Real-Life Communication
You look at the horse standing next to you and run your hand over
his rich chestnut nose. Then you put your stethoscope back in your pocket
and turn towards the tall, slim fellow standing next to you.
Looking
at your partner, you say, "Hugh, this horse has COPD [chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease]. I hear increased wheezes on the left lung and some crackles
and wheezes on the right."
This is the first time either of you has
seen this horse. He is a lovely seven-year-old gelding named Fire because
of the colour of his coat when the sun shines on it. He seems to be a quiet,
good-natured animal. The owners recently purchased him for their 10-year-old
daughter -- they've never owned a horse before.
They phoned you to
come and see him because the daughter mentioned that he coughed a lot when
she rode him. She also thought he was breathing faster than he used to. Her
father mentioned he had noticed a slight discharge from Fire's nostrils.
When
you listened to Fire's chest, you could hear the wheezes and the crackles.
You know that the wheezes (or whistling noises) are caused by the air moving
through constricted passageways. This condition also results in increased
mucous. The crackles are caused when the mucous gets stuck and pulls on itself.
As it opens, it cracks. This increased mucous can cause coughing.
These
symptoms are very similar to asthma in humans.
Just then, you hear
a noise outside and turn towards the open stable door. The owners walk through
the open stable door, look at the horse, and then back at you. They ask, "What's
wrong?"
How do you tell them about COPD in a way that they can understand?