Home Health Exam

Five things you should do before you call your veterinarian regarding your sick dog.

When your dogs seems sick, and “not like himself,” should you wait till morning, or go to the emergency vet clinic?  Here is a list of 5 things you can do before you call your vet, which will help the vet decided whether you need to bring the dog in or not.

1. TAKE THE DOG’S TEMPERATURE: if you are not sure how to do this, you can ask your vet.  There are ear thermometers which are less accurate, and rectal thermometers for different size dogs.

2. NOTE THE DOG’S TEMPERATURE: always write down the temperature and the time.  This definitely is helpful for you to monitor the temperature, but it is very helpful for the veterinarian as well.

3. CHECK THE COLOR AND WETNESS OF THE DOG’S GUMS: if your dog is not feeling well, the color of the gums may change.  A health dog (depending on breed) can have pink, or bluish gums, and they should be glossy and wet.  Unhealthy gums:

• pale or white – dog may be in or nearing shock
• brick-red: dog may have fever or heat stroke
• yellowish: dog may be jaundiced
• sticky or dry: dog may be dehydrated

4. CHECK HIS CAPILLARY REFILL TIME: doing this is very easy.  All you have to do is see how long it takes for the blood to rush back into a spot that you press on his gums.  The color should return back to normal within a second.

5. MAKE SURE YOUR ARE ABLE TO DESCRIBE ANY DEVIATIONS IN YOUR DOG’S DIET, ELIMINATION PATTERN, AND DEMEANOR: this means you should be able to tell your vet the brand of food and snacks that your dog is usually fed and the times of the dogs meals.

hopefully these 5 steps will help you in case your dog is not feeling too well

information found in January 2012 issue of The Whole Dog Journal
article written by Nancy Kerns