Black''''s veterinary dictionary 21st edition - K potx

The right kidney lies below the last rib and the first 2 or 3 lumbar transverse processes, and is somewhat elliptical in outline.. When the rumen is full, it pushes the left kidney over

K88 Antigen

This is possessed by certain strains of E coli

which cause diarrhoea in piglets during their

first few days of life (See E.COLI;BACTERIAL

ADHESIVENESS.)

K99 Antigen

K99 Antigen is found in strains of E coli which

cause diarrhoea in calves

K Value

This is used as a measure of the insulating

value of building materials such as glass fibre,

wood

Kala-Azar (Dumdum Fever)

A human disease caused by LEISHMANIA

Kale

Kale contains a factor which gives rise to goitre

if fed in large amounts, without other foods,

over a long period Haemoglobinuria

some-times follows the grazing of frosted kale by

cattle, which may suffer anaemia without

show-ing this symptom The illness can be serious,

resembling POST-PARTURIENT

HAEMOGLOBIN-URIA, and may result in sudden death The

frothy type of bloat may also occur in cattle

eating excessive quantities of kale – especially,

it seems, during wet weather and when no hay

is fed There is some evidence to suggest that

the feeding of large quantities of kale may lead

to low conception rates, and to mastitis (See also

BLOAT.)

It should be added that kale anaemia and

haemoglobinuria are by no means always

asso-ciated with frosted kale, but merely with an

excessive (probably over 18 kg (40 lb) per cow

per day) intake of kale The symptoms of kale

anaemia include lassitude and rapid breathing

and pulse-rate

‘Kangaroo Gait’

‘Kangaroo gait’ in ewes, both in New Zealand

and in the UK, appears to be associated with

disease of the radial nerves, which causes

diffi-culty in advancing the front feet When made to

move rapidly, they do so with a bounding gait

The condition is seen in ewes during lactation;

it normally resolves after weaning

Kaolin (China Clay)

Kaolin (China Clay) is a native aluminium silicate, which is used as a protective and astrin-gent dry dusting powder Kaolin is sometimes given internally as an adsorbent in intestinal disorders Mixed into a paste with glycerine and some antiseptic, it is applied as a poultice to acute sprains of tendons, etc

Karyotype

This is, roughly speaking, a plan showing an animal’s chromosomes In technical terms, a karyotype is a presentation of the metaphase chromosomes characteristic of an individual animal or species (See CYTOGENETICS.)

‘Kebbing’

(see ABORTION,ENZOOTIC,OF EWES)

Ked

Melophagus ovinus, the sheep ked, is wingless,

and lives on the wool and skin of the sheep

It is much larger than any of the lice, being 0.6 cm (1⁄4 inch) long It can easily be distin-guished from the ticks by its tripartite body It

is a dark brown colour with a sharp biting pro-boscis The nearly mature larvae are laid on the wool and they at once pupate The pupa may remain in the wool or fall to the ground The young hatch in 19 to 24 days, and the females start to deposit larvae in 12 to 23 days after emergence, and lay a larva every 9 days The fly can live for about 12 days away from the sheep, while the pupa can live for 6 weeks on the ground The whole life-cycle may be completed

on the sheep within 1 month

The sheep ked can cause severe anaemia if present in large numbers, and also leads to a damaged fleece Shearing aids control, which is achieved by means of a sheep dip

The ked may attack men while shearing and inflict a very painful bite

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Melophagus× 4.

