Points of farm animals

The aim of studying the points of

farm animals:
1. Identify superficial anatomy of
different animals.
2. Help in studying the behaviour of
different animals.
• Characteristic features of the muzzle help in
understanding the ingestive behaviour of
different animals.
3. Detect the efficacy of animal management
a- body condition score:
* Hip point & dock region in cattle
* Lumber vertebrae in sheep
b- ligamentum nuchea, in horse give indication about the
condition of a young horse up to 2 years old
Give indication about the nutritional status of the
animal
4. Animal examination: flank region in case of
tympany.
5. Drug administration: I/M injection in
gluteal muscle or buttocks, I/V in jugular vein
• The main points of farm animals and poultry
well be discussed as follows:
 Horse

• The body of the horse can be divided into the

following points:
• 1- Head and neck
• 2- Trunk and tail
• 3- Fore and hind limb
1 - Head and neck:
A ) Head :
• External ears

• - Poll: It is bony prominence lying between the

ears.
• Except for the ears, it is the highest point on
the horse’s body when it is standing with its
head up.

• - Forehead: The region of frontal bone, it

extends from the poll to the imaginary line
running between the two inner angles of the
eye.
 Eyes
• Each eye consist of eye ball in the bony
depression of the skull (called: orbit or eye
socket)
– Eye lid: There are three lid (upper, lower and
third).
medical significance of third eyelid :
In case of tetanus the third eyelid are
protruded
– Eye lashes.
– Supraorbital fossa: A bony depression above the
eye.
• Zygomatic ridges or Facial crest: It is ridge of
bone below the eye.

• - Nasal bridge: It is extending from the

immagenary line between the inner angles of
the eyes to the nasal opening (nostril).
• Nostril:

• -True nostril: It leads to the respiratory

passage.

• -False nostril: Like a blind sac. It is not lead to

the respiratory passage directly. It is storage of
air as well as it warm the air before going to
the lung by its high blood supply.
• Mouth
• - Lips: There are two lips upper and lower lip.
• Muzzle: The region of the upper lip. It is
characterized by dryness, motility,
muscularity, high sensitivity and so it is a
mean of food selection in equine.

• Mouth commissure: It is a fissured formed by

the two lips

• - Mouth: Both upper (maxillary) and lower

(mandibular) jaw.
• Jowl: A wide space between the two branches
of the mandilde just in front of the throat.

• - Intermandibular space: A narrow space

formed by the two rami of the mandible.

• - Chin or meantum

• - Parotid region: It is located at the angle of

the mandible. This region occupied by the
parotid salivary gland
B- Neck
• - Crest: The upper part of the neck from which
the hairs of the mane grows.
• - Sides of the neck: Right and left side of the
neck.
• - Throat: It is windpipe or trachea.
• - Jugular groove: Two grooves running down
the neck above the windpipe, in the off side
(right) lying the jugular vein and carotid artery,
while in the near side (left) jugular vein,
carotid artery and gullet or esophagus.
• 2- Trunk and Tail:
• Withers: It is the prominent ridge where the
neck and back join. At this ridge, powerful
muscles of the neck and shoulder attach to
elongated spines of the second to the sixth
thoracic vertebrae. The height of a horse is
measured vertically from the withers to the
ground because the withers is the horse’s
highest constant point.
• Back or saddle region: It extends from the base
of the withers to where the head of the last
rib is attached.

• -Loins or lumber region: The region of the

lumber vertebrae extends from the head
of the last rib to external angle of ilium. It
is short area joining the back to the powerful
muscular croup.

• - Croup or rump: It is region of sacrum. It

extend from the loin to the tail.

• -Point of the croup: The highest point of the

hindquarters.
• Dock or root of tail: It is the bony portion of the tail that
tapers to a point about one-third of the way down the tail.
• -Buttocks: The masses of muscles lying on either side of the
anus and extending downwards to the level of the stifle joint.
• Angle of buttocks: The prominence formed by the sciatic
tubers.
• Chest: It is encased by the ribs, extending from between the
fore legs to the flank.
• Breast: High muscular area between the two fore limbs
(area of the pectoral muscles).
• Chest sides: Either right or left sides where ribs are of the
pectoral muscles.
• Chest floor: Where the sternum is present.
• Girth: It is the circumference round the chest.
 Abdomen:
• Belly: The highest curvature of the abdomen
below the animal.
• Umbilicus: Appear only in newly born foals.
• Flank region: It is the area below the loin,
between the last rib and the massive muscles
of the thigh.
3- Fore and hind limbs:

A)Fore limb
• B) Hind Limb
• Ergot: It is a horny callosity situated at the
back of the fetlock joint.

• Chestnuts: Are horny growth situated on the

inside of the legs. In fore limb, just above the
knee, while in the hind limb, hand breath
below the point of the hock.
Chestnuts

Ergot
 Hoof
• It is refers to the horny wall and sole of the
hoof.
• The foot includes the horny structure and the
pedal and navicular bones, as well as other
connective tissues.
• Inside the hoof, there is a distal part of the
second phalange and third phalange (Caffine
joint) and distal sesamoid.
• A- Outer parts: (horny structure)
1 - The wall : it consists of toe, quarter and heel
Heels: Are the bulbs at the back of the hoof and,
while horny in texture, they are softer than the
normal hoof wall.
2 – Sole:
- Concave : in sound feet
- Slightly in fore limb . More in hind limb
- Flat : in old horses & chronic laminitis.
- Convex : dropped sole, fleshy sole or full in sole.
3 - Frog
- It is a V-shaped area filling the space between
the bars.
• Significance of the Frog:
• Anti-concussion device.
• Anti-slipping device.
• Act as pump and helps to prevent blood stasis
in the foot (as there are no valves in the veins
of the foot)
N.B:
• It should be always in contact with ground.
• It has a middle and two collateral cleft
 • B– Inner structure
1- Bones structure
• Distal part of the
second phalanx.
• The whole of the
third phalanx.
• Distal sesamoid
bone
• lateral cartilages
• Digital torus of
planter cushion
 lateral cartilages:
• Two quadrate plates of cartilages on either
sides of the 3rd phalanx.
• Function:
1. Absorb concussion
2. Preserve foot elasticity
Digital torus of planter cushion
Lying between the two lateral cartilages and
behind the 3rd phalanx
One of the chief shock absorbers of the foot
• 2 -Sensitive structures:
1- Marginal 2-Coronary 3- Laminar 4- Solar matrix: 5-Cuneate matrix:
(perioplic) matrix: matrix: (Sensitive sole) (sensitive frog)
matrix:

site
It is found at In coronary running down is covering the Cover the lower
the top of the groove from the inside of the lower surface of part of the digital
hoof. inside the wall wall the third phalanx torus
around the
cornet

Nourish the Nourish the Nourish the Nourish the sole Nourish the:
periople part of the internal part Frog & digital torus
(layer of hard wall at which (structure) of
varnish-like it grow the wall
function

wax)
↓
Prevent
evaporation
of moisture
from hoof
• Genital organs
• - In male:
• - penis and glans penis.
• - Sheath or prepuce: Covering the penis.
• - Testicles, two testes.
• - Scrotum. It is a skin covering the testis
• In female:
• Vagina: Opening of the female genital system.
• Vulva: Lips of the vagina ( vulva major and
vulva miner)
• Clitoris.
• Udder with two teats.
• Milk veins.