Taking history of animals is the most important part of the clinical examination as animals cannot describe their own symptoms. The veterinarian must carefully examine the animal and assess the accuracy of the owner's history. It is essential to handle the owner with diplomacy and use non-technical language, as livestock owners may not understand technical terms. Relevant history includes the owner's name, species/breed, disease history, present illness details, previous exposure, previous disease, and management history including nutrition, breeding, housing and handling. The goal is to determine if any changes preceded the disease appearance.

2. Taking history of
Animal
Dr. Muhammad Awais.

3. History taking
• In veterinary medicine, history-taking is often the most
important of the three aspects of a clinical examination.
Animals are unable to describe their clinical symptoms
They vary widely in their reaction to handling and
examination.
A wide range of normality must be permitted in the
criteria used in a physical examination.

4. It is essential that the veterinarian assesses the accuracy
of the history by careful examination.

5. HISTORY-TAKING METHOD
The owner or attendant must be handled with diplomacy and
tact.
The use of nontechnical terms is essential, since livestock
owners are likely to be confused by technical expressions or
reluctant to express themselves.

6. PATIENT HISTORY
An animal's previous history can be referred to, the disease
status of a herd can be examined, specimens for laboratory
examination can be dispatched with the knowledge that the
results can be related to the correct patient.
The relevant data include: Owner's name and initials.
 Species type or breed (or estimate of parentage in a crossbred)
name of owner or number, bodyweight.

7. DISEASE HISTORY
History-taking will vary considerably depending on whether
one animal or a group of animals is involved in the disease
problem under examination. It is often rewarding to examine
the remainder of a group and find animals that are in the
early stages of the disease.

8. Present disease
Attempts should be made to elicit the details of the clinical
abnormalities observed by the owner in the sequence in which
they occurred. If more than one animal is affected, a typical case
should be chosen and the variations in history in other cases
should then be noted.
Morbidity, case fatality and population mortality rates
The morbidity rate is usually expressed as the percentage of
animals that are clinically affected compared with the total
number of animals exposed to the same risks. The case fatality
rate is the percentage of affected animals that die. The population
mortality rate is the percentage of all exposed animals that die.

9. Previous exposure
The history of the group relative to additions is of
particular importance.if the affected animal an
established member of the group, or has it been
introduced how long ago? If the affected animal has
been in the group for some time, have there been recent
additions? If the herd is 'closed herd' or are animals
introduced at frequent intervals? Herd may be immune
but fail to new area due to different strains of
causative agents or have no resistance to disease of
area where imported.

10. Previous
disease
Information elicited by questioning on previous history
of illness may be helpful. If there is a history of previous
illness, inquiries should be made on the usual lines, including
clinical observations, necropsy findings, morbidity, fatality
rates, the treatments and control measures used and the
results obtained.

11. HISTORY
MANAGEMENT
The management history includes nutrition,
breeding policy and practice, housing, transport
and general handling.
 It is most important to learn whether or not
there has been any change in the prevailing
practice prior to the appearance of disease.
The major objective in the examination of the
nutritional history is to determine how the
quantity and quality of the diet which the
animals have been receiving compares with
the nutrient requirements that have been
recommended for a similar class of animal.