TABLE OF CONTENTS

Unit I Cardiovascular System

Exercise 1 Heart failure + Lesions of Pericardium

Exercise 2 Endocardial Lesions + Myocardium

Unit II Musculoskeletal System

Exercise 3 Inflammatory Disorder of the Bone

Exercise 4 Inflammatory Disorders of the Joint
Exercise 5 Degenerative Disorders of muscle
Exercise 6 Inflammatory Disorder of muscle

Unit III Nervous System

Exercise 7 Brain
Exercise 8 Meninges
Exercise 9 Brain Part 2

Unit IV Digestive System

Exercise 10 Mouth
Exercise 11 Rumen
Exercise 12 Abomasum
Exercise 13 Liver
Exercise 14 Small Intestine

Unit V Respiratory System

Exercise 15 Respiratory Defenses and Nasopharynx

Exercise 16 Pharynx to Bronchioles
Exercise 17 General Disorders of the Lung and Pleura
Exercise 18 Pneumonia

Unit VI Urinary System

Exercise 19 Renal Vocabulary and Circulatory Disturbances

Exercise 20 Glomerular Disease
Exercise 21 Tubular Disease
Exercise 22 Bladder and Urethra

Unit VII Reproductive System

Exercise 23 Reproductive Tract

Exercise 24 Uterus it
Exercise 25 Placenta
 UNIT I CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Exercise 1 Heart Failure + Lesions of Pericardium

A cow is doing very poorly.

When you open the pericardial sac, it is filled with fibrin and pus.

Inside the reticulum, there is a piece of wire that has pierced the wall of the reticulum and moved through
the diaphragm to enter the pericardial sac.
Questions
1. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the lesion of the pericardium?
2. How did this happen?
3. What is the effect on the heart?
4. Could this animal have ever recovered?
 Exercise 2 Endocardial Lesions + Myocardium

A fast-growing lamb suddenly became stiff and died.

You do a necropsy - here is the heart muscle. This is the left ventricle muscle, there are many white
streaks, representing acute necrosis of the myocardial muscle fibers.

This is the histology of the left ventricle. There are multiple areas of hemorrhage (the red parts).

A higher magnification of one of the hemorrhagic areas. There is a group of blue-colored cells at the
middle - these are degenerated cardiac muscle cells that have become mineralized.
Questions
1. This lamb died of acute myocardial necrosis. Can you think of some reasons that would cause acute
necrosis of the heart muscle in a young, fast-growing lamb.
2. Can the myofibers ever regenerate to completely heal the heart?
3. What is the most likely diagnosis in this case? What is the pathogenesis?
 UNIT II MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM
Exercise 3 Inflammatory Disorders of the Bone

A lamb is brought to the central laboratory. The owner says that the lamb cannot stand up, it can only
“sit”. You do a physical exam and find that the lamb has no feeling in the hind limbs, and cannot
move its hind limbs. You palpate the spinal column and feel a soft spot and a broken vertebra at
lumbar vertebra 4. You recommend that the lamb be slaughtered, then you do a necropsy.

As you examine the spinal cord, you see there is quite a bit of pus around the spinal cord.

Then you examine the vertebra at L5 - the center of this bone is filled with pus, which is spilling out
into the spinal canal. The vertebra has been broken because of all the inflammation here.
Questions
1. Why was this lamb unable to stand?
2. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the vertebra?
3. The vertebra is broken because of an underlying inflammatory problem. What do you call this
type of fracture?
4. Because pus is present, what type of etiology do you think is here?
5. How do you think this happened, h0ow did the bacteria get to the vertebra?
 Exercise 4 Inflammatory Disorders of Joint

A buck is very lame and can no longer breed the does. The owner decides to slaughter it, but he wants
you to look at the joint after the goat is slaughtered to tell him why the goat is so lame.

After the goat is dead, you open the affected joint. Yuck! You do a smear of this fluid.

