synapses between neurons on either side of ganglia, and also at the junction of motor nerve endings and voluntary (striated) muscle. Acetylcholine is released also at synapses by parasympathetic nerve fibres. NORADRENALIN is released at synapses of sympathetic nerve fibres, and at their junction with smooth (unstriated) involuntary muscle fibres.
Continued or repeated severe pressure upon a nerve trunk may be sufficient to damage it and result in paralysis; severe bruising in which a nerve is driven against a bone with considerable force may produce paralysis or inflammation of the nerve; a nerve may be severed along with other tissues in a deep wound; fracture of a bone, such as the 1st rib, may produce rupture of any nerves that lie upon or near to it; and other accidents may also involve the nerves of the part. A nerve may sometimes be injured at its origin before it leaves the brain or spinal cord by haemorrhage. (See also under IMMUNISATION.)
Signs Sometimes, it is not until after a wound has healed that the injury to the nerve becomes obvious. In ‘radial paralysis’, or in other cases where large and important motor nerves have been damaged, the resulting paralysis of the muscles they supply is seen at once. (See RADIAL PARALYSIS.) Atrophy of muscles results.
(See FACIAL PARALYSIS for another example of a nerve injury.)
A tumour, such as a neurofibrosarcoma or (in the cat) a lymphosarcoma, may press upon or infiltrate the brachial plexus causing progressive lameness and pain. (See BRACHIAL.) Another tumour is a NEUROMA.
If a nerve is cut, the distal part degenerates. This is called Wallerian degeneration.
Neuritis (See under NEURITIS.)
A state of excitability which results in physical and mental unrest. It is often seen in wild animals, and is a defence or protective mechanism against danger. It often occurs in domestic animals following a fright or unusual occurrence such as noise (fireworks, aircraft) or injury. It is also seen when an animal is exposed to a new situation or unfamiliar people, or where an animal is badly treated by a person. Pathological nervousness can be treated by mild SEDATION or DELMADINONE ACETATE.
(See CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM.)
(See BRAIN DISEASES; ENCEPHALITIS; BOTULISM; CHOREA; DISTEMPER; CANINE VIRAL HEPATITIS; TETANUS; RABIES; SPINAL CORD; LISTERIOSIS; etc.)
A small compact rabbit weighing about 1 kg (2 lb) with short smooth hair coat of any colour, short ears and prominent eyes.
A broad-spectrum anthelmintic for use in cattle and sheep against intestinal roundworms, tapeworms, lungworms and liver fluke.
(See URTICARIA.)
Neurectomy is an operation in which part of a nerve is excised. The operation is sometimes performed to give relief from otherwise incurable lameness in the horse, but the response, if any, may be only temporary.
Neurilemma is the thin membranous covering of nerve fibres.
Inflammation affecting nerves or their sheaths. It is often accompanied by pain (neuralgia), sometimes by spastic paralysis. Causes include viral infections, allergies, malnutrition, and poisoning, as well as physical injuries. (See NEUROMA; NERVES, INJURIES TO; and under IMMUNISATION.)
Prefix meaning nerve-related.
Relating to, or originating from, the NERVOUS SYSTEM.
A fine web of tissue and branching cells which supports the nerve fibres and cells of the nervous system.
A state of combined sedation and analgesia. It is used for carrying out minor surgical procedures where full anaesthesia is not required. A combination of a sedative, e.g. ACEPROMAZINE, and a powerful analgesic, usually an opiate, is used.
Pertaining to the NERVOUS SYSTEM.
The science of the study of the NERVOUS SYSTEM in health and disease.
A tumour connected with a nerve, and very painful.
This results in the termination of nerves within muscles.
Neuron is a single unit of the nervous system, consisting of one nerve cell, with all its processes. (See illustration opposite and also NERVES.)
Any disease that affects the NEURON.
A disease of the peripheral nervous system, which may be the result of a functional disturbance or pathological disorder. The cause may be known or unknown.
A protective substance produced in cases of severe stress. It quells the effect of corticosteroid-releasing hormone and reduces the damage that may result from excess or long-term release of corticosteroids. It appears to be produced in the HYPOTHALAMUS. (See DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE.)
Substances which damage, destroy or poison nerve tissue.
A substance which is released from the end of a nerve and travels to an organ or tissues, resulting in its stimulation or inhibition. These include ACETYLCHOLINE, ADRENALIN, and DOPAMINE.
Neurotropic virus is one which shows a predilection for becoming localised in, and fixing itself to, nerve tissues. The best known of these is that of RABIES. Rabies virus enters the body through torn nerve fibres at the seat of an injury, such as a bite, and, growing along them, eventually reaches the spinal cord and brain. Other neurotropic viruses are those of louping-ill in sheep, and BORNA DISEASE in horses and cattle.
(See CASTRATION and SPAYING; also VASECTOMY.)
Elementary particles with approximately the same mass as a proton. The latter has been defined as a stable, positively charged elementary particle found in atomic nuclei in numbers equal to its atomic number.
A reduced number of neutrophil granular leukocytes in the blood.
(In human medicine, most cases are attributed to the direct toxic effect of certain antibiotics, e.g. penicillin and the cephalosporins, or to immune-mediated mechanisms. With this type of blood DYSCRASIA patients are at serious risk of an overwhelming infection.) The condition is often encountered in young parrots infected with the PSITTACINE BEAK AND FEATHER DISEASE virus.