A medium-sized breed of dog, originally from

Flanders, with a very thick coat, fox-like face

and a tail that curls over the back It is prone to

hip dysplasia The incidence of tetralogy of

Fallot (a potentially fatal heart defect) in the

breed is 1 in 10,000 births, the highest known

in any animal

Kemps

Coarse hairs, the presence of which reduces the

value of a fleece

Kennel Cough

Kennel cough is a convenient term for those

outbreaks of respiratory disease, distinct from

canine distemper, which are troublesome in

boarding kennels and dog pounds Other

names are canine infectious tracheobronchitis

and bordetellosis

Usually only the upper air passages are

involved in kennel cough, the chief symptom

being a fit of coughing which is aggravated by

exercise or excitement The cough is a harsh, dry

one It has to be differentiated from infestation

with TRACHEAL WORMS

CausesBordetella bronchiseptica is the

princi-pal cause (hence the name bordetellosis) Other

organisms involved are the canine

parain-fluenza virus (CPI), a canine herpesvirus, two

adenoviruses, a reovirus, and a mycoplasma

Bacterial secondary invaders may complicate

the syndrome

Prevention Vaccination is advisable a

fort-night before a dog is taken to a show or left

in boarding kennels An intranasal live B

bron-chiseptica vaccine is available.

Kennel Lameness

A colloquial term for lameness arising from a

nutritional deficiency, such as may occur in a

dog fed entirely on dog-biscuits (See RICKETS.)

Kennel Sickness

A colloquial name used in the USA for

out-breaks of salmonellosis, the symptoms of which

may include pneumonia and convulsions (See

also under SALMONELLOSIS.)

Keratin

Keratin is the substance of which horn and the

surface layers of the skin are composed It is a

modified form of skin which has undergone

compression and toughening It is present in

the hoof of the feet of animals, in claws, horns,

and nails

Keratitis

Inflammation of the cornea (See EYE,DISEASES

OF.)

Keratocoele

Keratocoele is a hernia through the cornea (See EYE,DISEASES OF.)

Keratoma

Keratoma is a horn tumour affecting the inner aspect of the wall of the hoof

Kerosene Poisoning

(see PARAFFIN)

Kerry Blue Terrier

A medium-sized dog, born with a black coat that gradually lightens to grey, and an upright tail It is predisposed to cerebellar abiotrophy, a degeneration in the cerebellum, that manifests

as ataxia

Ketamine

Ketamine is a non-barbiturate, non-narcotic anaesthetic It can be administered by intra-venous, intramusuclar or subcutaneous injec-tion and is used in various species including cat, dog and horse Ketamine is often used in con-junction with other agents, such as xylazine, medetomidine and detomidine, to improve muscle relaxation during surgical procedures

Ketoconazole

An antifungal compound used to treat systemic candidiasis and ringworm in dogs and cats It is administered orally

Ketone Bodies

Ketone bodies arise from acetyl coenzyme A The 3 main ketone bodies are acetone, acetoac-etate and beta hydroxybutyrate While acetone

is not part of the metabolic process in the healthy animal, the others are involved in the energy metabolism of ruminants If the diet provides insufficient energy sources in the dia-betic, excess ketone bodies arise, producing ketosis (acetonaemia) Professor Sir Hans Krebs describes the process thus: ‘The severe forms of ketosis of the diabetic coma or of the lactating cow are connected with the high rates of gluco-neogenesis which occur under these conditions Oxaloacetate, which is an intermediate in glu-coneogenesis, is diverted from the tricarboxylic acid cycle to gluconeogenesis, owing to the high activity of the enzyme converting it to phos-phopyruvate The liver compensates the loss of energy from a reduced rate of the tricarboxylic acid cycle by an increased rate of oxidations

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outside the cycle The main reaction of this

type is the oxidation of fatty acids to ketone

bodies These arise grossly in excess of needs, as

a by-product of reactions which satisfy the

requirements for energy.’

Ketonuriais the term applied to the presence

of ketone bodies in the urine (See also

ACETON-AEMIA.)

Ketoacidosis A condition leading to

diabetic coma (See DIABETES.)