Here is a smear of the fluid, stained with DiffQuik. There are many neutrophils:

Questions
1. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the joint?
2. Why are there so many neutrophils (what do you think is the reason for the arthritis?)?
3. Can you explain to the owner the two ways this could have happened?
4. Could he have treated the buck with antibiotics and expected improvement?
 Exercise 5 Degenerative Disorders of Muscle

A farmer has 200 young sheep. Some of the fastest growing lambs are dying. He brings one in for you
to necropsy.

You notice, as you remove the limbs, that the muscles have varying colors, and some are VERY
PALE.

Here is the front limb, this is the deltoid muscle, it is so PALE!

And some of the hind limb muscles are also pale, and on cut surface have multiple white streaks.
Questions
1. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the muscles?
2. What is this disease?
3. Can you describe the pathogenesis?
4. What will you recommend to the farmer, to save this other lambs?
 Exercise 6 Inflammatory Disorders of Muscle

A yearling calf dies on a hot day. The calf had been completely normal 24 hours before. You open the
carcass and see this dark red to black muscle, which sometimes seems very dry.

Muscles all over the body have these dark red-black areas. There is a smell like butter that has gone
sour.

In some areas this dark red muscle is especially dry and has some "bubbles", like emphysema.
Questions
1. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the muscles?
2. What is the disease?
3. Can you describe the pathogenesis?
4. What will you recommend to the farmer, to keep this from happening to his other calves?
 UNIT III NERVOUS SYSTEM
Exercise 7 Brain

A horse foal is found dead. The animal is in a pasture with several other horses.

You do a necropsy and discover there is a fractured calvarium (bones of the skull).

As you remove the bones of the head, you see there is extensive hemorrhage below the dura mater but
above the substance of the brain. This is a hematoma.
Questions
1. What is the word for this large collection of blood below the dura mater?
2. Has his mass of blood compressed the brain?
3. What is the reason for death?
4. Do you think another horse might have kicked the foal’s head?
 Exercise 8 Meninges

A ten-day-old calf has not been normal since birth. The animal is slow to move around, has trouble
finding the teat, and just generally appears "dumb".

The calf dies and you examine it. As you do your external examination, you see pus at the umbilicus.

Here is the brain, the meningeal vessels all appear slightly white.

Here is what the histology would look like - meninges are full of neutrophils.
Questions
1. What is the morphologic diagnosis when you have neutrophilic inflammation (pus) in the
meninges?
2. Is this due to bacterial inflammation?
3. How did the bacteria get into the body?
4. What will you recommend to the farmer to keep this from happening again?
 Exercise 9 Brain Part 2

A dog that was normally very quiet and calm has become very aggressive. The dog has bitten a child.
Now you need to find out if this dog had rabies.

You remove the brain, take some samples for immunofluorescence and also for histopathology.

Here is the result of the IF assay.

And here is a photo of the histology sample from this brain.

Questions
1. Is this rabies? How can you tell?
2. Discuss the pathogenesis of rabies, how does the virus get in and how does it get to the brain?
3. The child was bitten, is there a therapy to be recommended?
 Unit IV DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Exercise 10 Mouth

Case 1 - Mouth of a cow. Gums are very pale.

Case 2 - Mouth of a dog. Gums are YELLOW.

Case 3 - Mouth of a sheep. Mucous membranes are blue-gray.

Case 4 - Mouth of a horse.

Case 5 - Lips of a sheep.

Questions
1. Case 1
Morphologic diagnosis:
What could be an underlying problem in this animal (give at least two possible mechanisms)?
2. Case 2
Morphologic diagnosis:
What organ would you most like to check now, and why?
3. Case 3
Mouth of a sheep- mucous membranes are “muddy”, blue-gray.
What could be causing this?
4. Case 4
What is your morphologic diagnosis?
How does this dental problem in horses cause them to become thin?
5. Case 5
What is your morphologic diagnosis?
What could be the etiology of this lesion? Is it zoonotic?

Exercise 11 Rumen

A goat developed diarrhea, owner gave the animal antibiotics, but she died. On external examination, you
notice that her abdomen is very distended.