A type of white blood cell which can migrate into the tissues and engulf bacteria, etc. Neutrophil activation in cattle and possibly other species requires the release of stored intracellular calcium which passes through the plasma membrane, a process called store operated calcium entry. (See under BLOOD; ABSCESS.)
An infectious, febrile NOTIFIABLE DISEASE of chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigeons and wild birds. Globally, it is the most economically important disease of livestock. Aviary birds, particularly finches (canaries, etc.), may be infected by wind spread. Waterfowl can be infected but clinical disease is rare. In humans, conjunctivitis is the main clinical sign, but people working with infected birds may develop an influenza-like illness.
Cause Paramyxovirus.
Signs The first sign noticed in laying birds may be a drop in egg yield with the production of pale, misshapen and/or soft-shelled eggs. According to the virus strain, infected birds develop respiratory or nervous signs; it is rare to find both together. Severe breathing difficulties develop in birds affected with the respiratory strain. In the nervous form, torticollis, paralysis of the wings or legs and impaction of the intestine are features. In mild cases, the main clinical sign may be diarrhoea, usually black. Mortality varies. Egg production may recover, but not to its former level. Post mortem examination shows haemorrhages of the PROVENTRICULUS.
Control Live and inactivated vaccines are used. Vaccination regimes can vary according to local circumstances and must be established on the basis of veterinary advice; the manufacturer may need to be consulted. Live vaccines include the Hitchner B1; they are administered in the drinking water, by beak-dipping, by eye-dropper or by aerosol spray. The manufacturer’s directions must be strictly followed in each case. The inactivated vaccine is used for secondary vaccination after primary immunisation with live vaccine. It is administered intramuscularly into the thigh muscle or subcutaneously into the back of the neck.
It should always be assumed that, in the vicinity of an outbreak, every flock to be vaccinated is incubating the disease. The incubation period is around 21 days and it takes 10 to 14 days to build up an immunity.
A painful eye condition which can lead to blindness if neglected. (See EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF.)
A blood-sucking fly, found in many parts of Britain. Hippobosca equina attacks horses and cattle. It deposits larvae (not eggs) in the soil. When disturbed, it makes a characteristic sideways movement. (See FLIES.)
These ponies have been bred in the New Forest of Southern England since 1066. They are not feral but are managed by their owners who have common law grazing rights in the forest. The mares and foals and a few geldings live wild for most of the year. Licensed stallions are turned out for three months starting May. The ponies may be bay, chestnut or grey, but not piebald or skewbald. They are normally over 12 HANDS high but must not exceed 14.2. They make excellent children’s ponies.
A large breed of dog developed in Canada to rescue people from rivers and the sea; it is a powerful swimmer. It is long-haired and usually black or brown. HIP DYSPLASIA, AORTIC STENOSIS, ununited ANCONEAL PROCESS and OSTEOCHONDRITIS may be inherited. They are susceptible to CRUCIATE LIGAMENT RUPTURE. There is a DNA test for CYSTINURIA.
The chickens are derived from New Hampshire, USA. The adults are a rich chestnut red colour and they produce large light brown eggs. The males weigh 3.9 kg (8.5 lb) and the hens 3 kg (6.5 lb).
(See EQUINE INFLUENZA; COUGHING.)
(See GALVANISED AVIARY WIRE; ZINC POISONING.)
(See HUNTAWAY DOGS.)
A medium-sized breed of white rabbit popular as a pet and also as a laboratory animal. Glaucoma is inherited in some strains of the breed.
(See NATIONAL FARMERS UNION.)
One of the vitamin B group, present in most animal feeds, and produced in the digestive system from tryptophan. With maize feeding, a niacin deficiency may occur. It has been suggested that niacin supplements benefit dairy cows, as synthesis of the vitamin in the rumen may not be sufficient, which was formerly thought to be the case. In dogs a niacin deficiency causes ‘BLACK TONGUE’. (See SHEEPDOGS; VITAMINS.)
One of the first coccidiostats to be available in the UK and still in use in meat-producing birds. It is contraindicated in layers and breeders.
A cerebral vasodilator, which blocks SEROTONIN and DOPAMINE receptors. It improves certain disorders in the aged dog including diminished vigour and vigilance, sleep disorders and some psychomotor disturbances.
This is defined in the Docking and Nicking of Horses Act 1949 as ‘the deliberate severing of any tendon or muscle in the tail of a horse’. The practice is illegal.
A nitrosalicylanilide anthelmintic which has activity against tapeworms except for Echinococcus granulosus and Dipylidium caninum in dogs. It is effective against ruminal flukes in ruminants (paramphistomides).
Nicotine poisoning has killed cattle dressed with nicotine against warbles, and may also arise from the old practice by shepherds of dosing their flocks with tobacco against parasitic worms. Poisoning has also been reported in poultry when perches have been painted with nicotine sulphate to try to control red mite (Dermanyssus galinae). It can also occur in dogs eating cigarettes or e-cigarettes and their refills.
One of the vitamin B group present naturally in the body and convertible to NIACIN.
The ‘third eyelid’, or haw, also known as the membrana nictitans, consists of a plate of cartilage covered with conjunctiva, and having lymphatic tissue and the HARDERIAN GLAND. Often pigmented, the membrane is always prominent in breeds of dogs such as the bloodhound and ST BERNARD. Occasionally distortion of the membrane occurs in GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS and GREAT DANES. In other breeds of dog, and in the cat, its protrusion across part of the eye may indicate general debility if bilateral; causes of unilateral protrusion include the presence of a foreign body, ulceration, a nerve injury, or occasionally a tumour. (See EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF; HAW; HARDERIAN GLAND.)
