What’s in a check up? Yes there’s just too much to tell in one blog, so I’m going to spread this out a bit!
The physical examination may take what feels like just minutes, but there’s a TON of information that we are getting from that ‘once-over’. It’s so much more than just a kiss, a pet and a cookie!
When we go to veterinary school, we are extremely well trained in anatomy and physiology. Hours and days and weeks and months are spent going through the anatomy from what you see at first glance to the smallest details of the nervous system and cellular structure.
So here’s the reader’s digest version, and I’m going to expand on each body system in future blogs. When we do a physical we are looking at:
- Behaviour (overall assessment of the pet’s attitude, which can indicate nervousness or disease)
- Temperature, Pulse, Respiratory rate
- History (eating/drinking/urinating/defecating – any abnormalities that can give us a clue as to what is going on)
- Neurological status
- Lameness issues
AND ALL OF THE ABOVE GIVE US TONS OF INFORMATION BEFORE THE DOCTOR EVEN TOUCHES YOUR PET!
Then we start at the front and work our way back:
- Nose
- Eyes
- Ears
- Mouth
- Throat
- Lymph nodes and other glands
- Heart
- Lungs
- Abdomen (there’s a LOT of stuff in there)
- Reproductive organs
- Digestive System
- Urinary system
- Liver
- Limbs
- Lumps
- Skin!!
So over the next few blogs we’ll break it down into details about everything – and I hope that by the end you‘ll see just how much goes into a physical exam! So much more than just the cookies!
