Start at the Head
When your veterinarian does a clinical examination on a dog, they always do it in the same order. That way, it becomes a habit, and they can be sure they haven’t missed anything. You should do the same, and develop your own system of going over your dog from one end to the other. You may prefer to start on his body, and then examine each end, or you may want to start at his rear and move forward. That’s fine. It really doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as you do the same thing every time.
The first thing to look at is your dog’s nose. It’s not true that if your dog’s nose is hot, he’s unwell. This is very much an old wives tale. However, it’s still worth having a close look at his nose.