This is a common problem in dogs, and in a survey most (64 per cent) were UNILATERAL, and of those BILATERAL 41 per cent were simultaneous, otherwise usually the second occurred within three months of the first. It is seen as a reddish or bulging mass in the inner corner of the eye. The condition usually occurs before two years old and is rarely seen after three years old. It is common in AMERICAN COCKER SPANIEL, BASSET HOUND, BEAGLE, BOSTON TERRIER, ENGLISH COCKER SPANIEL, ENGLISH BULLDOG, FRENCH BULLDOG, GREAT DANE, LHASA APSO, PEKINGESE and is often bilateral in CANE CORSO, ENGLISH BULLDOG, FRENCH BULLDOG, GREAT DANE, SHAR-PEI. Surgical replacement of the prolapsed gland is usually possible.
A term used for a bird or animal that remains in its nest or birthplace for a long period after birth. This applies to mammals, marsupials and many birds. Such animals are dependent on their parents for their feeding, protection and learning necessary survival skills.
A term used of birds that are able to leave the nest soon after hatching. These include chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and many waterfowl, waders and game birds.
A nervous problem seen in Siamese kittens; it is caused by a sphingomyelinase deficiency. Currently there is no treatment.
A drug active against histomoniasis, used in the prevention of BLACKHEAD OF TURKEYS. As there is no adequate residue depletion data, the product was banned in the EU for use in food-producing animals.
‘Night blindness’ is seen in VITAMIN A deficiency and early progressive retinal atrophy. However it has been shown that continuous lighting caused blindness in turkey breeding flocks. The permanent constricted state of the iris did not allow the normal contractions to occur, and so prevented the pumping out from the eye of the toxic by-products of metabolism, resulting in opacity of the vitreous humour. It is illegal to have lights on in poultry houses 24 hours a day.
(See EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF; NYCTALOPIA.)
Night lighting is commonly practised in poultry houses, using 40-watt lamps (or equivalent) to give a 14-hour day, or 1500-watt lamps for three 20-second exposures a night. The object is increased egg production during the winter months, and the effect is due not merely to the provision of extra feeding-time, but also to the influence of light indirectly on the ovaries. However, an investigation carried out in conjunction into eye abnormalities in turkey breeding flocks, leading to blindness, showed that the cause was continuous artificial light. Seventy per cent of poults showed signs after five weeks of exposure, and it was shown that it was the continuity and not the intensity of the light which was doing the damage.
The nightshades comprise garden or black nightshade (Solanum nigrum), woody nightshade or bittersweet (S. dulcamara), and deadly nightshade or belladonna (Atropa belladonna). (See GARDEN NIGHTSHADE POISONING; BITTERSWEET POISONING; and ATROPINE POISONING).
Nigroid bodies are black or brown irregular outgrowths from the edges of the iris of the horse’s eye. (See IRIS.)
Nipah virus is responsible for a disease of pigs in tropical areas. It causes fever, nervous signs, respiratory difficulties and abortions. An outbreak of encephalitis among pig farmers in Malaysia, caused by the virus, resulted in the slaughter of 1.1 million pigs (out of a total pig population of 2.4 million) on 956 farms in an effort to control the outbreak. Only 796 pig farms remained. Of 256 people who suffered from encephalitis, 105 died. The infection is thought to have originated in flying foxes.
Nipple-drinkers are popular in pig and poultry enterprises as they supply water on demand without using troughs, and avoiding the possibility of drinking water being fouled. Similar drinkers are available for use by dogs in kennels. Animals may have to be taught how to use them.
Infection and necrosis of sows’ nipples are not uncommonly caused by Fusiformis necrophorus, and may lead to the death of piglets from starvation. (See also MAMILLA - MAMILLITIS.)
Egg of louse or other parasitic insect.
A treatment for flea infestation in dogs and cats. It is given in tablet form or mixed into a small amount of food. It is given on the day when fleas are seen. It is contraindicated in animals less than four weeks old or those weighing less than 1 kg. After administration, the animal may scratch more than usual due to the reaction of the fleas to the product.
Poisoning as a result of eating plants with a high potassium nitrate content is common in some of the western parts of the USA. The nitrate is reduced to nitrite by substances within the plant under certain climatic conditions, and when such a plant is eaten the nitrite is rapidly absorbed from the digestive system and converts haemoglobin into METHAEMOGLOBIN. This is incapable of giving up its oxygen to the tissues and as a result the animal dies.
Sodium nitrite is used for curing meat and has found its way into swill, causing fatal poisoning in pigs. The main signs observed were vomiting, squealing and distressed breathing. Nitrite poisoning has also occurred, in piggeries with poor ventilation, from condensation dripping down. It may arise, too, in grazing animals where nitrogenous fertilisers have been spread during dry weather, or before rain has washed it away. Feed or bedding contaminated by fertiliser from broken bags can be a source of nitrate poisoning. The nitrate itself has a fairly low toxicity, before being converted into the poisonous nitrite.
Treatment consists of 4 per cent methylene blue intravenously, and ascorbic acid. (See NITROSAMINES.)
Signs include abdominal pain, head pressing, sometimes diarrhoea, weakness and ATAXIA, DYSPNOEA, rapid heart action and, especially, CYANOSIS. The mucous membranes appear brown, due to the presence of methaemoglobin, as does the blood. Convulsions, coma and death may follow. A change in temperament may occur with normally quiet cows becoming wild and also abortion is recorded.
