Lynelle's Corner

posted: by: Dr. Lynelle Ayotte Tags: "Clinic Specials" "News" 

WELCOME to Lynelle's Corner!  I'm so glad to be hosting a blog over the next few months, whereby I can address issues that pet owners would like to hear more about, as well as focus on more general concerns that I have heard over the years.  

I will be following up these blogs with interactive demonstrations at the clinic, so keep an eye out for the announced dates & times for those sessions. 

Also, please let me know what topics you would like to hear more about and I will do my best to make sure that information is represented.

Let’s start with the home exam.

So many times I have been asked “What can we do at home for our pet?” or “How can I tell if my pet is sick?”.  Well, the first thing is to know what is normal & what is abnormal for your pet.  There are, of course, variations to everything and we always start with the standards.  Normal temperature is 99.0 to 102.5 degrees F.  Normal heart rate is 70 for a large dog to 240 in a cat.  Normal respirations are from 12 to panting (panting can be normal after exercise or when hot,  but not when an animal is at rest).  So, finding these numbers when your pet is healthy and resting will provide you with a baseline of what is normal for your pet.

First, look at your pet.  Are they walking okay?  Any changes in behavior?   Any changes in eating or drinking?  Any changes in urinating or defecating?

Next, you can do a physical exam on your pet, starting with the head and working your way back to the tail.  Is there any discharge from the eyes or the nose?  Do the ears smell or have debris in them?  Is there any odor from the mouth?  Lift up the lips and check the color of the gums (pink is normal but may be hard to tell if most of the gums are black in color); press your finger against the gums quickly and release your finger (does the color return to its normal pink in less than 2 seconds, because this is normal, or is it delayed?). 

How is your pet breathing? (quiet slow rise and fall of the chest is normal;  if the abdomen is rising and falling, then your pet is having difficulty breathing and is using abdominal muscles instead of chest muscles to breathe;  sounds during breathing are also not considered normal).  Does your pet feel unusually warm?  You can take their temperature using a regular human rectal thermometer with some Vaseline on the end that is going into the rectum (the rectum just has to cover the metal end of the thermometer).  Does  your pet’s coat and skin look okay and smell okay?

Remember, if you have any questions at all, just call your vet.  If it is after hours, there are emergency veterinary hospitals available to answer questions or see your pet if necessary.