Ketosis

(see ACETONAEMIA)

Key-Gaskell Syndrome

(see FELINE DYSAUTONOMIA)

Khat

This plant (Catha edulis) contains 2 compounds

– cathine and cathinone – which are both

structurally related to amphetamine

Chewing of khat leaves, popular in Arabia

and East Africa, appears to be on the increase in

the UK Addicts esteem khat for the euphoria

and extra energy which it provides, but over-use

can lead to mental illness

Veterinary surgeons in small-animal practice

will need to be on the lookout for cases of khat

poisoning in dogs and cats – as they already are

for the effects of CANNABIS

Kicking

(see ‘VICES’)

Kidney Worm (Stephanurus

Dentatus)

Kidney worm (stephanurus dentatus) is a

para-site of pigs Affected animals fail to thrive

Occasionally migration of the larvae in the

spinal canal causes some degree of paralysis The

intermediate host is the earthworm In the USA

the advice is to breed from gilts only, as a means

of eradicating the parasite – anthelmintics so far

not having proved effective (For the kidney

worm of dogs, see DIOCTOPHYMOSIS.)

Kidneys

Kidneys are paired organs situated high up

against the roof of the abdomen, and in most

animals lying one on either side of the spinal

column

HorseThe kidneys of the horse differ from

each other in both shape and position The

right has the outline of a playing-card heart,

and lies under the last 2 or 3 ribs and the

transverse process of the first lumbar vertebra, while the left is roughly bean-shaped and lies under the last rib and the first 2 or 3 lumbar transverse processes They are held in place

by the surrounding organs and by fibrous tissue, called the renal fascia Each of them moves slightly backwards and forwards during the respiratory movements of the animal

CattleThe kidneys are lobulated, each pos-sessing from 20 to 25 lobes separated by fissures filled with fat in the living animal The right kidney lies below the last rib and the first 2 or

3 lumbar transverse processes, and is somewhat elliptical in outline The left occupies a variable position When the rumen is full, it pushes the left kidney over to the right side of the body into a position slightly below and behind the right organ, but when it is empty the left kidney lies underneath the vertebral column about the level of the third to the fifth lumbar vertebra It may lie partly on the left side of the body in this position in some cases

Sheep In the sheep the kidneys are bean-shaped and smooth In position they resemble those of the ox, except that the right is usually

a little farther back

PigIn this animal the kidneys are shaped like elongated beans, and they are placed almost symmetrically on either side of the bodies of the first 4 lumbar vertebrae They sometimes vary

in position

Dogs and catsIn these animals the kidneys are again bean-shaped, but they are thicker than in other animals, and relatively larger

As in most animals, the right kidney is placed farther forward than the left, the latter varying

in position according to the degree of fullness

of the digestive organs In the cat the left kidney is very loosely attached and can usually

be felt as a rounded mass which is quite movable in the anterior part of the abdominal cavity

Birdshave paired kidneys, seen as elongated brown organs closely attached on each side of the vertebrae

Fish have a single kidney which is seen in salmonids as a long black strucure in the dorsal part of the abdomen extending from the back

of the head to the vent The vena cava runs through the centre of the organ The kidney also has a role in the development of blood cells and in combating infection

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StructureThe organ is enveloped in a fibrous

coat continuous with the rest of the peritoneal

membrane, and attached to the kidney capsule

This capsule does not permit of much swelling

or enlargement of the organ, and consequently

any inflammation of the kidney is attended

with much pain On the inner border there is

an indentation called the hilus, which acts as a

place of entrance and exit for vessels, nerves,

etc Entering each kidney at its hilus are a renal

artery and renal nerves; leaving the kidney are

renal vein or veins, lymphatics, and the ureter

If the kidney is cut across, there are 2 distinct

areas seen in its substance Lying outermost

is the reddish-brown granular cortex, which

contains small dark spots known as Malpighian

corpuscles

Within the cortex is the medulla, an area

pre-senting a radiated appearance, whose periphery

is of a deep red colour

The kidney tissue contains many thousands

of filtration units called nephrons Each of these

comprises the glomerulus (almost a spherical

arrangement of capillaries on an arteriole);