Fatal nitrite poisoning of pigs has occurred following the use, for drinking purposes, of rainwater containing decaying organic matter.
Nitrites are salts which, in excess, convert haemoglobin into METHAEMOGLOBIN, and may cause death from lack of oxygen. They are used on meat to provide flavour and colour and as a MEAT PATHOGEN INHIBITOR for pathogens including BOTULISM. (See NITRITE POISONING; NITROSAMINES.)
A group of drugs developed in the USA during the 1940s, and including nitrofurazone, furazolidone, and nitrofurantoin (for urinary tract infections). They are effective against a wide range of bacteria, including Gram-negative; some against protozoa and fungi. It is thought that they interfere with the carbohydrate metabolism of micro-organisms. The use of furazolidone and nitrofurantoin for medicines in food-producing animals is prohibited in the EU.
(See AIR). For liquid nitrogen see CRYOSURGERY; ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION.
Nitrogen dioxide A reddish-brown heavy gas with an offensive odour. This is formed by oxidation, on exposure to air, from the colourless nitric oxide. The latter appears to be the chief oxide of nitrogen produced in the early stages of silage-making.
Emissions of this gas from silage clamps have caused human illness and the death of farm animals.
Signs Dyspnoea, cyanosis, muscular weakness and, in piglets, vomiting.
A coccidiostat for poultry, especially caecal coccidiosis (Eimeria tenella), and to a lesser extent intestinal coccidiosis (Eimeria necatrix).
Nitrophenide poisoning, characterised by paralysis, has occurred in pigs fed medicated meal intended for poultry and containing nitrophenide as a treatment for coccidiosis.
They are very powerful chemical carcinogens. They cause cancer of specific organs irrespective of the route of administration. Some nitrosamines can be formed from nitrite and secondary amine or amide in the acid stomach contents of animals. Nitrites used as food preservatives, and high levels of nitrates in drinking water, can be carcinogens.
A general anthelmintic for use in dogs. It acts against both tapeworms and roundworms.
The drug 2-amino-5-nitrothiazole was mainly used in controlling blackhead in turkeys (by preventive medication).
This anaesthetic is not much used in veterinary practice but, where it is, there is a need for good ventilation, as it interferes with vitamin B metabolism and, in a pregnant anaesthetist, may bring about a miscarriage.
Nitroxynil, a fasciolicide, is used by SUBCUTANEOUS injection for the treatment of fluke in cattle and sheep and, given by mouth, against gapeworm in birds. Animals must not be slaughtered for meat until 30 days after administration. In heifers it should not be used during the last trimester of pregnancy; in sheep and goats it should not be used within one year of first lambing or kidding.
(See NANOMETRE.)
1. (See NATIONAL MILK RECORDS.)
2. (See NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE.)
(See NATIONAL OFFICE OF ANIMAL HEALTH.)
Infection with Nocardia asteroides in cattle, dogs, cats and man. It is a saprophytic inhabitant of the soil and belongs to the genus Actinomycetes. It was formerly classified as a fungus but is now regarded as a bacterium. It has occasionally been isolated from the udders of cows affected with mastitis, and has been reported as the cause of ‘incurable mastitis’ in an outbreak on a Texas farm. Involvement of the liver and mesentery, with marked loss of condition, thirst, and some diarrhoea – calling for euthanasia – has been recorded in the dog in Britain. PLEURO-PNEUMONIA, occasionally also a skin infection, may result from Nocardia in dogs and cats.
Active in or of the night (compare with DIURNAL).
(See LYMPH NODES.)
An inflammatory reaction involving subcutaneous fat, and characterised by nodules which burst. Abscesses and sloughing may occur. (See AUTO-IMMUNE DISEASE, of which the above is an example, occurring in dogs.)
(See STRESS.)
(See LYMPHOMA.)
The adjective used for the cells or tissues (e.g. non-parenchymatous cells, tissues) that form the support structure for the cells active within a tissue or organ.
These are present in cereals and contribute to the viscosity of the intestinal contents. Wheat and barley have a greater impact on intestinal viscosity than other cereals.
NSAID is an acronym for Non-Steroidal, Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. They are very widely used in the control of postoperative pain, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions; also as anti-inflammatory agents where pain may not be an issue and steroids are best avoided. They are also anti-pyretic. FLUNIXIN MEGLUMINE, PHENYLBUTAZONE, CARPROFEN, MELOXICAM, FIROCOXIB, KETOPROFEN, TEPOXALIN, ROBENACOXIB and ASPIRIN are examples of NSAIDs. Diclofenac is licensed in some EU countries. PARACETAMOL is generally included in the group although it does not have anti-inflammatory effects and should not be used in cats. Duration of activity in cats of many NSAIDs is usually longer than in dogs, but suitable compounds include meloxicam and robenacoxib. They may be administered orally or by injection according to type and formulation. There are restrictions on the use of most NSAIDs in horses competing under Jockey Club, etc. rules.
Side effects are uncommon, but in most species can include gastric or intestinal ulceration or bleeding, renal toxicity, growth plate defects, HYPOTENSION, HYPERSENSITIVITY and CNS signs such as seizures, ataxia, depression and coma.
(See ANALGESICS.)
A term used to cover simple SUGARS, STARCHES and FRUCTANS. It is a term sometimes used of plants in nutrition and rationing particularly of horses. They are rapidly digested compared with FIBRE. (See also FIBRE; HORSES, FEEDING OF; RATIONS FOR LIVESTOCK.)
