Dr. Andrea S. Freeman, VMD, MS
Living with an animal is special. You form a special bond with them, but also get to know their unique behaviors, routines, and even their quirks. When owners express concern that their pets are not acting themselves, this is always something that I take seriously. Unfortunately, it can take an advanced disease or an awful lot of discomfort for a happy-go-lucky dog to stop eating his favorite treat, playing with a favorite toy, or wagging his tail. And cats can be even more stoic. By the time owners notice abnormalities, some pets can be in the advanced stages of a disease. It’s always devastating when pets become ill, but it’s even more heartbreaking knowing that if we had just detected the disease sooner we might have been able to treat it more effectively. This is why veterinary exams should not be reserved only for sick pets.
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A veterinary physical exam is truly nose-to-tail. It begins with my own observations of my patient – their body language, how they move, and also utilize my senses to smell, feel, and listen to them. Patients who have abdominal pain or back pain stand and move in characteristic ways to prevent themselves from exacerbating their pain. A patient’s breath may exude an odor to alert me of an infection in the mouth, but there is also a characteristic breath smell of kidney failure and another for undiagnosed or unregulated diabetics due to the production of ketones (molecules produced when insulin levels are low). Even from across the room, different breathing sounds can be heard associated with problems of the upper airway (nose, mouth, windpipe) and problems that affect the lungs. With a stethoscope, other subtleties can be heard including abnormal heart rhythms, heart murmurs which may suggest the presence of a leaky heart valve or other heart diseases, and also the rumblings of the intestinal tract which may suggest whether food is moving through properly or not. During the exam, instruments are used to look within the eyes and ears to detect other abnormalities. Palpation, the process by which veterinarians methodically feel our patients, allows us to detect lymph node enlargement, tumors in and under the skin as well as within the abdomen and rectum, but also pain, joint swelling, and abnormal movement of a joint that might suggest an injury.
Ideally, the physical examination is normal and when performed routinely with bloodwork to test organ function, provides me with some comfort that all is well. When the physical examination is not normal, it may provide a diagnosis but it doesn’t allow me to determine the most appropriate tests to perform next.
Thorough physical examination by a veterinarian is recommended yearly for all pets. Because pets age much more quickly than we do, twice-yearly exams are recommended for those over eight years of age. Routine veterinary visits allow for collaboration with pet parents to discuss their observations and to determine the best preventative care plan for each individual pet. Early detection of disease allows us the opportunity to treat and cure, or in other cases to at least slow the progression of chronic disease, so that pets can live longer, healthier, and happier lives. And that’s what matters most. https://kindveterinarycare.com/