To recognise what’s abnormal, you first need to know what is normal

The info here will help you perform a very basic physical examination on your pet at home.

Doing it when there’s nothing wrong will help you spot when something is not quite right.

 

Observation

Before you start the hands-on part, stand back and watch your pet. How does she move around? What is her posture like? What is her gait like? How noisy is her breathing?

 

Head

One way to ensure you do a comprehensive examination, is to start at one end and work your way to the other.

NOSE

Normal:

  • moist and clean

  • minimal noise

Abnormal:

  • discharge (thick, green, yellow)

  • bleeding

  • dry or cracked (lots of old Pugs and French Bulldogs will have crusty noses)

  • very noisy

  • loss of pigment

EYES

Normal:

  • open (when awake)

  • clear, bright and moist eye surface (cornea)

  • equal-sized pupils – and they get smaller in bright light and bigger in darkness

  • whites of the eyes (sclera) is white with some blood vessels

  • light pink and moist conjunctiva

Abnormal:

  • closed, partially closed or frequent blinking (when awake)

  • dull, dry or sunken appearance

  • discharge (watery or thick)

  • pupils unequal in size – and not responsive to different light conditions

  • cloudiness or redness of the surface of the eye (cornea)

  • whites of the eyes looking yellow or red (all red or lots of visible blood vessels)

  • red and/or swollen conjunctiva

MOUTH

Normal:

  • teeth clean and white

  • gums are pink (all one colour pink) – note that black pigmentation is also normal

  • gums/tongue are moist

  • if you press on the gum tissue and then release your finger, it takes 1–2 seconds for the colour to return to pink

Abnormal:

  • tartar accumulation (can look brown or whitish coloured)

  • gums appear pale or red, inflamed, bleeding and bruised

  • gums are tacky or dry to touch

  • if you press on the gum tissue then release your finger, it takes <1 second or >2 seconds for the colour to return

EARS

Normal:

  • ear flaps (pinnae) smooth and held in the normal position for the breed

  • clean and dry

  • almost odour-free

  • canals should be light pink or pigmented and you should be able to see into the top

Abnormal:

  • swellings, wounds, bruising, scabs or rash on ear flaps

  • ear flap being held down or out to the side

  • discharge in/from the canal (dry waxy, wet waxy, black, pus)

  • strong odour

  • hair in the canals (while this isn’t normal, it is common in Poodles or any Poodle cross)

  • canals appear swollen or thickened and you can’t see in

 

Vet examination: In addition to these things, we’ll also look at muscle mass/tone of the head, jaw alignment, salivary glands, regional lymph nodes and structures inside the eyes.

 
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Neck, chest and breathing

Normal:

  • relaxed neck position/carriage with good range of motion (happy to look up, down and side to side)

  • difficult to hear breaths (normal relaxed breaths are very quiet) except when panting

  • small movements of the chest wall during breathing

  • respiratory rates

    • normal rates for dogs and cats range from 15–60 breaths per minute depending on activity level – counting when sleeping is usually the easiest and norma then is ≤30 breaths per minute

    • rabbits normally breath at around 30–60 breaths per minute

Abnormal:

  • head being held out on a stretched neck or neck appearing stiff (elbows may also be out and the pet may not be able to lie down/rest)

  • any unusual breathing noise (eg high pitched, ‘fleshy’ snoring, wheezing)

  • coughing

  • noticeable effort in moving the chest wall (may be very short and shallow or deep/slow)

  • the abdomen can be easily seen going in and out with breathing

 

Vet examination: We’ll look at these things as well as palpate and auscultate these areas.

 
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Abdomen

Feeling (palpating) the abdomen properly does require a good knowledge of anatomy as well as lots of practice in interpreting what the fingers are finding/what the pet is telling you.

This is just a basic examination, where you put your hands on either side of the abdomen behind the ribs and gently (very gently!) press into the abdomen and slowly work your hands from front to back.

Normal:

  • no distension of the abdominal wall

  • no discomfort (note that it’s quite easy to cause discomfort with rough palpation)

  • no bumps, lumps or masses

Abnormal:

  • abdomen feels distended or hard

  • signs of discomfort (eg tensing, groaning, grunting, teeth grinding, going very still)

  • lumps, bumps or masses

 

Anxious dogs will often automatically tense themselves when touched, so it can be difficult to feel their abdomens well. Some cats absolutely hate having their bellies touched, so do be careful not to get bitten or scratched – watch for tail flicking or growling. With bunnies, The most common abnormality of the abdomen is a distended gassy belly that feel like bread dough.

 
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Pulse and heart rate

The easiest place to locate a pet’s pulse is the femoral artery in the groin (upper, inner thigh). To find it, place your fingers around the front of one back leg just above the knee then move upwards until the back of your hand meet the belly. Slowly slide your finger tips back and forth on the inside of the upper thigh until you feel a pulsing sensation.

Count the number of pulses over 15 seconds and times by four to get the pulse rate in beats per minute (bpm). The pulse rate is usually equal to the heart rate (unless there is some fairly serious disease going on).

Normal:

  • a strong, easy to find and going at a regular pace

  • pulse rates vary depending on size, age, activity level and anxiety

    • cats – 100–160 bpm

    • dogs – 60–160 bpm

    • rabbits – 120–180 bpm

Abnormal:

  • pulse is weak, hard to find or irregular

  • rate is slower or faster than normals above

 

Vet examination: We usually get a heart rate by listening to the chest with a stethoscope (we tend to feel the pulse at the same time to see if they match). We’re also listening for odd heart sounds (eg murmurs, arrhythmias) and feeling for pulse quality.

 

Temperature

Yes, this involves the use of a rectal thermometer. Unfortunately, because of the shape of pets’ ears, aural thermometers aren’t accurate.

There’s no special pet thermometer, you can just buy a digital one from a pharmacy.

Taking a pet’s temp is usually a two person job. Get someone to hold your pet, lubricate the end of the thermometer with some petroleum jelly or water-based lube (eg KY jelly), switch on and then gently slide the thermometer into the anus – going in about an inch (or more if your pet is large). Don’t force it! Keep it in place until you hear a beep.

Normal:

  • thermometer is clean (or almost clean)

  • temperature is between 37.8–39.0C for dogs and cats and 38.3–39.5C for rabbits*

Abnormal:

  • blood, diarrhoea, black/tarry stool on the thermometer

  • temperature above or below normal

*Note that there is considerable variability with temperature.

 

Skin turgor

This is a fairly crude test for dehydration. To perform it, pull up a bit of skin over the back of the chest (not the neck) to make a little ‘tent’ and then release it quickly. Watch it return to its normal position,

Normal:

  • the skin snaps back into position slowly

Abnormal:

  • the skin returns to position slowly (over some seconds) or remains tented

Older, thinner pets often show skin tenting even though they are not dehydrated. We combine the results of this test with the moisture of the gums and eyes to visually assess hydration.

 
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Other

We won’t go into the musculoskeletal, neurological or lymphatic components of physical examination here. These elements are best done by a vet.