Bowman’s capsule, the blind end of a proximal

tubule which expands so as almost to surround

the glomerulus; the convoluted tubule itself

(with its loop of Henle); and the distal

convo-luted tubule which leads on to an arched

collecting tubule The latter continues with a

straight tubule in the cortex of the kidney, and

on into the medulla, where papillary ducts are

formed to take the urine to the pelvis of the

kidney

The Malpighian corpuscle, comprising the

glomerulus and inner and outer layers of

Bowman’s capsule, is where most of the

filtra-tion of fluid from the blood occurs; but only a

small percentage of this fluid is finally excreted

as urine

In birds, the glomeruli are of 2 different

kinds; 1 type is similar to mammalian

glomeruli; the other is more akin to the type

found in reptiles

Function The kidney’s 2 main functions

are:first, the excretion of waste (and excess)

materials from the bloodstream; and, second,

the maintenance of the correct proportions

of water in the blood, the correct levels of

its chemical constituents, and the correct pH

(See HOMEOSTASIS.)

Blood pressure in the arteries determines

pressure in each glomerulus and has an

impor-tant bearing on the quantity of fluid filtered

from the blood

For its controlling effect on the kidney, see

ANTIDIURETIC HORMONE

The proximal tubules reabsorb a high per-centage of the water, sodium chloride and bicar-bonate The distal tubules reabsorb sodium, or exchange sodium ions for hydrogen, potassium

or ammonium ions; determining thereby the

pH of the urine

The kidney also secretes the hormone erythropoietin (see under ERYTHROPOIESIS) and produces RENIN Additionally, the kidney converts vitamin D1 into its active form

Kidneys, Diseases of

These are particularly common in the dog, and must account for a high proportion of deaths in dogs and cats

Exact diagnosis is based almost entirely upon macroscopic, microscopic, and chemical exam-ination of the urine in the laboratory Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine con-centrations are used to evaluate renal function

in several species

Nephrosis/nephrotic syndrome This may be a stage in nephritis and involves damage

to the tubules of the kidneys, resulting in defec-tive filtering, so that albumin is excreted in the urine to the detriment of albumin levels in the blood Oedema occurs

Nephrosis may be caused by poisoning with the salts of heavy metals, and with various tox-ins; or it may follow certain other diseases In lambs, clostridial infections have been

suggest-ed as a cause of the disease, while nematodirus infestation may be responsible in older animals (See also MEMBRANOUS NEPHROPATHY.)

Acute nephritisis a rapid inflammation of the kidney tissues as a whole, or of the glomeruli and the secreting tubules only The latter is much the more common among all animals Since the diagnosis and symptoms of each are clinically the same, and as their differentiation is only possible

by microscopic examination after death it will suffice to describe the commoner type only

Dogs Acute and subacute nephritis is often associated with LEPTOSPIROSIS, especially with

Leptospira canicola infection; it may follow the

nephrotic syndrome, and may co-exist with dis-temper or canine viral hepatitis A predisposing cause is often, it seems, exposure to cold, wet conditions, which lower the animal’s resistance and so exacerbates any existing infection

Signsmay include depression, loss of appetite, thirst, vomiting The back may be arched, and there may be stiffness There is fever, and some-times ulcers are present in the mouth

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LambsAcute kidney failure was diagnosed by

clinical examination and autopsy in 39 flocks

served by 6 veterinary investigation centres

Forty-eight lambs of 12 different breeds or

crosses were investigated The mean age of

affected lambs was 38 days; 21 lambs were aged

7 to 28 days, while only 8 were older than

2 months Mortality in clinically affected lambs

was almost 100 per cent, with no response to

various treatments

First-aidThe animal needs rest, warmth, and

light food Reliable proprietary foods can be

obtained for kidney disease cases Barley water

instead of plain water is often advisable (See

under NURSING.)

