Annual Exams
It is always nice to know what to expect when you visit the veterinarian. Why? Because nobody likes surprises. So what what is going through the doctor's mind when your dog or cat (or exotic pet) is presented.
Let's just say you came in for your pet's routine vaccinations. Usually this is a good time for the doctor to take a really close look at your pet - a good time to do an annual physical exam.
An exam should contain a history of your pet, including questions about their behavior, appetite, activity level, and any other pertinent information occuring at home. Written notes on the patient's medical chart are necessary in order to maintain a good medical history. So when the doctor isn't probing and pulling, there will be some written data being recorded. Later this information is transferred to a computerized program that sorts and organizes yearly reminders, prescription data, important patient events or surgeries and billing data.
Let's just say you came in for your pet's routine vaccinations. Usually this is a good time for the doctor to take a really close look at your pet - a good time to do an annual physical exam.
An exam should contain a history of your pet, including questions about their behavior, appetite, activity level, and any other pertinent information occuring at home. Written notes on the patient's medical chart are necessary in order to maintain a good medical history. So when the doctor isn't probing and pulling, there will be some written data being recorded. Later this information is transferred to a computerized program that sorts and organizes yearly reminders, prescription data, important patient events or surgeries and billing data.
Skin and coat are really excellent indicators of the pet's health status. Look at this dog's coat and you can see right away that there is something wrong. The coat should be shiny, not brittle and coarse, and the skin should be clean and not greasy or flaky, as you see to the right. Many skin and coat problems are associated with diets of poor quality and during the physical exam your veterinarian should inquire about the pet's diet. A change to a high quality diet can often clear up low grade skin issues. |
Your veterinarian should examine both ears, too. Obvious infections and allergies are problems the owner can see, but often, deep in the ear canal is where infections can start and if noticed early, can be eliminated before they get to the stage where the ears look like what you see to the left. The skin of the ear is a good indicator of low grade allergies in some animals.
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Every good exam includes getting that stethoscope against the chest and listening to the lungs and paying close attention to the heart sounds. The first way to gain information about a pet's heart is to listen. (If your veterinarian seems not to be listening to you while the stethoscope is plugged into his/her ears, don't be insulted!) If any deviation from normal is detected, further workup may be a good idea. A cardiac workup usually entails an EKG to assess the electrical activity of the heart and X-rays or an echocardiogram to evaluate the heart's size and shape. Lungs sounds are important for catching underlying respiratory pathologies.
A careful evaluation of the abdomen must be a part of the physical exam. Every veterinarian has made surprising discoveries while examining "normal" dogs and cats. Many owners were shocked to find out that their pet had only one normal kidney, or was harboring an undiscovered tumor or was pregnant! Bladder stones, for instance, can be discovered during a routine physical exam. So in addition to feeling what's on the outside of the pet, what's inside is just as important.
Every good physical exam must include a look into the pet's mouth -- that is if the pet is willing! Oral hygiene (see our information on dentistry) is one of the most overlooked aspects of pet health care. The mouth can harbor infected gums, loose teeth, objects stuck between teeth, tumors and all sorts of other surprises. And often the pet shows no signs of discomfort from even serious oral abnormalities. Older pets especially may have oral hygiene difficulties that would vastly improve if dental and oral treatment was instituted. Be sure the veterinarian takes a look!
Although the eyes and nose may not need a thorough exam where the veterinarian inspects the interior of the eye or nose with special instruments, at least a close inspection of the visible eye structures and lids is a part of a complete physical exam. Early cataract formation may be detected, any haziness on the surface of the cornea can be detected and inflammation of the surrounding eye structures can be assessed. The most common difficulties are simple irritations that result from pollen, dust and contact with grasses.
Your pet's overall body condition will be assessed during an annual exam. Obesity in pets is a growing concern in The United States, and a diet or exercise plan may be recommended to your pet to keep them happy and healthy. Alternatively, muscle loss or significant weight loss without purposeful effort from the owner can be indicators of underlying disease. Monitoring body condition trends can be helpful in addressing weight loss or weight gain issues before they become overwhelming problems.
The Annual Exam serves multiple purposes, and most importantly allows our Doctors to visualize and interact with your pet at least once per year, in order to treat them the most thoroughly and accurately.
A careful evaluation of the abdomen must be a part of the physical exam. Every veterinarian has made surprising discoveries while examining "normal" dogs and cats. Many owners were shocked to find out that their pet had only one normal kidney, or was harboring an undiscovered tumor or was pregnant! Bladder stones, for instance, can be discovered during a routine physical exam. So in addition to feeling what's on the outside of the pet, what's inside is just as important.
Every good physical exam must include a look into the pet's mouth -- that is if the pet is willing! Oral hygiene (see our information on dentistry) is one of the most overlooked aspects of pet health care. The mouth can harbor infected gums, loose teeth, objects stuck between teeth, tumors and all sorts of other surprises. And often the pet shows no signs of discomfort from even serious oral abnormalities. Older pets especially may have oral hygiene difficulties that would vastly improve if dental and oral treatment was instituted. Be sure the veterinarian takes a look!
Although the eyes and nose may not need a thorough exam where the veterinarian inspects the interior of the eye or nose with special instruments, at least a close inspection of the visible eye structures and lids is a part of a complete physical exam. Early cataract formation may be detected, any haziness on the surface of the cornea can be detected and inflammation of the surrounding eye structures can be assessed. The most common difficulties are simple irritations that result from pollen, dust and contact with grasses.
Your pet's overall body condition will be assessed during an annual exam. Obesity in pets is a growing concern in The United States, and a diet or exercise plan may be recommended to your pet to keep them happy and healthy. Alternatively, muscle loss or significant weight loss without purposeful effort from the owner can be indicators of underlying disease. Monitoring body condition trends can be helpful in addressing weight loss or weight gain issues before they become overwhelming problems.
The Annual Exam serves multiple purposes, and most importantly allows our Doctors to visualize and interact with your pet at least once per year, in order to treat them the most thoroughly and accurately.