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Veterinary Medicine vocabulary · Clinical Examination

Palpate

Meaning in veterinary medicine, with examples

/pælˈpeɪt/verbCore term

In veterinary medicine, palpate means: To examine part of an animal's body by feeling it carefully with the hands or fingers, for example the abdomen, the lymph nodes or a swelling.

In Turkish: palpe etmek, elle muayene etmek, elle yoklamak

How it is used

A clinical verb used in notes and teaching: the abdomen was soft and non-painful on palpation. In cattle, vets palpate the reproductive tract through the rectum (rectal palpation) to check for pregnancy.

Example sentences

  1. I can palpate a firm mass in the cranial abdomen.

  2. When I palpated his spine, he flinched in the middle of his back.

Common collocations

  • palpate the abdomen
  • on palpation
  • rectal palpation
  • painful on palpation
  • palpable mass
  • physical examinationA systematic check of an animal's body by looking, feeling and listening: temperature, heart and lungs, eyes, ears, mouth, skin, lymph nodes and abdomen.
  • auscultateTo listen to the sounds of the heart, lungs or gut with a stethoscope as part of an examination.
  • pregnantCarrying one or more developing young in the uterus. Farm vets often use species phrases instead, such as in calf, in lamb or in foal.
  • lamenessAn abnormal way of walking or standing caused by pain or a problem in a leg or foot. An animal with this problem is described as lame.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Clinical Examination

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.