Veterinary knowledge base by Vancouver vets: Pet owner's examination

At our Vancouver Animal Hospital we are committed to our pet patients' heath and well-being.  We strive to share veterinary knowledge with wide community of pet owners.  To this end we present a series of  blog posts devoted to pets health.  The pets health care topic covered in the following posts will help you to learn the signs of a healthy pet and will teach you to recognize animal disease symptoms at the very early stages of  the illness development.

Please note that these posts were never intended or cannot replace the professional advice of a licensed veterinarian.  Our goal here is to help pet owners recognize the conditions when pets are in trouble and make an educated decision when it is the time to see your vet.

The following guide may help confirm a dog owner's suspicion that something is not quite right so that vet advice and medical care should be sought.  Any marked change in appearance of behavior, whether or not it is included in the following list, should be evaluated by your veterinarian or by vets at our Vancouver Animal Hospital.  Redness, heat, swelling, pain, breaks in the skin, masses or growths, bloody or foul-smelling discharge are signs of disease.

Abnormalities That May Be Noted During an Owner's Examination of a Pet

General Appearance

Depression; lethargy; unresponsiveness, loss of balance; loss of consciousness;  alerted behavior.

Eyes

excessive tears; yellow or thick, ropy discharge; holding eyes closed; cloudy; dark or irregular appearance to surface of eye; red or yellow color of white of eye; unusual eye movements; pupils of different sizes; vision problems.

Ears

ears held in abnormal position; scraching at ears especially if pain is evident; foul odor from the ears.

Nose

cloudy, yellow or bloody discharge; dryness or cracking of skin; ulceration.

Mouth

foul odor from mouth; gums bleeding or pale, yellow or blue; cracked, broken or malaligned teeth; ulcers of togue or gums; inability to fully open or close mouth; abnormal tongue movements or inability to move tongue; excessive salivation; difficulty eating, drinking; weak or hoarse voice.

Heart and lungs

difficult, labored or irregular breathing; pale or blue color of gums; persistent panting when not warm, excited or exercising; frequent coughing, gagging, choking; fainting; decreased tolerance to exercise.

Abdomen

vomiting; diarrhea; loose, black or bloody stool; swelling or enlargement of abdomen which does not appear to be due to fat gain; painful or tucked-up abdomen; marked change in appetite or water drinking

Urinary and genital

foul smelling or discolored urine; discharge from vulva in females (unless in heat or shortly after whelping); mammary masses; bloody or foul smelling discharge from nipples; blood dripping from penis; markedly unequal size of testicles; straining to urinate; leaving puddles of urine where resting/sleeping; marked increase or decrease in amount or frequency of urination

Muscular and skeleton

lame, weak or staggering gait; inability to walk in a straight line or up/down stairs as usual; sore neck; persistent circling; loss of muscle size (atrophy); obesity; emaciation; marked loss or gain of body weight

Skin

persistent scraching or licking, crusts or scabs; hair loss; yellow color (jaundice); red spots; streaks or bruises

Contact our Vancouver Animal Hospital immediately if you see any of the symptoms listed above.  Call us at 604 433-5500 to book a vet appointment.