A hormone secreted by the adrenal gland medulla. It causes increased heart rate, and constricts the blood vessels, causing a rise in blood pressure. (See NERVES.)
American name for ADRENALIN and also used in the British Pharmacopoeia. (See NORADRENALIN.)
This black turkey is believed to be the first variety domesticated in Britain; it was previously called the BLACK TURKEY. The stags weigh 11.4 kg (25 lb) and the hen 5.9 kg to 6.8 kg (13 lb to 15 lb). Occasionally ‘CURLED TONGUE’ is seen in the breed.
This is used, with oestradiol, to control oestrus in cattle. It suppresses oestrus and ovulation by pituitary inhibition, while the oestrogen shortens the luteal phase of the reproductive cycle. An implant containing those drugs will suppress oestrous, which recommences on removal of the implant. It is used in beef cattle and maiden heifers, which are not supplying milk for human consumption.
Normal saline (Physiological saline) is a solution of sodium chloride in sterile distilled water, which is isotonic with the strength of this salt in the bloodstream – that is, about 0.9 per cent for mammals. (See also DEHYDRATION; DEXTRAN.)
Normoblast is a red blood cell which still contains the remnant of a nucleus.
(See NORWEGIAN FOREST CATS.)
This breed is mainly found in Scotland and Northern England. It was developed by Sir John Sinclair in 1791 who bought some CHEVIOT SHEEP and to increase their size mated them with SCOTTISH BLACKFACE SHEEP and possibly later with English or BORDER LEICESTER SHEEP. It has a Roman nose, black nostrils and a black line around the eyes with erect ears; both sexes are polled. The rams weigh up to 102 kg and ewes up to 79 kg.
This is a cross of BLUE-FACED LEICESTER ram with SWALEDALE or BLACKFACE ewe.
Also called ‘Red Ruby’, ‘Devon Ruby’ or ‘Devon’. They are a traditional breed with a herd book begun in 1850. It is now uncommon except in the south west of England. It has a dark red colour with a coat of medium thickness becoming long in winter and short and sleek in summer. The cows weigh about 430 kg to 590 kg and the bulls 770 kg to 1,000 kg. Previously dual-purpose (milk, meat), they are now used for beef.
This can infect canaries as well as poultry, and has caused allergic reactions in poultry-keepers in Israel. (See MITES, PARASITIC.)
A breed of boxer-sized dog introduced into the UK in the 1950s. Hereditary CATARACT may be present, but the mechanism of inheritance is unknown. (See under EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF.)
This is a breed not often seen in the UK. GLAUCOMA and PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY may be seen in this breed but the mode of inheritance are unknown. (See under EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF). DWARFISM is seen in the breed.
is a medium-hair breed of cat. The breed is prone to DEAFNESS and glycogenosis (abnormal glycogen storage in the tissues). There are DNA tests for GLYCOGEN STORAGE DISEASE and HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY.
A red-brown and white dairy breed of cattle which has been used in Britain since about 2000 to cross with Holstein cattle to produce a calf which has a relatively high milk yield, with higher levels of milk solids and also longer lived. The male calves can be used for beef.
This is a severe form of sarcoptic mange, also known as red mange. It is often called crusted scabies and may be associated with immunosuppression. The skin becomes red, the hair falls out in patches, and there is intense pruritus.
The ‘nose’ of an animal, which is more often termed the ‘muzzle’, or ‘snout’, according to the species, serves three important functions. It forms the outermost end of the respiratory passage; it is the organ of smell; and it contains some of the end-organs of the sense of touch.
Horses Externally, the rims of the nostrils are built up on a basis of cartilages covered over by a fold of delicate skin possessing long tactile hairs. The cartilages are not complete laterally, thereby allowing the nostrils to become greatly distended during occasions of emergency. Situated at the upper and outer part of each nostril there is a pouch-like sac which opens into the nostril at one end, but is blind at the other. This is often called the ‘false nostril’. Lying just within the entrance to the nasal passages about an inch or so inside each nostril is the lowermost opening of the LACRIMAL duct carrying tears secreted by the lacrimal gland of the eye.
Internally, each nostril, and the nasal passage to which it gives access, is completely divided from the other by the septum of the nose and its associated structures. This is composed partly by the vomer bone, and partly by a wall of cartilage which is continuous with the cartilages of the nostrils. The walls of each passage are lined by mucous membrane which is reflected on to the two turbinated scroll-like bones that are found in the passage; this membrane, being well supplied with blood, and being continually moist from the secretion of its mucin glands, serves to warm and moisten the incoming air before it passes to the lungs, and to extract the larger particles of dust, soot, etc., that the air picks up, by causing them to adhere to its sticky surface. The entrance to the air sinuses of the skull leads out from the posterior part of each passage, the mucous membrane lining the sinuses being continuous with that of the nose. (See SINUSES OF THE SKULL.) The end-organs of the sense of smell are scattered throughout the nasal mucous membrane in the upper parts particularly. The olfactory nerves from the brain, which pass out of the cranial cavity into that of the nose by way of the ethmoid bone, are distributed to these end-organs. Posteriorly, the nasal passages lead into the pharynx.
Cattle The nostrils, situated on either side of the broad expanse of moist hairless muzzle, are smaller and thicker than in the horse. No false nostril is present, and the opening of the lacrimal duct is not visible.
