Acute and chronic conditions

Acute conditions

An acute condition implies that a lesion has developed over a period of some days. A subacute condition refers to a time period between an acute and chronic condition.

The acute stage is manifested by inflammation of different organs or tissues, enlarged hemorrhagic lymph nodes and often by petechial hemorrhage of the mucosal and serous membranes and different organs such as heart, kidney and liver. An acute infection tends to overcome the animal’s immune system and becomes generalized. Each case showing systemic lesions should be assessed individually

Chronic conditions

A chronic condition implies the development of lesions over a period of some weeks, months or years. In a chronic condition, inflammation associated with congestion is replaced by adhesions, necrotic and fibrotic tissue or abscesses. The judgement in the chronic stage is less severe and frequently the removal of affected portions is required without the condemnation of the carcass. However, judgement on the animal or carcass judgement tends to be more complicated in sub chronic and sometimes in per acute stages. If generalized necrotic tissue is associated with previous infection, carcass must be condemned.