3 Dog-Related Mistakes That Can Kill Your Dog!

February 26, 2009 on 3:38 am | In Dog Health | No Comments

Dear Dog Lover,

Did you know you should give your dog a weekly exam? This is the best thing you can do for your dog. It will help you get to know what is normal for your dog. In that way, you can quickly determine if something is abnormal. A weekly head-to-tail exam also helps your dog become comfortable with being poked and prodded, having fingers in his mouth and having his feet handled.

Start with your dog standing.

Pulse: In order to give your dog a weekly exam, you need to know the normal pulse or heart rate for your dog:

Small dogs: 90- 120 beats per minute

Medium dogs: 70 - 110 beats per minute

Large dogs: 60 - 90 beats per minute

The pulse is most easily located on the femoral artery in the groin area. Use your index or middle finger and a watch with a second hand. Put your fingers on the inside of one of your dog’s back legs and slide your hand up until the back of your fingers touch the abdomen. Then gently move your fingers back and forth - on the inside of the back leg - until you feel the pulsing blood. The pulse should be strong and steady. Count the number of pulses in 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get beats per minute.

Body Temperature: The normal body temperature of a dog is 101 F or 38.0 C. A temperature of more than 103.5 F (39.5 C) indicates a fever. To take your dog’s temperature, use a rectal thermometer. The thermometer should be basically clean when it is withdrawn.

The Back, Skin and Fur: Your dog’s skin should not be flaky or rough. His coat should be soft and shiny. Excess shedding (not during the spring or fall) indicates any of several ailments. Run both hands along your dog’s body slowly from the base of his skull to his tail. He should not flinch at your touch any place along his back. You should feel no lumps or bumps and his skin should move under your hands. You should also be able to feel his ribs.

The Tail: Don’t forget to run your hand along your dog’s tail. Check for bumps. Look at the base of the tail as this is an area that easily becomes infected or infested with fleas and other parasites. Make sure the anal area is clean. In some breeds, the anal gland can become clogged and must be expressed.

This part of the exam can be done with your dog standing or sitting.

The Eye: The surface of the eye should be clear. The pupil (middle) of the eye should constrict when you shine a light into it. The lens of the eye (behind the pupil) should be clear. A cloudy lens indicates the dog is developing cataracts. Around the eye is the conjunctiva which should be light pink. The eyelids should be free of bumps. The third eyelid in the dog sets at the corner of the lower eye closest to the nose and should not be obvious or pink. There should be no discharge from the eye.

The Head: The ears should be clean and free of waxy buildup. There should be no discharge from the nose. The chin should be smooth and clean with no indication of acne. (Plastic food and water dishes cause an acne-like infection.) Lips and gums should be light pink (except in dogs with black pigment in their mouths like Chows).

The Neck and Chest: In the neck area you will be feeling for lymph nodes. Enlarged lymph nodes indicate a problem that will send you and your dog to the vet. If you don’t feel anything, that is the way it should be! Run your open hand along the base of your dog’s jaw with your fingers pointed up. This is the area of the submandibular lymph nodes and parotid gland. As you run your fingers over your dog’s throat, you should feel the large firm cartilage around his windpipe that is the larynx. Putting mild pressure on that should not cause discomfort or coughing. Then run your hand down your dog’s chest and down each front leg. Behind each knee are also lymph nodes.

The Underside: For this part of the exam, have your dog lie down and roll on his side. Look at his chest and stomach to be sure there are no lumps or red areas. Especially look in the underarm area. Females’ nipples can become inflamed. Dogs can get breast cancer. None of his organs should be swollen so that you can see them from the outside. Look at the sheath of the penis in male dogs to make sure it is clean and there is no discharge.

The whole exam should take no more than 7-10 minutes. Your dog will enjoy the attention. And you will feel good, knowing that your dog is in good health that week.

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