Treatmentincludes the use of antibiotics If

there is much vomiting, normal saline may be

necessary

Chronic nephritis may follow the acute

form, or it may arise insidiously One attack of

nephritis is always likely to render the dog more

susceptible to subsequent attacks, and chronic

nephritis is common in middle-aged and old

dogs In some cases of this disease RUBBER JAW

may be present Sometimes, despite treatment,

kidney failure occurs

Kidney failure may follow either chronic

interstitial nephritis (involving some degree of

fibrosis), which often results from leptospiral

nephritis; or from glomerular disease

(glomeru-lonephritis) Clinically, the 2 conditions are

virtually indistinguishable

CattleKidney disease may also be associated

with LEPTOSPIROSIS, and may be a sequel to

various other infections Corynebacterium renale

attacks the kidneys, and abscesses of these

organs are not uncommonly found in cattle

(See also pyelitis and pyelonephritis below.)

Some poisons may damage the kidneys

Symptoms in cattle include stiffness, an

arched back, often the passing of small amounts

of blood-stained urine, a poor appetite

Rumination may cease

However, in non-acute cases symptoms may

not be noticed, and the existence of nephritis

discovered only after death A survey carried

out at a Dublin abattoir showed that of 4166

cattle, 4.2 per cent had kidneys rejected under

EU export regulations The rejection rate was

7.7, 1.7, 2.2, and 28 per cent for cows,

bul-locks, heifers and bulls, respec-tively; the most

common reason being focal interstitial

nephri-tis (60 per cent) Other lesions included cysts

(26 per cent), pyelonephritis, pigmentation,

amyloidosis, and glomerulonephritis

Horses Nephritis may be a complication of influenza and other infections; follow contusions (arising from blows, falls) in the lumbar region;

or follow feeding with mouldy or otherwise

con-taminated fodder (See also pyelonephritis below.)

In the horse, symptoms of kidney disease may be somewhat vague, but in severe cases there is usually evidence of pain, stiffness in the gait, a poor appetite, often fever, and urine is passed as described above for cattle Oedema may involve abdomen, chest, and legs

Cats Kidney disease is, generally speaking, likely to result in a poor appetite, loss of weight, dullness, thirst Intermittent vomiting may occur The cat may become pot-bellied, due to

ASCITES

A cat with chronic nephritis may live to old age, seemingly still able to enjoy life There

is likely to come a time, however, when the kidneys fail, and uraemia occurs

If a cat is losing protein in its urine, the need

is for a high-protein diet; but with chronic nephritis, a low-protein diet is usually indicated

A number of specially formulated proprietary diets are available (See PRESCRIPTION DIETS.)

B vitamins and diuretics are used in treating the nephrotic syndrome

Other animals Causes, symptoms, and treatment (antibiotics, sometimes diuretics) are

in general similar Vomiting may occur in the pig (See also AVIAN NEPHRITIS.)

Polycystic kidneys A congenital renal problem in which the kidney is enlarged and contains multiple fluid filled cysts The condi-tion, which has been recorded in pigs, is sporadic and does not usually cause illness

Purulent nephritis, or ‘suppurative

nephri-tis’, is a condition in which one or both kidneys show abscess formation All species may be affected It is caused by pus-producing (pyo-genic) organisms, which may gain access to the kidneys either by the bloodstream – when the term ‘pyaemic nephritis’ is used – or by the ureters from the bladder – when the condition is pyelonephritis Pyelitis, meaning pus in the pelvis

of the kidney, is used to indicate abscess forma-tion in the pelvis only, and generally precedes the more severe form of pyelonephritis It may be associated with stone formation (renal calculus) Pyelonephritis is generally preceded by an attack of inflammation of the bladder, vagina,

or uterus It is commonest in cows and mares after parturition when the genital tract has become septic, but it is seen in all females under

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similar circumstances It is not so common in

male animals Generally only 1 kidney is

affect-ed, and the animal exhibits pain when turned

sharply to the affected side, and tenderness

when that side is handled

Pyelitis shows symptoms that are practically

the same as those of pyelonephritis, except

when due to renal calculus In such cases it

causes an obscure form of colic, and small

amounts of blood-stained urine are passed at

frequent intervals

Stone in the kidneyA calculus or stone

may sometimes form in the pelvis of the kidney

as the result of the gradual deposition of

salts from the urine around some particle of

matter that acts as a nucleus (See UROLITHIASIS;

CALCULI.)

