We’ve had fun on this month on the LazyPaw Animal Hospitals blog counting down from A to Z in our veterinary terms glossary. Today, we’re officially ready for the start of school as we march from U to Z and round out the series!
Udder
This word stems from Old English uder, Dutch uier, and German euter. Udders are mammary glands in female cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and other mammals. Once a female gives birth for the first time, she can produce milk. Here’s an udderly interesting tidbit: A cow’s heart pumps about 400 pints of blood through the udder to produce one pint of milk. To produce three gallons of milk, a typical production for the average cow, the heart pumps nearly 10,000 pints of blood.
Ventricle
Ventricles are hollow areas in a cavity or organ. Each of the two main chambers of the heart, left and right, has a ventricle that controls the intake and output of blood. Each of the four fluid-filled connected cavities in the center of the brain also has a ventricle.
Wry tail
This describes an animal’s tail that is permanently cocked to one side. This can be a sign of a genetic trait in some breeds, or a sign of irritation, injury, or spinal problems. Temporary wry tail may even be caused by emotions, such as stress or excitement.
Xanthosis
This is a yellow discoloration in the skin, but not the eyes. In humans it may indicate jaundice or a malignancy such as buildup of cholesterol within skin cells. In strawberries, Xanthosis is a viral disease that causes crinkling, curling, and dwarfing leaves. Fun fact: Xanthosis was the championship word in the 1995 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Yealing versus Yearling
These two words were only one letter apart, so we wanted to feature both. A yealing is the name for a newborn sheep or goat. A yearling is a young horse between the ages of one and two years old. If you’re a Scrabble fan, yealing will score you 11 points, but if you can snag a letter R, yearling will earn you 12 points.
Zoonosis
Zoonosis is a kind of disease or illness that can be spread between people and animals. Zoonotic diseases are caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi carried by animals and insects. Examples include anthrax, Lyme disease, malaria, and West Nile virus infection. People can get these illnesses from contact with animals, but some are more at risk than others, such as children, the elderly, and anyone with a weakened immune system. We’ll cover more information about animal illnesses this fall on the blog, so stay tuned!