Catarrh Inflammation of the nostrils (mucous membranes of the nose) is called RHINITIS, and may accompany ordinary catarrhal inflammation of the nasal passages such as occurs in cases of DISTEMPER in the dog, of other febrile illnesses. The signs often resemble those of a human ‘cold in the head’, with a discharge from the nostrils which is at first clear and colourless, later becoming thick and yellowish-green. Horses and cattle often snort and shake their heads; dogs sneeze. Conjunctivitis may accompany the nasal catarrh.
In horses, the presence of ulcers in the mucous membrane with a perforated appearance may indicate GLANDERS. For a specific condition in the pig, see ATROPHIC RHINITIS.
Parasites, such as larvae of the sheep-nostril fly, Linguatula, or leeches in dog or cat, may cause a discharge from one or both nostrils.
A discharge from one nostril only may in the dog, for example, indicate the presence of a FOREIGN BODY such as a grass awn; or there may be a fungal infection (e.g. ASPERGILLOSIS) which may follow local injury or tumour formation. Another possible cause is an abscess at the root of a tooth, with pus collecting in the maxillary sinus and escaping through the nasomaxillary opening. (See MALAR ABSCESS.)
Treatment Nasal catarrh should be considered contagious. The animal should be isolated accordingly, and attention paid to comfort, ventilation, and suitability of food, as discussed under NURSING OF SICK ANIMALS. Signs of other diseases must be looked for, especially when the temperature is high, and a professional diagnosis should be obtained. The nostrils should be kept moist and pliable by rubbing small quantities of petroleum jelly around their rims daily, after sponging away discharges.
Diseased conditions of the turbinated bones or of the molar teeth call for surgical measures for their correction; parasites in the nasal cavities must be expelled (see MITES, PARASITIC); and if other foreign bodies are present they must be removed.
Haemorrhage from the nostrils may be due to injuries which cause tearing or laceration of the mucous membrane; it may occur during violent exertion, such as racing or hunting with horses not in maximum condition; it may be associated with ulceration, congestion, tumour formation, or other diseased condition of the nasal mucous membrane; it may be due to fracture of a horn core in cattle and sheep, the blood entering the nose from the sinuses of the skull; in horses it may be seen in GUTTURAL POUCH DISEASE; and see ‘BLEEDER HORSES’.
When the haemorrhage is only slight, little more than keeping the animal quiet, and applying douches of cold water to the bridge of the nose, will be required. A thin trickle of blood coming from one nostril only can be disregarded, as it will generally cease of its own accord. When the bleeding is very profuse, and there may be danger of collapse, more drastic measures are needed. The affected nostril should be plugged with swabs of cotton-wool enclosed in gauze, and so arranged that some of the gauze is left outside the nostril to allow of removal some hours afterwards. In horses, care must be taken not to confuse nose bleeding with pulmonary bleeding. Severe bleeding from both nostrils requires veterinary intervention; both nostrils may need to be plugged after first having performed a tracheotomy.
In rabbits, haemorrhage from the nostrils is the main PATHOGNOMONIC sign of VIRAL HAEMORRHAGIC DISEASE OF RABBITS.
Tumours include polyps, especially in the cat; and adenocarcinoma in dogs and other animals.
Among other conditions in which the nose or the nasal passages are affected may be mentioned: fungal infections, TUMOURS, mucosal disease, malignant catarrh, GLANDERS, URTICARIA, PURPURA HAEMORRHAGICA, STRANGLES and INFLUENZA. (See also INFECTIOUS NASAL GRANULOMATA IN CATTLE; RHINOSPORIDIOSIS; RHINOTRACHEITIS, INFECTIOUS BOVINE.)
‘Gerbil Nose’ is a DERMATITIS of the nose in gerbils associated with the secretion of the HARDERIAN GLANDS under stress.
Hospital-acquired, human nosocomial infections, usually associated with medical or surgical interventions, affect some 6 per cent of hospital patients, i.e. about 2 million people in the USA alone, resulting in some 6 million excess hospital bed-days. About 1 per cent of the victims die.
(See NOSE AND NASAL PASSAGES.)
Nostril flies (oestridae) are members of the class of two-winged flies, whose larvae are parasitic in the nasal cavities, and in the air sinuses of the skull, of sheep. (See under FLIES.)
Protrusion of the brain substance at the back of the head.
Notifiable diseases are those which, when they occur upon farm premises, must be notified to the Divisional Veterinary Office of the State Veterinary Service of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The list of notifiable diseases is amended from time to time and usually applies to all member states of the European Union. Those which are notifiable in the UK but not in all other member states are identified by an asterisk in the list below.
