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.
A normal healthy nose should have un-blemished skin, and no discharge from either nostril.
Some abnormalities to look for are raw areas on the nasal skin, which can indicate a bacterial infection. There may be hair loss around the nose, which may be from rubbing the face on the ground. Perhaps an allergy or mites is the cause.
If your dog has a nasal discharge, have a look at whether it is from one nostril or both nostrils. If it is both nostrils, the most likely cause is a respiratory infection or allergy. If it is only from one nostril, there may be a foreign body up the nostril, or, in older animals, he may have a tumor in his nose.
While you’re looking at his nose, just check the skin of his face for any abrasions, rashes or patches of hair loss. These may be very early “hot spots” or acute bacterial infections. They can spread rapidly, so have them treated as soon as you spot them.
The next thing to examine is your dog’s mouth. Lift his lips, and examine them, as well as his teeth and gums.
Some dogs don't lose their baby teeth before the permanent teeth come through. This can trap food between the teeth, which can lead to tooth decay. So, these little teeth need to be removed under general anesthesia. This can be done anytime, but is commonly done at neutering.
If you see tartar on your dog's teeth, particularly on those big back molars, it needs to be removed. Bacteria multiply in the gums under this tartar, and can affect the rest of his body. It also may be painful, and dinnertime won't be fun.
While you’re examining his mouth, look for any abnormal lumps and bumps on his lips or gums. Dogs do get melanomas and other cancers in the mouth, and they can be dangerous. Even harmless lumps can grow quite large, and may get in the way of his teeth and become traumatized.
You can get an idea of how well your dog’s heart is working by pressing on his gums until they go white, then counting the seconds until they’re pink again. This is called “capillary refill time” and in a healthy dog, it should be less than 2 seconds.
The next logical place to examine is your dog’s eyes. The eyes should be clear, with no discharge. Pull down the lower lid and check the color of the conjunctiva. It should be pink, and the white of the eye should be white, with perhaps a few blood vessels visible. You’ll notice a little pink membrane on the inner corner of the eye; this is the nictitating membrane, or third eyelid.
Some abnormalities that are cause for concern are a discharge from the eyes, and reddening of the conjunctiva. If only one eye is affected, there may be trauma to the eye, or a foreign body under the third eyelid. Allergies can lead to discharge from both eyes, or the discharge may be due to infection associated with dust or wind. It’s not a good idea to let your dog hang his head out of the car window while you’re driving - it’s a common cause of bacterial conjunctivitis.
If your dog is squinting and won’t open his eye, there may be a scratch or ulcer on his cornea. This is very painful, and your vet will use a special stain to detect any damage to the front of the cornea. Dogs can develop an enlargement of the gland in the third eyelid. This is called “cherry eye”, for obvious reasons. This needs veterinary attention.
If your dog is elderly, you may notice the pupil is white, or hazy. This is age related nuclear sclerosis, where the lens becomes opaque, and it is harmless. Your dog can still see, but his vision may be hazy.
Moving on to your dog’s ears:
The ears should be clean, and the skin inside them should be pink and moist.Look for discharge from the ear canal, or any sign of pain when you feel the base of his ear.
Dogs often have ear infections secondary to allergies, and they may have very red skin inside the pinna (the ear flap). It may sound a bit odd, but give your dog’s ear a sniff while you’re looking at it. It may smell a bit musty, but it shouldn’t have a bad odor.
You may have seen dogs with a very swollen pinna. This is an aural hematoma, where a blood vessel in the pinna has burst, and the ear flap becomes full of blood. It usually occurs after excessive shaking or scratching of the ear, and is very uncomfortable. It’s a good idea to have it surgically drained, and at this time, your vet can check for any ear infection or other predisposing cause.
The last thing to do while you’re at the front end of your dog is to feel the lumps at the angle of his jaw. On both sides, there is a lymph node and a salivary gland. If you check them regularly, you’ll become familiar with their size. That way, you’ll immediately recognize when they’re enlarged.
Enlarged lymph nodes can be associated with tumors, or with infection in the area. Most people have had enlarged glands in their neck when they’ve had a respiratory infection - the same thing happens to our dogs.
Enlarged salivary glands can occur when the salivary duct that drains saliva into the mouth becomes blocked. This can be painful, and needs veterinary attention.
It can be difficult to know whether you’re feeling a lymph node or a salivary gland in this area. That’s not important, what you need to take note of is the size of the lumps, and whether or not they are painful.
Examine the Body
You can feel your dog’s heartbeat best on the left side of his chest, just behind the point of his elbow. You can not only count his heart rate, but you can often feel any abnormalities of rhythm or a heart murmur if either is present. This gives you good information on his heart's health. His heart rate should be between 70 and 120 beats per minute.
Is your dog overweight? You should be able to feel his ribs fairly easily. Look for a tucked up look to his abdomen. Be honest with yourself and if your dog is a bit generous around the middle, put him on a diet. Obesity can lead to joint disease, heart disease and arthritis. This red dog has a very nice tuck in his abdomen, indicating he’s in good lean condition. Research has shown that lean dogs can live up to 15% longer than obese dogs.
While you’re working on his body, look closely at his skin by spreading the hair. You’re looking for any reddening which can indicate inflammation, or little yellow scabs which may be associated with a bacterial infection.
Check for fleas, particularly over his rump. They can be tricky to see, but you may see signs of flea dirt – little dark grains of what looks like sand on his skin.
Run your hands over your dog's body to make sure there are no lumps on his skin. If you have a female dog, it’s particularly important that you feel each mammary gland. Mammary cancer is one of the most common cancers in dogs.