Parasites of the kidney include

Dioctophyma in the dog, and occasionally

Eustrongylus gigas in horses, dogs, and cattle;

the larvae of Strongylus vulgaris in colts,

Stephanurus dentatus in pigs, and the cystic

stages of certain tapeworms in the ruminants

(See also DIOCTOPHYMOSIS; LEPTOSPIROSIS.)

Tumours of the kidneyinclude

carcino-ma (carcino-mainly in dogs and cattle) and the usually

benign nephroblastoma in pigs, puppies and

calves In cats lymphosarcoma of the kidney is

common

Hydronephrosis In this condition the

kidney may enlarge, owing to an obstruction

(See HYDRONEPHROSIS.)

Injuries of the kidneyare not common,

owing to the great protection that the lumbar

muscles provide They may be lacerated or

bruised as the result of traffic accidents in the

dog Slips or falls in the hunting field may cause

similar injuries in horses The kidney may be

shattered and death from internal haemorrhage

occurs, or in less severe cases the haemorrhage

takes place below the capsule and the blood is

passed in the urine If only 1 kidney is affected,

and provided the bleeding is not great, the

other hypertrophies and acts for both

Kilopascal (KpA)

The unit used to quantify vacuum pressure in

milking machines

Kimberley Horse Disease

(Walkabout Disease)

Kimberley horse disease (walkabout disease)

occurs in the Kimberley district of Western

Australia, and has a seasonal incidence – January to April (i.e ‘wet season’) Horses of all ages are susceptible

CauseWhitewood (Atalaya hemiglauca) taken

voluntarily or fed when food is scarce

Signs Anorexia, dullness, wasting, irritability, biting other horses, and gnawing at posts Yawning is a marked and almost constant sign Then muscular spasms lead to a phase of mad galloping in which the horse has no sense of direction and is uncontrollable Gallops become more frequent but less violent, and gradually merge into the walking stage – slow, staggering gait, with low, stiff carriage of the head The horse may walk about for hours, with

a mouthful of unchewed grass protruding from its lips (See also BIRDSVILLE DISEASE.)

‘Kinky-Back‘

The colloquial name for a condition in broiler chickens involving distortion of the 6th tho-racic vertebra It is the cause of lameness and sometimes paraplegia It appears to be of hered-itary origin, perhaps influenced by growth-rate

Kirschner-Ehmer Splint

Used in treating fractures in the dog and cat It has transverse pins which are driven into parts

of a long bone on either side of the fracture, and which are then held in position by an external clamp

‘Kitchen Deaths’

Kitchen deaths in small caged birds can result from overheated utensils, particularly frying pans, which have non-stick coatings of polyte-trafluoroethylene (PTFE), or from acrolein or other vapours associated with cooking oils, or from carbon monoxide poisoning from improperly ventilated heaters PTFE fumes cause acute pneumonitis with haemorrhages and death in small caged birds (see CARBON MONOXIDE;‘FRYING PAN’ DEATHS)

In 9 incidents of bird deaths involving 1 to

18 birds investigated by Penrith Veterinary Investigation Centre, 3 cases were due to PTFE poisoning, 3 to cooking oil vapours, 1 to car-bon monoxide and in 2 cases there were no obvious causes found

Kittens

The young of cats (and rabbits)

Causes of death in kittens A Glasgow veterinary-school study of the cause of death in

274 kittens showed that 55 per cent died from

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infectious diseases, 33 per cent from unknown

causes and 5 per cent from congenital defects

Feline parvovirus caused 25 per cent of all

deaths

Klebsiella.