African horse sickness
African swine fever
American foul brood (bees)
Anthrax
Aujeszky’s disease*
Avian influenza
Bluetongue
Bonamiasis (in shellfish)*
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
Brucella melitensis
Brucellosis (bovine)
Cattle plague (rinderpest)
Classical swine fever
Contagious agalactia
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Contagious epididymitis
Contagious equine metritis
Dourine
Enzootic bovine leukosis
Epizootic haemorrhagic virus disease (deer)
Epizootic lymphangitis
Equine infectious anaemia
Equine viral arteritis
Equine viral encephalomyelitis (Eastern, Western and Venezuelan)
European foul brood (bees)
Foot-and-mouth disease
Furunculosis (fish)
Glanders and farcy
Goat pox
Gyrodactylosis caused by Gyrodactylus solaris*
Haplosporidiosis (in fish)
Infectious haematopoetic necrosis (in fish)
Infectious salmon anaemia*
Iridovirosis (in fish)
Koi Herpesvirus Disease
Lumpy skin disease
Lyassa virus in bats (if rabies)
Marteiliosis (in shellfish)*
Mikrocytosis (in fish)
Newcastle disease
Paramyxovirus in pigeons
Perkinosis
Peste des petits ruminants
Rabies
Rift Valley fever
Scrapie
Sheep pox
Sheep scab (Scotland only)
Spring viraemia of carp*
Swine vesicular disease (SVD)
Teschen disease
Tuberculosis (bovine)
Tuberculosis (deer)
Varroasis (in bees)
Vesicular stomatitis
Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia (in fish)*
Warble fly (bovine)*
West Nile fever
The following are notifiable diseases in the whole of Ireland (north and south):
Brucellosis, in ruminating animals and swine
Caprine viral arthritis-encephalitis
Caseous lymphadenitis
Enzootic abortion of ewes
Fowl typhoid
Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis
Johne’s disease
Maedi/visna
Mycoplasmal (infectious) synovitis
Mycoplasmosis (M. gallisepticum or M, melea gridis)
Parasitic mange of horses
Porcine epidemic diarrhoea (coronavirus)
Pullorum disease
Pulmonary adenomatosis
Psittacosis
Salmonellosis
Transmissible gastroenteritis of pigs
Tuberculosis in ruminating animals
Turkey rhinotracheitis
In Northern Ireland only:
Duck plague
Fowl pox
Infectious laryngotracheitis
Trichinosis
Vesicular exanthema
In the Republic of Ireland only:
Avian yersiniosis
Campylobacteriosis
(See under DISEASES OF ANIMALS ACTS – Diseases of Fish Act 1937 (as amended 1983), Diseases of Fish (Control) Regulations 1994 and the Fish Health Regulations 1997 for duties and responsibilities of animal-owners.)
(See under MITES, PARASITIC.)
A breed uncommon in UK. In this breed PROGRESSIVE RETINAL ATROPHY is inherited as a recessive trait and COLLIE EYE ANOMALY (DNA test available) is also present. (See under EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF.)
An antibiotic used in mastitis treatment. It is usually formulated with other antibiotics and in this form has also been used in treating otitis externa in dogs and cats.
(See NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATION DRUGS.)
(See NON-STRUCTURAL CARBOHYDRATES.)
(See ANGLO-NUBIAN GOATS.)
Also known as MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI), this is a minimal or hazard-free, non-invasive technique for generating images of internal sections of the body. The system works by utilising the differing absorption of radio waves by atoms in the body when exposed to a magnetic field. The amount of absorption is measured and the data used to generate a computer image. This allows lesions to be visualised within tissues and organs. It is very useful in the detection and diagnosis of brain diseases.
Involves the use of radio-isotopes for diagnosis and therapy. (See RADIOISOTOPES.)
(See under RADIOACTIVE FALL-OUT.)
(See DNA and RIBONUCLEIC ACID.)
Nuclein is a protein substance containing phosphorus derived from the nuclei of cells.
These subunits of DNA are used as dietary supplements for e.g. young pigs where they increase blood flow to the intestinal walls, accelerating mucosal development. Both humoral and cellular immunity are stimulated and the incidence of diarrhoea is reduced. (See RADIOISOTOPES.)
The central body in a cell which controls its activities. (See CELLS.)
Under the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005, local authorities have the power to enter premises and issue abatement orders. Deep pit free range poultry houses, indoor pig units, dairy units, calf pens and slurry storage areas provide idea conditions for multiplication of such flies, and up to 15 generations can be produced a year. In cattle they include the face fly, head fly, horn fly and stable fly. (See also FLIES - ORDER DIPTERA.)
Relating to a female animal that has not produced viable offspring.
These are located in the female bird’s reproductive tract at the junction of the oviduct and the isthmus. Spermatozoa migrating up the tract come to rest with their heads within these cells. They are then released gradually over a period to ascend the oviduct and fertilise eggs.
These are often cows from the dairy herd which, for some reason, are no longer milked. This may be because they have had mastitis and no longer produce milk in one or more quarters. They can be used to allow calves to suck from them and, if good milkers, then several batches of calves can be reared. They can also be used to increase the growth rates of calves; they are also bought by suckler herds, particularly pedigree beef herds, where the calf’s natural dam is not producing sufficient milk.
The advent of qualified professional VETERINARY NURSES has been of great benefit to practising veterinary surgeons, especially those engaged in small-animal practice, and to their patients; and has facilitated measures for intensive care.
Nursing of small animals at home If your dog or cat has an infectious disease, nursing may have to be undertaken at home, since only veterinary clinics with quarantine facilities can accept such cases owing to the risk to other patients.
In other cases, after initial veterinary treatment, it is often preferable to have the animal at home for nursing. There is likely to be less stress for your pet when it is not sent or kept away from its familiar surroundings.
A dog or cat which is ill, or recovering from an operation or accident, tends to seek solitude and require peace. Continual fussing and interference, however well-meant, are to be avoided; this has to be impressed on children.
Fresh air, warmth, and an absence of bright lights and noise (such as those emanating from a TV set) are desirable. A patient with eye inflammation, tetanus, or some other nervous system disorder needs protection from bright light.
Newspapers should be laid on the floor to protect the surface for contamination by urine, defecation, bleeding, etc. and destroyed after use. If a dog cannot go outside, a box of earth or ashes, or the material sold for cat trays, may be useful too. An extra sanitary tray will be needed for an ill cat.
