Wellness exams - why do them?
How often does your dog see the veterinarian? Does he/she see the veterinarian for Wellness exams/Annual visits or only when he/she is ill? These are important questions when it comes down to the
longevity of your pets life. Pets live longer, and healthier lives if
they see there veterinarian annually for wellness exams. Early
recognition of disease, along with keeping your pet fit are the keys
to prolonging pets lives. This is achieved by having a skilled
veterinarian do a complete physical exam, screening blood tests, urine
analysis, and fecal exams annually.
Complete physical exams involve a visual or manual (feeling and
palpating body parts) inspection of the entire body. This doesn't take long but can reveal many hidden problems. A routine exam starts
at the nose and ends at the toes. Lets go though an exam and see what
the veterinarian is looking for:
Nose: visual inspection of the start of the respiratory system
looking for any crusts or discharges.
Eyes: Complete exam of the eye and the tissues surrounding the
eyes. Inspection of the cornea (surface of the eye) and the internal
structure of the eye. Looking for any redness, irritation, changes in
the pupil size, presence of changes in the lens (cataracts), checking
tear production, and checking the pressure in the eye to screen for
glaucoma (certain breeds of dogs are prone to glaucoma).
Ears: visual inspection of the pinna (ear flap), and the ear
canals. Checking for the presence of any discharge, hair in canals and
inspection of the tympanic membrane (ear drum) to identify any
swelling deep in the canal.
Auscultation of the chest: (listening to the chest with a
stethascope) Listening for normal or abnormal cardiac sounds (murmurs
or irregular cardiac rythm) and normal and abnormal lung sounds.
Palpation of the abdomen: Feeling the internal organs in the
abdominal cavity. Many organs can be felt and evaluated for
enlargement or abnormal shape, also how comfortable the dog is upon
palpation.
Evaluation of the skeletal system: Feeling and manipulating all
joints and bones for signs of swelling, and/or pain. All joints are
evaluated for range of motion, and the gait is evaluated for any
subtle lameness.
Rectal palpation: Evaluating the end of the gastrointestinal
system and the anal glands for evidence of infection or any abnormal
growths. Male dogs are evaluated for enlargement of the prostate gland.
Oral exam: Teeth and gums evaluated for evidence of dental
tartar, gingivitis, periodontal disease, fractured teeth or any growths in the
mouth.
Skin and the surface of the entire dog: looking for evidence of
any skin diseases, growths, and any evidence of external parasites.
As pets age we, as owners, don't always recognize the subtle
symptoms that our pets exhibit. We commonly say "oh the dog is just getting
old". Many times organ changes are very subtle and dogs may not show
any signs of disease. Wellness blood and urine panels can and should
be done annually and even biannually in an elderly dog. These panels
are done to screen for hidden organ disease. Many organ systems show
signs of aging over time. Trends on yearly blood tests lead
veterinarians in diagnosing disease early. Some common abnormalities
that are seen on these tests are protein in the urine, subclinical
(before dogs start showing symptoms) urinary tract infections,
hypothyroidism, anemia, elevation in liver enzymes and occasionally
diabetes. Many times an elevation in an enzyme or metabolite, may not
diagnose a specific disease but may lead the veterinarian to do
specific testing for a more hidden disease process. Early recognition
of a disease process allows us to change a pets diet and lifestyle and
allows us to intervene early with medication to limit damage to that
particular organ system. Some pets may need nutritional suppliments,
some may need specific nutrients added to the diet and some may
actually require specific drug therapy.
At what age should we start performing annual wellness blood and
urine tests?
In theory any animal can begin showing signs of disease
at any age. Most young dogs will have perfectly normal blood test
results but there is a small percentage of dogs that have some
inherited organ defects and unless we look for them will will not see
them. Certainly any dog that is to have an anesthetic procedure
(including spay and neuter) should have blood tests done to screen for
underlying organ dysfunction. Anesthetic procedures always carry some
risk, the only way to minimize the risk is to rule out hidden organ
dysfunction.
When is a dog considered elderly?
It comes down to the
size of the dog. A large breed dog at 7 years old is considered an
older dog than a small breed dog at the same age. Small breed dogs
are generally considered elderly at 10 years and above. It is ideal
to perform blood tests annually, starting at a young age, to primarily
watch for trends in that particular pet's blood results. It is more
essential to have these tests done as your pet becomes older since we,
as veterinarians, expect to see changes as the dog gets older. Again
the goal is to diagnose a disease process as early as possible so that
we can prolong a pet's life.
There are a few other tests that the veterinarian may perform as
part of an wellness exam. These include :
- Checking a dog's Blood pressure
(checking for hypertension, an under diagnosed hidden disease),
- Tonometery (checking the pressure inside the eye, certain breeds of
dog's are prone to glaucoma)
- ECG (checking the electrical conduction
of the heart),and a Schirmer tear test (tests for tear production of
the eye).
Most importantly you as an owner should be having
discussions with your veterinarian on which tests are the most
important and the timing of those tests for your particular dog.
Everyone's dog has a different lifestyle and different stressors.
Some dogs are super athletic and therefore will have more potential
for orthopedic issues, some dogs work (search and rescue, therapy,
seeing eye dogs, etc), these dogs will have their own set of problems
and some dogs sit on the couch all day and will be prone to obesity,
and its related disorders. We have to treat all dogs as individuals
and all families as advocates for there pets. The veterinarian
together with the owner will come up with the correct plan for the
proper wellness protocol for your dog.
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Dr. Ellen Leonhardt
Animal General
East Norwich
(516) 624-7500
THIS SITE PROVIDES INFORMATION, NOT MEDICAL ADVICE
Information on this web site is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your veterinarian or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. You should not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. You should always speak with your veterinarian before giving any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement to your dog, or adopting any treatment for a health problem. For any products or services purchased from this web site, you should read carefully all product packaging and instructions.
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