Also, she has froth from the nares.

There is fecal staining around the anus, and fluid diarrhea dripping out.
 Eyes are sunken, she is dehydrated.

How old is she?

The animal is in very good body condition, maybe even FAT. The owner insists on feeding his animals
free access grain.

There is edema fluid evident in the interlobular septa and there is froth in the trachea.

The trachea is full of foam.

The rumen is full of ingesta, you wash it out and see that many of the papillae are dark and firm.
 The esophagus is normal, there is no bloat line. She did not die of bloat.
Questions
1. Your external examination reveals some key findings – relate key finding to its meaning:
a. Froth at the nares:
b. Sunken eyes:
c. Teeth:
2. What is the most serious problem in this animal, i.e., why did she get sick and die?
3. What is thee specific problem in the rumen and how does it occur?
4. How does the rumen problem relate to the diarrhea?
5. How is the pulmonary edema related to the rumen problem?
6. The farmer thinks she died of acute bloat, how can you tell him you know it is not acute bloat?
Exercise 12 Abomasum

A cow has chronic diarrhea and dies. The farmer reports that he has given her all kinds of feed and
also antibiotics but she never improved.

As you open the carcass, you notice that the intestines have fluid in them, it is too watery, and does
not have the normal consistency of intestinal ingesta.

There is edema present in the mesentery.

When you open the abomasum, you notice that the mucosal surface has an extensive distribution of small
white nodules.
Questions
1. Where is the primary problem in this cow?
2. How does the abomasal lesion relate to the diarrhea? What is the mechanism?
3. Why is there edema in the mesentery, is this also related to the abomasal problem?
4. The farmer states that he gave the cow plenty of feed and antibiotics and he wants to know why
the cow didn’t get better. What will you tell him?
5. Should you do something for the other cows on the farm? What?

Exercise 13 Liver

A dairy has had a cow die. You go out to do the necropsy. The owner says that this particular cow
gave birth 3 weeks ago. She did not want to eat for several days, now she is dead.

As you open the carcass, you notice that there is fluid in the abdomen and the liver is enlarged, and
yellowish.

The liver is greasy and friable (it breaks easily).

 Also, pieces of liver float when you put them into formalin.
Questions
1. Where is the primary problem in this cow? What is your morphologic diagnosis on the liver?
2. What are all the mechanisms that will cause this to happen in the liver?
3. Is the problem related to the pregnancy? How?

Exercise 14 Small Intestine

A goat has died. You are asked to do the necropsy. Can you give a rough estimate of the age of this
goat?

As you open the carcass, you notice that there is fluid in the abdomen.

The intestines are fluid-filled and you notice some white spots visible on the serosa.
 These white spots correspond to raised nodules on the mucosal surface.

Hey, let's try an impression smear on one of these nodules! You make a smear, stain with DiffQuik,
and examine under the microscope. There are many cystic refractile structures, some are filled with
shiny dots.

You also send the samples for histology, and here is what the intestine looks like - the intestinal
mucosa is at the bottom, and the growth at the top is the nodule, it is filled with protozoal cysts.
Questions
1. What is the approximate age of the goat?
2. What is the word for fluid in the abdomen?
3. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the small intestine?
4. What is the etiology?
5. How does this parasite cause disease?
6. What will you recommend to the farmer?

UNIT V RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Exercise 15 Respiratory Defenses and Nasopharynx

Case1
Here is an alveolar macrophage phagocytosing bacteria.
 Case 2
From necropsy of a goat. This is lung.

Case 3
Trachea from a cow infected with Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus.

Case 4
This is the opened head of a cat. The right frontal sinus is full of mucopurulent material.
Questions:
1. Case 1
When this alveolar macrophage is finished with its work, how does it get out of the lung?
2. Case 2
What is the morphologic diagnosis?
What is the first cell to defend the lung?
What is the main cell type in this exudate?
3. Case 3
What is your morphologic diagnosis?
How does this virus predispose to bacterial pneumonia?
4. Case 4
What is your morphologic diagnosis?
Why is sinusitis slow to resolve?
 Exercise 16 Pharynx to Bronchioles

Case 1
A cow stepped on a bees' nest and died within 5 minutes. Here is the larynx - the tissues are all greatly
swollen with edema.