Constipation may be a problem. A little of the oil from a tin of sardines may be taken voluntarily as a laxative. (NB a cat straining ineffectually over a litter tray may be trying to pass urine and not faeces.)
Temperature-taking often forms a part of animal nursing. Ideally, an intra-aural thermometer is best for inexperienced owners. If a clinical thermometer (with a stout, stubby end) is used the end should be lubricated before passing it into the rectum; care must be taken to avoid accidents. Cooking oil will serve for lubrication.
Animals with respiratory signs should be maintained in a constant ambient temperature.
The discharges from the eyes and nose of an ill animal should be cleaned away as required.
It is sometimes difficult to keep an ill dog or cat clean. Any hair or fur which becomes soiled should be combed or clipped off, taking great care not to damage the skin, and the part washed.
Feeding Prescription diets are specially formulated for use in assisting the treatment of specific canine and feline disorders. They are available in canned and dry form, as prescribed by veterinary surgeons; see DIET AND DIETETICS. Human invalid foods are often useful if special diets are unavailable.
Do not force solid foods on a sick animal which, if suffering from a digestive upset, is usually better off without solid food for a day or two. (See also under VOMITING.) Variety is important in feeding the sick.
During convalescence the animal may be tempted to eat by offering small quantities of warmed proprietary food, flavoured or unflavoured.
Nursing of horses The affected horse should be removed from its stall in the stable and placed in isolation. It should have plenty of bedding, be provided with clean water, and if the weather is cold it should be clothed with a rug. In cases where the horse is unable to stand, a specially thick straw be should be given, and one or two bags filled with straw, or bales of hay, are useful to prop it up in an upright position on the breast. Horses that are down must be turned over on to the other side twice or thrice daily. The rectum and bladder may require evacuation artificially, if it does not occur naturally. If bed sores appear, they should be dressed twice daily with surgical spirit, and more bedding should be supplied. In respiratory diseases the most important factor in nursing is the adequate provision of fresh air. Small feeds should be offered several times daily, and when a horse refuses one type of food it should be offered another. Whenever the breathing is faster than normal drenching should be avoided.
Nursing of cattle Isolate in a loose-box. Calves should be shut alone in a pen if infective but, ideally, in sight of other calves. The same conditions as to bedding, clothing, water, ventilation, etc., apply to cattle as to horses. Patient kindly treatment, the avoidance of all unnecessary fuss and haste, and a gentle firmness are essential.
A sick cow which refuses hay from a new ley will often eat hay from old pasture. Molasses may add palatability to food otherwise rejected; so may a little salt.
Products that are not drugs, but nutritional agents that exert a specific supplementary effect on a target organ, e.g. in cases of CYSTITIS. (See URINARY BLADDER, DISEASES OF.)
This can lead to disease and losses of farm animals. Examples are nutritional muscular dystrophy (see under MUSCLES, DISEASES OF); blindness as a result of vitamin A deficiency (see EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF); poisoning by excessive fluorides in the diet (see FLUOROSIS); and an all-muscle meat diet can lead to CANINE and FELINE JUVENILE OSTEODYSTROPHY. (See also ‘CAT, ANGRY’ POSTURE.)
Nutritional problems are commonly encountered in hutch-bound rabbits, which often develop OSTEOPOROSIS as a result. Obesity is common in pet rats. Cage-birds, especially parrots, often develop NEOPHOBIA and refuse to eat a balanced diet. A common outcome of this is the development of diseases caused by calcium imbalances and deficiencies. Captive reptiles also often develop similar disorders and home-bred tortoises are especially likely to develop skeletal and carapacial abnormalities caused by dietary imbalances of proteins and minerals.
(See ‘CRAZY CHICK’ DISEASE.)
(See CANINE JUVENILE OSTEODYSTROPHY; FELINE JUVENILE OSTEODYSTROPHY.)
A condition resulting from a deficiency of VITAMIN E or SELENIUM. It is a common problem in cattle, sheep and horses. (See MUSCLES, DISEASES OF; PARALYTIC MYOGLOBINURIA; SUDDEN DEATH.
Nuttallia is the name given to a genus of piroplasms which cause biliary fever in horses in many parts of the world. There are two forms involved – Babesia (Nuttallia) equi, which is the smaller and more important, and B. (Nuttallia) caballi. Each is transmitted by one or more ticks. (See BABESIA – Babesiosis.)
Nux vomica is the seed of the Strychnos nux-vomica, an East Indian tree. It has intensely bitter taste. The medicinal properties are due to 2 alkaloids – strychnine and brucine, which the plant contains. Brucine has an action similar to, though much weaker than, strychnine. (See under STRYCHNINE.)
A condition that sometimes affects horses and mules in countries where the glare of the sunlight is very intense during the day. At night such animals are quite unable to see, and will stumble into objects, that are easily discernible to human beings. (See EYE, DISEASES AND INJURIES OF.)
A condition in which a female animal is (or behaves as if) in constant oestrus. It is associated with pathological changes, often of a cystic nature, in the ovaries. Hormone treatment may be tried under veterinary advice; or removing the ovaries by surgical measures, as early as possible after the erotic signs have made their appearance. (See OVARIES, DISEASES OF; HORMONE THERAPY.)
Nystagmus is a condition in which the eyeballs show constant fine jerky movements of an involuntary nature. It can be seen in normal animals after rapid movement or when watching a moving object, but it is often pathological, sometimes associated with neurological conditions particularly those associated with the vestibular apparatus of the inner ear. (See EAR.)
An antifungal antibiotic used topically to inhibit yeast and yeast-like fungi.