ICAR AICE-JRF/SRF Veterinary Clinical Practice (Veterinary Clinical Complex): practice questions

1 · Case handling in the Veterinary Clinical Complex · medium

On the problem list of a cow, which entry is stated at the correct level of understanding before tests are done?

1. Left displaced abomasum caused by a negative energy balance
2. Ketosis secondary to abomasal displacement and inappetence
3. Hypocalcaemia predisposing to an abomasal atony and ping
4. Left-sided ping between the ninth and thirteenth ribs

2 · Case handling in the Veterinary Clinical Complex · medium

Why does the same test give more false positives when used to screen a healthy herd than when used on a sick animal the clinician already suspects?

1. Sensitivity of a test falls in healthy animals because they carry less antigen
2. Specificity rises in healthy herds, so more healthy animals test positive by chance
3. Laboratories run screening samples in batches, which lowers the test's accuracy
4. The pre-test probability is lower in the herd, so the positive predictive value falls

3 · Case handling in the Veterinary Clinical Complex · hard

A 40 kg diarrhoeic calf has a base deficit of 15 mmol/L. Using a bicarbonate space factor of 0.6, how much sodium bicarbonate (84 mg per mmol) is needed to correct it?

1. 30.2 g
2. 50.4 g
3. 360 g
4. 15.1 g

4 · Case handling in the Veterinary Clinical Complex · medium

In a downer cow that fails to rise after correct calcium therapy, which differential remains on the list?

1. Hypercalcaemia caused by the calcium infusion, which paralyses the hind limbs
2. Rumen overload from the calcium solution, which blocks normal hind-limb movement
3. Ketosis caused by the calcium, which suppresses appetite and then causes paresis
4. Hip luxation, pelvic fracture or obturator nerve damage from a difficult calving

5 · History taking · hard

In a dairy herd outbreak, 40 of 50 cows are affected but only 1 dies. What does this pattern suggest for the differential list?

1. A toxic plant eaten by a single animal, because a high morbidity rate rules out any infection
2. A non-infectious genetic defect, because case fatality is exactly 25 per cent
3. A highly fatal disease, because mortality of 2% equals high case fatality
4. A highly contagious agent of low virulence, with high morbidity and low case fatality

6 · Prescribing · easy

What volume of a 10% solution provides 250 mg?

1. 25 mL
2. 0.25 mL
3. 2.5 mL
4. 10 mL

7 · Prescribing · medium

Which statement about colistin in India is correct?

1. It remains permitted as a growth promoter in poultry feed when supplied against a prescription
2. It was banned only in companion animals, with food-animal use left unchanged
3. Its use in food animals, poultry, aquaculture and feed supplements was banned in 2019
4. It is permitted in aquaculture but banned in poultry and in cattle since 2019

8 · Prescribing · medium

In the EMA categorisation of antibiotics for veterinary use, what does category B mean?

1. Avoid: not authorised in veterinary medicine and allowed only in exceptional individual cases
2. Caution: use when no category D drug would be clinically effective
3. Prudence: use as first-line treatment wherever an antibiotic is needed
4. Restrict: use only when susceptibility testing shows category C or D drugs will fail

9 · Rural camps · medium

At an infertility camp, a thin cow that calved eight months ago has small, smooth, inactive ovaries on rectal palpation. What is the first-line approach?

1. Inject prostaglandin to lyse the corpus luteum and induce a fertile oestrus
2. Inseminate at once, since smooth ovaries mean the cow is close to ovulation
3. Cull at once, because inactive ovaries never respond in a cow of this age
4. Correct nutrition with deworming, balanced feeding and mineral supplementation

10 · Rural camps · medium

Which description defines a repeat breeder?

1. An animal that has never shown oestrus after reaching the age of puberty despite good feeding and health
2. An animal with cystic ovaries that shows constant oestrous behaviour
3. An animal that aborts each pregnancy in the last trimester of gestation
4. An animal with normal cycles and no detectable abnormality that fails to conceive after repeated services