Case 2
A calf is having trouble breathing. The calf dies. There is abundant necrosis and fibrin over the laryngeal
folds.

Case 3
A cow has had a cough for a very long time. She dies. Here are the lungs. The bronchi are all held in an
open position.
Questions
1. Case 1
What is the morphologic diagnosis?
Why did the cow die, please write the pathogenesis.
2. Case 2
Morphologic diagnosis?
What caused this?
3. Case 3
What is the problem here, what is this called?
How does this lesion predispose to more pneumonia?
 Exercise 17 General Disorders of Lung and Pleura

Case 1
A dog dies suddenly. At necropsy, you open the pulmonary arteries and see they are occluded by thrombi.

Case 2
A goat died after a long illness, and for the last 24 hours was lying on its left side.

Case 3
A sheep dies. Here is the opened trachea.

Case 4
A cow choked on an apple. Here are the lungs. When you palpate them, they feel like "bubble wrap".

Case 5
Cow was pregnant and expected to calve. One morning a dead calf was found behind the cow.
 Case 6
A goat has died. The thorax is filled with serous fluid.

Case 7
A sheep died, this is the opened thorax.
Questions
1. Case 1
Morphologic diagnosis?
What is one possible cause of this lesion?
What is the effect on the body of pulmonary thrombosis?
2. Case 2
What is your morphologic diagnosis?
Is this pneumonia?
3. Case 3
What does foam in the trachea mean?
What are 3 possible reasons for pulmonary edema?
4. Case 4
What is your morphologic diagnosis on the lungs?
Did this process cause the cow's death?
5. Case 5
The farmer wants to know if the calf was born alive. What will you tell him?
What is your morphologic diagnosis on this lung?
6. Case 6
What is this called?
The lungs have collapsed because of all the fluid in the thorax.
What is this called?
7. Case 7
What is your morphologic diagnosis?
 Exercise 18 Pneumonia

Case 1:
A goat becomes acutely ill and dies. You do a necropsy - there is feed material in the main bronchus.

Case 2:
A flock of sheep is having problems. The owner never vaccinates. There has been diarrhea in many
lambs, with some deaths. Now some lambs have pneumonia. One has died. You do the necropsy.

Case 3
A horse dies after a short period of fever and illness. Here are the lungs. They are diffusely RUBBERY.

Case 4
This cow died after being shipped in a truck. The cranioventral portions of the lung are firm,
and there is fibrin in and on the lung.

Case 5
A 4-month-old foal becomes ill, with fever, and dies. Here are the lungs. These nodules consist of groups
of macrophages with bacteria inside them.
 Questions

1. Case 1
What is the morphologic diagnosis?
What could be three reasons for this happening?
2. Case 2
Based on the history, what do you think the problem is?
What is the pathogenesis of this disease?
4. Case 3
What is the morphologic diagnosis?
What are the two possible causes?
5. Case 4
What is the morphologic diagnosis?
What is the common name for this disease?
What is the etiology?
What is the pathogenesis?
6. Case 5
What is the cause of this pneumonia?
What is the pathogenesis?

UNIT VI. URINARY SYSTEM

Exercise 19 Renal Vocabulary and Renal Circulatory Disturbances

A cow has had chronic endocarditis which was never diagnosed. From this endocarditis multiple emboli
have traveled to body organs, especially kidney. She dies and here are her kidneys

The owner states that over the last two weeks this cow has produced much more urine than normal and
also the urine is red.
Questions
1. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the kidneys?
2. Based on the fact that the septic emboli from the endocarditis went to the kidneys, which side of
the heart had the endocarditis?
3. What is the word for increased production of urine?
4. What is the word for blood in the urine?
5. List all the causes of red urine.
 Exercise 20 Glomerular Disease

An old sheep has been losing weight for some time. Last week she went down and could not use her hind
legs anymore. You do a necropsy.

