Wellness exams are recommended at least once a year, and twice yearly for senior pets.
Many of the veterinarian’s actions during a physical exam are very subtle, and the purpose may not be obvious to the average spectator. While each individual veterinarian may do these steps a bit differently, many important health parameters are being evaluated during a physical exam of a furry friend.
It may not be clear why physicals on a seemingly healthy pet are so important, but pets cannot tell us when something feels wrong. There are several concerns that can be detected on such visits. It also gives you an opportunity to seek veterinary advice on caring for your pet, which can help you keep your pet as healthy as possible between visits.
Getting Started: Your Pet’s Appearance and History
Many people don’t realize the physical exam starts the moment your vet lays eyes on your pet. The way a pet moves, how he interacts with his pet parent and his basic appearance can provide a lot of information to trained eyes.
Most veterinarians start each exam by taking a history from the owner, asking a series of questions that allow pet parents to share their concerns and describe a canine or feline’s daily life and overall well being. Pet parents usually know their pet best, and their observations are extremely valuable.
During this discussion, the veterinarian continues to observe the animal’s appearance and movement. Subtle changes in how a dog or cat moves can indicate musculoskeletal concerns, neurologic issues or even metabolic concerns. Such visual concerns can guide your veterinarian about which areas need extra attention and examination.
The Physical Exam: First Steps
The veterinarian will often start by spending some time examining your pet’s head. When touching the head, your vet is feeling for any asymmetry or inappropriate muscle structure, as well as testing the tone of the muscles of the face and eyes.
A peek in the ears will reveal any inflammation or discharge that may indicate an ear infection or allergies. The tissue and dilation of the eyes will be examined for inflammation, redness, injury or disease. There are also several neurologic parameters being evaluated. In just a few moments of palpating and looking at different areas on the head and face, your veterinarian assesses dozens of health values.
Before moving on to the rest of the body, the veterinarian will also look in your animal’s mouth. This allows the color of the gums to be assessed, a very important clue for finding potential concerns with blood values or bleeding disorders.
This also gives your veterinarian a look at a common source of discomfort and disease for pets: their teeth. Evaluating the teeth and gums is critical for making recommendations on dental care and overall health.
Assessing Your Pet’s Body: The Neck and Abdomen
Moving down the neck, veterinarians palpate for enlarged lymph nodes on the neck and chest area. Lymph nodes are small immune system organs throughout the body that can become enlarged in the event of infection or cancer. Most lymph nodes cannot be felt on physical exam, but some are palpable in this region, particularly when disease is present.
In cats, the veterinarian will also feel for any enlargements in the size of the thyroid, which sometimes occurs in middle-aged and older kitties. Range of motion of the neck may also be assessed, particularly if a pet seems to be in pain.
The veterinarian will also listen to your pet’s heart and lungs. Many heart issues do not result in clinical signs until they are more advanced. Knowing an issue may become a concern can help your veterinarian guide you in what signs to monitor.
Veterinarians will also feel your furry friend’s abdomen. Depending on the animal, this may allow the veterinarian to feel abnormalities in the size or shape of organs or masses in the belly. This can guide additional tests or imaging to evaluate further, sometimes before a pet has clinical signs. Although not always true, typically the earlier organ abnormalities or masses can be addressed, the better the chances the problem can be treated successfully.
Lumps and Bumps: What Veterinarians Look For
As the veterinarian feels over the pet’s body, she is also searching for any skin lumps and bumps. Such lumps may be benign, but again, the earlier bumps are evaluated, the better the chances that disease can be cured.
Lumps are often further evaluated by poking them with a needle and viewing any removed cells under a microscope. Even in your pet has had a lump or bump that was found to be benign, it is critical not to assume future lumps are the same type, as there are many cancerous masses that are indistinguishable from benign bumps without veterinary evaluation.
Assessing the pet’s body in detail also helps veterinarians detect and evaluate other concerns with the skin such as allergies, parasites or infection.
Evaluating the Muscles, Bones and Joints
Your veterinarian will also feel your pet’s legs and back, searching for any abnormalities in muscles, bones and joints. Moving each of the joints can help a veterinarian find areas of pain the pet may be hiding.
This can also help detect abnormalities in hip and knee joints that may result in arthritis over time if left unmanaged. Once changes to the joint start to occur, the process may be slowed or stopped with arthritis treatment, but not reversed. Early detection can provide the best opportunity for future health and comfort.
The Importance of Physical Exams
Preventative care is key for the health of all animals. Many health concerns are best addressed in early stages before a pet starts to show symptoms of the disease. Animals’ bodies are very adaptable and resilient, and some diseases must be quite advanced before a pet shows visible signs or symptoms.
Advanced disease is much more difficult to treat than diseases that are found early in their course. Wellness exams are a key tool in detecting concerns as early as possible and providing the best chance at keeping your pet healthy and by your side as long as possible.