Respiratory Chapter

DOLOR SET AMET

ANIMAL SYSTEMS

CHAPTER 1

Respiratory System

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Upper and Lower Respiratory System

The respiratory system brings in oxygen from the air, expels carbon dioxide, and can only function with the help of the circulatory system.

The upper respiratory consists of six different parts; the mucous membranes, mucous, cilia, pharynx, epiglottis, and the larynx.

The mucous mem-brane is the lining of the respiratory tract that secretes mucous. Mucous is a slimy se-cretion that helps warm, moisten, and fil-ter air. Cilia are tiny wave-like hairs that line the nostrils and also helps filter air.

The pharynx is the passageway for the respiratory system that is shared with the digestive system. The epiglottis is a tiny flap that covers the larynx during swallowing. The larynx is the voice box. It contains vocal cords that vibrate when air passes through, which creates sound.

The lower respiratory system consists of seven different parts; the trachea, bronchi, the bronchial tree, the bronchioles, alve-oli, the lungs, and the diaphragm.

The trachea is the windpipe, it has rings of cartilage that help keep its shape. The bron-chi are branches at the bot-tom of the trachea that are connected to the lungs. The bronchial tree is a term that describes the branches of the bronchi as it is similar to a tree. Bronchioles are the smallest branch on the bron-chi. Alveoli are grape-like clusters at the end of the bronchioles where exchange of gases occurs. The lungs are a pair of organs that con-tain the bronchi and are di-vided into clearly defined lobes. The diaphragm is a muscle that is located below the lungs and when it contracts, the lungs fill with air.

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RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Vocabulary

There are seven useful vocabulary terms in the respiratory sys-tem. Inhalation, exhalation, apnea, dyspnea, bradypnea, tachypnea, and respiration.

Inhalation is the drawing of breath, while exhalation is the re-lease of breath.

Apnea is a term for not breathing, often related to sleep apnea, when people stop breathing for a short pe-riod of time while sleep-ing. Dyspnea is difficulty breathing.

Bradypnea is the term for an abnormally slow breathing rate. Tachypnea is an abnormally fast breathing rate. Both can be harmful because the heart needs to work faster to get oxygen flowing through the body.

Respiration is the gas exchange in the lungs.

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RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Equine Respiratory Problems - Strangles

Strangles is scientifically known as Streptococcus equi infec-tion. Which is unpleasant and also highly contagious. Most horses that have strangles can recover but it is a serious dis-ease which can be fatal.

Symptoms of strangles start with a sudden fever. Nasal dis-charge will then occur and will typically start out watery, and later on get thick and sticky. Depression will start to kick in, causing lack of appetite, and difficulty swallowing. After about a week, lymph nodes will start to swell between the jaw bones and behind the throat.

Treating strangles starts with feeding soft and moist food, to help with difficulty swallowing. Antibiotics should also be

given immediately to get rid of any infections and prevent new ones.

Prevention can begin with vaccines. There are two types avail-able for strangles, one is injectable and the other is a spray. There have been tests proving these can not stop strangles altogether but it can make the disease less severe.

Other ways to help pre-vent an outbreak is to keep horses from leaving and coming to the barn. If a horse has strangles keep them in quarantine and away from all other horses. Temperatures should be taken daily and if any horses suddenly have a fever, quarantine them.

After an outbreak is over, throughly clean anything that may have come to contact with any infected horses. Any quarantine areas should be left alone for at least 4 weeks.

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