You notice that the kidneys have a very "granular" appearance in the cortex.

When you put iodine on the cortex, there is a distinct spotting that happens, the iodine highlights amyloid
in every glomerulus.

You dissect down the aorta and find a thrombus at the aortic bifurcation.
Questions
1. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the kidneys?
2. What causes amyloid to accumulate in the kidneys?
3. Is the renal problem related to the weight loss seen over the past few weeks? How?
4. Why is the animal unable to use its limbs?
5. How is the thrombosis at the aortic bifurcation related to the glomerular problem?
 Exercise 21 Tubular Disease

A calf dies. There is slight yellow discoloration to the mucous membranes.

Liver is large and mottled. There is fluid in the abdominal cavity that is VERY yellow (icterus).

Kidneys are swollen and wet.

A close-up of the cortex shows extensive disruption. Many focal dots and stripes of white

Fluorescent antibody staining of a kidney smear, using fluorescein-labeled antibody

to Leptospira, reveals numerous spiral-shaped organisms.
Questions
1. How does Leptospira damage kidney?
2. What is the other organ that Leptospira damages?
3. What is the reason that the animal is icteric?
4. How is this disease spread to other animals?
 Exercise 22 Bladder And Urethra

A young male goat became acutely ill. The goat continually strained to urinate but no urine
was produced.

The goat dies. You do a necropsy. Here is the opened abdominal cavity. The bladder is very fulland has
multiple reddened areas. The kidney has fluid surrounding it (per-renal edema). Also,
the gall bladder is enlarged.

You open the bladder, it was FULL of urine! Here is the mucosal surface.

You dissect down the urethra, and here you find one of the stones that formed in the bladder has lodged in
the urethra, blocking it.
Questions
1. What is the word for the lack of urine production?
2. What is the word for stones that form in the urinary tract?
3. What are some causes of urolith formation?
4. Why is it that uroliths cause problems in males more frequently than in females?
 UNIT VII REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Exercise 23 Reproductive Tract

Twins calves are born - one is male, one is female. As the animals grow, the farmer notices that the
female calf does not come into heat.

You examine the female - she has a very small vulva.

The heifer happens to die (unrelated causes), and you ask to see the reproductive tract. Here it is.

Questions
1. What would you call the small vulva (think back to the Disturbances of Growth)?
2. What is your morphologic diagnosis on the reproductive tract?
3. What is the name for this condition?
4. Will the female calf ever be fertile?
5. How did this happen? What are the mechanisms operating during pregnancy that caused this
female calf to be sexually abnormal?
 Exercise 24 Uterus

A goat gives birth.

Four days later she is depressed. There is a discharge from the vulva. Over the next week she
becomes more and more ill and then dies.

You do a necropsy. Here is one opened horn of the uterus.

You do an impression smear of the fluid in the uterus and here is what the impression smear looks
like.
Questions:
1. What is your morphologic diagnosis on this uterus?
2. There are several oval structures on the surface of the uterus, what do you think these represent?
3. What is the main cell type on the impression smear?
4. What is the word for when the uterus fills with pus?
5. When you see mostly neutrophils in a lesion, what does it tell you about the cause of the lesion?
6. How do you think the bacteria entered the uterus?
7. What is the difference between endometritis and metritis?
8. How does endometritis affect fertility?
 Exercise 25 Placenta

A cow aborts. The calf is in the third trimester.

The placenta has lesions. There is exudate over the cotyledons and the intercotyledonary spaces also
have exudate.

You decide to culture the abomasal contents, but first you do an impression smear, with a Gram stain
and see many Gram negative rod bacteria.
Questions
1. Why did the fetus die?
2. What is the importance of taking abomasal contents in an abortion?
3. What do you think caused the abortion?
4. What kinds of precautions will you recommend to the owner?