A genus of gram-negative bacteria It has been

suggested that K pneumoniae may be an

impor-tant cause of infertility in the thoroughbred

mare, but see EQUINE GENITAL INFECTIONS

CattleThe infection is occasionally the cause

of mastitis and osteomyelitis; also pulmonary

lesions

DogThe infection may cause illness clinically

indistinguishable from distemper, and may

therefore account for some of the suspected

‘breakdowns’ following the use of distemper

vaccines

SowsThe infection may result in acute

masti-tis Both piglets and sow may die

Klein’s Disease

(see FOWL TYPHOID)

Knackers

A place for the disposal of animals unfit for

human consumption, and ill or recently dead

animals Many of the tissues can be recycled,

for a variety of purposes

Knee

Knee is the name, wrongly applied, to the

car-pus of the horse, ox, sheep, and pig This joint

really corresponds to the human wrist and

should not be called ‘knee’, but custom has

ordained otherwise (See JOINTS.)

Knocked-Up Shoe

Knocked-up shoe is one in which the inner

branch is hammered laterally so as to increase

its height but decrease its width There is 1

nail-hole at the inside toe, and 4 or 5 along the

outside branch The shoe generally has a clip at

the toe and the outside quarter, and may have a

small calkin on the outside heel

It is used for horses given to brushing, cutting,

or interfering with their hind feet

Knocked-Up Toe

A term used in racing greyhound circles to

describe a type of lameness associated with the

digits It sometimes yields to rest but may

require surgical treatment (even amputation of

the 3rd phalanx)

Knuckling

Knuckling of fetlock simply means that the fet-lock joints are kept slightly flexed forwards above the hoof, instead of remaining extended

It may result from a number of causes: genetics, positioning of the fetus in the uterus, etc Knuckling of the fetlocks in calves of the Jersey, Ayrshire, and Friesian breeds is an inher-ited defect which can sometimes be corrected

by a minor surgical operation

Occasionally foals are born with their fet-locks knuckled, but, like many other deformi-ties of a similar nature, the condition gradually disappears as the muscles of the young animal obtain their proper control of the joints which they actuate In older horses, the 2 chief condi-tions that are responsible for knuckling are: (l) thickening and contraction of the tendons or ligaments behind the cannon; and (2) chronic foot lameness, such as is produced by ring-bones, navicular disease, chronic corns, etc The horse assumes the position of partial flexion of the fetlock, apparently in order to ease the pain

he feels; as the result of the relaxation of the tendons, shortening occurs, and it finally becomes impossible to straighten out the joint (NB For descriptive purposes the word ‘flexion’ here means a bending backwards of the lower section of the limb from the fetlock joint – the cannon remaining stationary Otherwise confusion between ‘flexion’ and ‘extension’ of the fetlock might occur.)

Koala

(Phascolarctos cinereus) The koala bear is an

arboreal, marsupial creature, a native of Australia It is prone to chlamydial infections which can cause blindness and infertility

Kudu, Greater (Tragelaphus Strepsiceros)

An antelope with long spiral horns One of these creatures died in the London Zoo in 1992 from a scrapie-like spongiform encephalopathy

Kuppfer’s Cells

Phagocytic cells lining the walls of sinusoids in the liver

Kuru

A spongiform encephalopathy of humans, described in Papua New Guinea It was trasmit-ted by ritual cannibalism Men ate the victims’ muscles and heart while women and children ate the brain and other organs 154 clinical cases occurred as a result of eating a single infected body Although affected women did not produce affected infants, and the practice

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was outlawed in the 1950s, occasional cases still

occur in the tribe that used to practise this

ceremonial ‘Kuru’ translates as ‘trembling with

fear’

Kyasanur Forest Fever

Kyasanur forest fever is a disease of man and

monkeys, occurring in Mysore, and resembling

Omsk fever The causal virus is transmitted by

the tick Haemaphysalis spinigera, and believed

to have been brought by birds from the former Soviet Union

Kyphosis

Kyphosis is a curvature of the spine when the concavity of the curve is directed downwards It

is sometimes seen in tetanus, rabies, etc., and is

a sign of abdominal pain in the dog

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