Diagnostics and treatment of rhinitis and laryngitis in livestock animals

Diagnostics and therapy of rhinitis and laryngitis in livestock animals

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity (rhinitis) and larynx (laryngitis) in livestock animals significantly reduces the productivity of the herd and requires timely intervention. Primary forms of these pathologies arise from the violation of zoohygenic housing parameters: inhalation of excessively cold or hot air, high dust levels, and elevated concentrations of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Dampness in facilities and feeding moldy feed also have a negative impact. Animals must be protected from colds, and the composition of the air in livestock facilities must be strictly controlled.

With rhinitis, sick animals sneeze, snort, and rub their noses against objects. Breathing becomes wheezing, and inhalation and exhalation are noticeably prolonged while the body temperature remains normal. The nasal mucosa swells, becomes hyperemic, and may show hemorrhages. The nature of the discharge changes as the disease progresses: the initial liquid, transparent, serous exudate is replaced by thick and viscous catarrhal discharge, and in the case of a purulent process, it becomes yellow-green, cream-like, and acquires an unpleasant odor. Erosions and ulcers may appear on the surface of the mucosa.

• Recovery period for acute primary rhinitis — 10–15 days
• Duration of acute catarrhal laryngitis — 7–10 days
• Bicarbonate solution for irrigation — 2–3%
• Boric acid solution for irrigation — 2–3%
• Potassium permanganate solution for irrigation — 0.1%

The main symptom of laryngitis is a cough, which is dry, short, and painful at the beginning of the disease, and becomes moist, prolonged, and less painful as the exudate accumulates. The catarrhal form occurs with mild depression and a decrease in appetite at a normal temperature. The fibrinous form is accompanied by a sharp deterioration in general condition, refusal of feed, high temperature, as well as labored, whistling breathing and pronounced pain in the laryngeal area.

To treat inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, animals are moved to dry, warm rooms, and steps are taken to provide warmth to the throat and wrap the neck. The nasal passages in cases of rhinitis are irrigated with warm solutions of ethacridine lactate, bicarbonate, boric acid, or potassium permanganate, followed by the insufflation of streptocide or norsulfazole powder. For laryngitis, expectorants (ammonium chloride, terpin hydrate) are given orally, and antibiotics and sulfonamides are also used.

Pathogenesis and treatment regimen for bronchitis and bronchopneumonia

Inflammatory processes in the bronchi (bronchitis) and adjacent lung lobes (bronchopneumonia) pose a serious threat to the lives of young and weakened animals. Primary bronchitis and bronchopneumonia arise from exposure to drafts, housing on cold cement floors without bedding, drinking cold water, grazing in damp, rainy weather, as well as from overheating in the summer. Poor-quality feeding, overcrowding, overexertion, and early weaning contribute to the development of these diseases. Secondary forms accompany salmonellosis, tuberculosis, glanders, diplococcal septicemia, ascariasis, and dictyocaulosis.

The pathogenesis of bronchial pathologies is associated with the swelling of the mucous membrane and the filling of the alveoli and small bronchi with exudate, which blocks air access to the lungs. The absorption of decay products and toxins into the blood causes general intoxication. With reduced resistance, catarrhal inflammation rapidly progresses to a purulent state. Under the prolonged influence of negative factors, the process becomes chronic: the bronchial tissue is replaced by connective tissue, loses elasticity, their lumens become deformed, and the animal develops persistent oxygen deficiency.

Clinical manifestations of bronchitis depend on the caliber of the affected bronchi and the form of the pathology. When conducting an examination, it is important to distinguish the symptomatology of different forms of the disease:

• Macrobronchitis (affection of large bronchi): body temperature is normal or slightly elevated, animals are lethargic, tire quickly, breathe rapidly, and have a poor appetite. Auscultation reveals coarse rales; there are no percussion changes.
• Microbronchitis (affection of small bronchi): body temperature rises by more than 1°C, breathing is severely labored, and cyanosis of the mucous membranes is noted. Auscultation reveals fine rales.
• Chronic bronchitis: characterized by labored breathing, bouts of dry, painful cough, and dry rales. The disease noticeably exacerbates in damp weather.

Therapy for bronchitis and bronchopneumonia requires the immediate transfer of animals to isolated, warm rooms with good ventilation and no drafts. To suppress inflammation and prevent complications, a complex treatment is prescribed:

• antibiotics;
• sulfonamide drugs;
• expectorants;
• inhalations of warm water vapor.

Forms of pneumonia and their clinical manifestations

• Temperature rise in catarrhal form — by 1–1.5 °С
• Temperature in croupous pneumonia and pleurisy — 41–42 °С
• Recovery in acute emphysema at rest — 3–4 days
• Recovery period with timely treatment — 1–3 weeks

Pneumonia occurs in catarrhal and croupous forms. Catarrhal pneumonia is accompanied by focal lung lesions (serous-mucous, mucopurulent, or purulent) and bronchitis. The disease affects young animals of all species, especially cattle">cattle, pigs, and sheep. Depending on the cause, aspiration pneumonia (ingestion of feed), hypostatic (blood stasis), and atelectatic (bronchial obstruction or collapse of a lung lobe in underdeveloped newborn young, mainly lambs that die in the first days) are distinguished.

The development of bronchopneumonia is provoked by non-specific microflora: pneumococci, E. coli, and Proteus, which become active during colds, hypovitaminosis, and inadequate feeding. Secondary bronchopneumonia accompanies salmonellosis, diplococcal infection, tuberculosis, and dictyocaulosis. The pathological process develops slowly. With the involvement of alveoli, the temperature rises unstably by 1–2 °С, and a painful paroxysmal cough, dyspnea, a weak auscultatory picture (up to the absence of sounds when alveoli are filled with exudate), atony of the forestomachs, and anemia or cyanosis of the mucous membranes appear.

Croupous (fibrinous) pneumonia is characterized by an acute course, staged development, and severe intoxication. It is more common in horses. It goes through stages of hyperemia, red and yellow hepatization (consolidation of lobes with fibrin, cessation of air access), and resolution. The disease begins suddenly: the temperature stays at 41–42 °С, a dry painful cough is replaced by brownish-yellow nasal discharge, percussion reveals extensive areas of dull sound, and heart failure, diarrhea or constipation, and jaundice develop. The infectious etiology includes pasteurellosis, contagious equine pleuropneumonia, and bovine contagious pleuropneumonia; non-infectious etiology is associated with sensitization to streptococci, staphylococci, and diplococci.

Under excessive physical exertion, untrained animals develop alveolar or interstitial pulmonary emphysema: the animal lowers its head, spreads its front legs wide, nostrils are dilated, and breathing is abdominal. Pleurisy develops as a complication of pneumonia, pericarditis, or chest wounds. It is accompanied by the accumulation of fibrinous exudate, a temperature of 41–42 °С, dyspnea, pain upon palpation of the chest, a horizontal line of dullness upon percussion, and splashing sounds upon auscultation.

Treatment and prevention of lung and pleura lesions

Upon detection of the first symptoms, sick animals are immediately isolated in a warm room protected from dampness and drafts. The diet is changed to dietary feeding: they are provided with constant access to warm water and are fed dust-free soft hay or liquid mash from compound feed.

Medical treatment should be complex and include the following groups of agents:

• antibiotics to suppress pathogenic microflora;
• sulfonamide drugs;
• vitamin complexes to support immunity;
• expectorants to remove exudate.

Prevention of pulmonary pathologies is based on the elimination of risk factors: hypothermia, overheating, overwork, dampness, and drafts in the premises. On the farm, full rational feeding is organized, and animals are provided with regular exercise.