Watch the rise and fall of your dog’s chest to count his respiratory rate. A healthy dog usually breathes between 18 and 35 times per minute.
If your dog is breathing quickly, he may just be excited. However, an increased respiratory rate can occur when he’s in pain, or when he has a fever. Heart and respiratory problems can also affect respiratory rate, and may also mean it’s harder to breathe. You’ll notice this because his breathing will become quite labored.
Run your hands down each of your dog’s legs in turn, checking for any skin irritation, hair loss or lumps.
At this point, you can palpate, or feel, your dog’s abdomen. Your vet is checking for the size and shape of internal organs, but you don’t need to go that far. You’re looking for any signs of pain or discomfort. Use both hands, one on each side of your dog’s body, and press gently but firmly. A healthy dog won’t show any sign of pain. If your dog is hurting, he may not yelp at all, but just tense his abdomen and tuck it up tight.
Lastly, pull up the skin on the back of his neck and let it go; if it is slow to return to its original position, it can indicate that your dog is dehydrated. Dehydration in dogs commonly occurs with vomiting and diarrhea, but it can also indicate a more serious medical condition such as kidney disease.
Most dog owners dread clipping their dog’s toenails. It’s important to keep an eye on your dog’s nails, so the nails don’t curve around and grow into your dog’s pad.
It’s fairly straightforward to clip your dog’s nails if they are white, you can see the pink blood vessel and avoid it. It’s not so easy if your dog’s nails are black. If you do make your dog’s nail bleed, you can dip the bleeding nail in corn starch to encourage clotting, or press it firmly into a bar of moist soap.
White toenails can be clipped right up to the pink "quick", and with black nails, you just need to take small nibbles until the nail is trimmed. If you’re not confident, do ask your vet or a groomer to do it for you.
Do look underneath your dog’s feet and spread his toes so you can check the skin between them. Dogs who suffer from allergies often have red thickened skin between the toes. If your dog chews his feet, he’ll have hair loss on the top of his toes. This can also indicate an allergy.
The inside of the top of the thigh is where you can check your dog’s pulse. Feel in the groove between the two large muscle groups of the inner thigh. The pulse should be strong and regular. Larger dogs usually have slower resting heart rates than smaller animals.
The Tail End
You’re just about finished your dog’s examination, and hopefully you’ve not found any abnormalities. Let’s look at the rear end of your dog, and what you need to keep an eye on there.
You’d be aware that veterinarian’s take a dog’s temperature in the rectum. You really don’t need to do this, because if your dog is behaving normally, is bright and alert and has a good appetite, he’s more than likely to have a normal temperature. However, if you do want to check with a thermometer, a dog’s temperature is usually 99 - 102.5 degrees F, or 38 - 39 degrees C.
Lift your dog’s tail and look at his anus. Yes, I know, not the most savory job, but it’s necessary. A dog has two anal glands in his anus, at the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock position. They can become enlarged and irritated, causing him to scoot his bottom along the ground. They may need to be expressed, and your veterinarian can teach you how to do this.
You may see some tapeworm segments around his anus, and these are likely to be the common flea tapeworm. Regular worming and flea control will keep them under control.
If you own a male dog, feel his testicles. You’re looking for any changes in size, or any changes in consistency. Dogs can get testicular cancer, and the first sign is usually an enlarged testicle, or one that is much firmer than the other.
If you own a female dog, you do need to check her vulva, or external genitalia.
An entire bitch can develop a uterine infection, called a pyometron, and often the first sign is a vaginal discharge. This is a dangerous condition, so the sooner it’s diagnosed, the quicker she can be treated.
If your bitch is spayed, she still needs to be checked. These girls often have a very small vulva, and if they become overweight, it can get a bit buried amongst the excess skin and fat. This can lead to urine scalding around the vulva, which is extremely painful.
Look for any ulcers or blisters on the vulva that can indicate an infection, or less commonly, an auto immune disease.
Run your hands along your dog’s tail, and check for any hair loss along the top. This can be associated with flea allergy. However, there is a specific condition which affects the tail of dogs. Dogs have a gland along the top of their tail, not too far from its base. This gland can become hyperplastic, or enlarged, and the skin can become oily, darkened and crusty. It is usually related to hormones, so it’s more common in un-neutered animals, or those with other hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism.
Don’t forget to keep an eye on your dog’s toileting habits. His feces should be well formed and firm. Look for changes in consistency, such as diarrhea, as well as changes in frequency of bowel movements and their color. For example, black sticky feces can indicate bleeding in the stomach and small intestine, and soft grey feces may mean your dog isn’t digesting the fat in his diet properly. It’s hard to see your dog’s urine, but if he urinates more frequently, appears in pain when he urinates, or licks himself excessively afterwards, these could indicate a problem with his urinary tract.
Conclusion
This guide will help you do a thorough clinical examination on your dog, but there’s no point in just reading it. Follow the steps and get a good idea of what’s normal for your dog. You may even want to keep a journal of your findings, so you can look back and check what you found last time you gave your dog a check-up. That way you’ll be able to know how fast that lump is growing, or when he first started scratching at his ear.
Disclaimer
This information was been written to provide information to help you learn how to do a full and thorough clinical examination on your dog. Every effort has been made to make this report as complete and accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes in typography or content. Also, this information is current only up to the publishing date. Therefore, it should only be used as a guide – not as the ultimate source of information on how to examine your dog for signs of ill health.
The purpose of this report is to educate. The author and publisher do not warrant that the information contained in this report is fully complete and shall not be responsible for any errors or omissions. The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this information.
This information in no way replaces specific advice from your veterinarian. If you have any concerns at all about your dog’s health, please make an appointment with your vet, and have him examined by a professional.
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