Routine At-Home Pet Health Exam

We all know a yearly vet exam is ideal to help prevent or catch any issues your cat or dog may have. But did you know it’s also important to conduct a regular at-home pet health exam? This only takes 5 minutes per week, and can help save your pet’s life - as well as saving you money in the long term! 

Benefits of a Routine At-Home Pet Health Exam 

🏥 There are many benefits to doing a quick full-body checkup on your pet, whether you have a dog, a cat or a smaller pet. A routine check will help: 

 💚 Condition your pet to having various parts of their bodies handled 

 💛 Prepare your pet for vet visits, grooming appointments, nail clips and ear cleaning

 💙 Familiarise you with your pet’s body so you know what is ‘normal’ and what feels ‘off’

 💜 Quickly show you any areas where your pet is feeling pain or discomfort

When to Conduct an At-Home Pet Health Exam 

Ideally, you can do a quick at-home pet health exam as part of your evening routine, when you and your pet are relaxed. It can become a bonding experience when done gently and rewarded with a treat. 

 🐾 Choose a routine time where you and your pet are both relaxed 

 🐾 Keep a diary and photos of any changes in mood, behaviour, habits or issues you might find - this will be helpful for your vet too! 

 🐾 A daily check is always best, especially for young puppies, active pets, older pets, or pets with health issues

 🐾 If you can, try to do this before your toothbrush routine - For more information on tooth brushing, check out our How To Care For Your Pet’s Teeth post! 

What to Check During an At-Home Pet Health Exam

It’s important to check your pet from whiskers to tail, especially in areas you don’t regularly handle during the day. While the list below may seem like a lot, it usually takes no more than 3 - 5 minutes to do a full body check on your pet once you are both used to it. 

🐶 Body - Run your hand over your pet’s full body, including neck, belly, underside, and legs to check for lumps, cuts, rashes, ticks, fleas or any sign of discomfort. Smell their coat for bad or unusual odours, which can indicate allergies, a yeast infection or skin infection. Check for ticks - these can be present all over the body, including armpits or skin folds, face, ears, inside lips, between toes, or under the tail - and contact your veterinarian immediately if your pet is not on tick preventatives as they risk fatal tick paralysis. Check for fleas or flea eggs, especially if your pet is not on flea preventatives. 

 🐶 Feet - Gently check the underside, between paw pads and toes, for foreign bodies, cuts, grazes or growths. Check their nails - if you hear clicking when your pet walks, the nails are too long and may be prone to breaking, embedding in the foot pad, or hurting your pet and yourself. 

 🐶 Mouth - Gums should be an even pink colour and should be warm. Cold, discoloured, patchy, bloody, dark or very light coloured gums. Make sure no teeth are loose. Check the tongue for cuts or sores. Check for growths, such as papilloma and ticks, which can attach to the lips and gum line. Check that nothing, such as bones or sticks, is lodged between their teeth or in their palate. Bad breath may be a sign of dental disease, gastrointestinal issues or illness.

🐶 Nose - Dog noses should be moist and cool, but temperatures may vary. Check for dryness, discharge, sneezing or uncomfortable, noisy breathing. 

🐶 Eyes - Eyes should be clear, pupils the same size, and should be free of discharge, swelling, irritation or excessive tears. Check for ingrown eyelashes, or fur growing into their eyes. Any issues with eyes should be addressed with your Vet as quickly as possible (send pictures by email if you can). 

🐶 Ears - Check for wax-buildup, swelling or strong or bad odour (some owners say their pet’s ear has a sweet smell, like honey, at the early stages of an infection) or excessive hair growth, such as in poodle breeds. Gently clean your pet’s ears by applying a pet-specific ear cleaner to a cotton pad, letting it heat up in your hand a little, and cleaning inside the ear with even pressure. Most pets hate having drops administered right in their ear, but will enjoy a good ‘ear massage’. Any swelling or bad odour will require a Vet’s attention. 

🐶 Weight - If your pet fits on a scale, keeping track of their weight on a regular basis is ideal! Otherwise, if you are able to pop into your vet’s to use the scale and give your pup a treat, this is a great way to positively condition your pet to vet visits - just make sure to check with the receptionist first to make sure it’s a good time to do so, but usually they will be more than happy to greet you with a big smile and a bikkie for your pet. 

🐶 Habits - Write down your pet’s eating and drinking habits - remember, 24 hours without any of these is a serious sign to contact your Vet. Check potty habits for diarrhoea, constipation, mucus or blood. Similarly, if your pet’s urine contains foam, cloudiness, or is dark, these are also causes to contact your Vet. 

Tips & Tricks for At-Home Pet Exams

Many owners struggle with cleaning their pet’s ears, clipping their nails or brushing their teeth at first. You and your pet just need a little time and patience to get used to this routine. Here are a few tips and tricks to make this a pleasant experience for both of you: 

⭐ As with any conditioning, it is always best to begin pets on this routine when they are young

⭐ If your pet finds it difficult to be handled, start with just one or two parts of their body at a time and keep checks brief

⭐ Use gentle, but even pressure when checking a pet - no animal likes to be tickled or prodded

⭐ Run your hand down to the next area you are checking, rather than just grabbing areas at random - for example, run your hand from your pet’s chest down to their paw to check the leg and paw at the same time 

⭐ Reward with food or treats - whether you choose this time to give them their supper in small portions, food will provide a positive reward or a distraction to help make this experience a good one

⭐ Keep it short and if you notice an area causing them discomfort or pain, take a break from that area and come back to it again after a 15 minute break 

At Happy Hounds Dog Walking and Pet Sitting, we care about your pet, from whisker to tail; give us a ring or send us a message to see how we can help you keep your pets happy and healthy! 

Check out our other blog posts for more pet advice and tips.