The Physical Exam...What To Expect Consulting Cat Health News Articles

Cat Health News Articles

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Posted: 19th August 2004

It is always nice to know what to expect when you visit the veterinarianNobody likes surprises so you might want to know what is going through the doctor's mind when your dog or cat is presentedLets just say you came in for your pet's routine yearly vaccinationUsually this is a good time for the doctor to take a really close look at your pet...a good time to do an annual physical exam.

Written notes on the patient's medical chart are absolutely necessary in order to maintain a good medical historySo when the doctor isn't probing and pulling there will be some written data being recordedLater this information is transferred to a computerized program that sorts and organizes yearly reminders, prescription data, important patient events or surgeries and billing dataComputers are an excellent way for the veterinarian to access current information on new techniques, medications and proceduresPlus, as a way to access continuing education references, the computer and Internet have opened up libraries of information on dog and cat care.

A good physical exam includes taking the dog or cat's temperatureNormal temperature for a dog or cat varies between 101 and 102.5 degrees; that's a bit higher than our normal temperatureSo if you see the veterinarian lift the pet's tail up and come at it with the thermometer, don't be shocked! The temperature is taken rectally and causes no discomfort. Every so often a seemingly healthy pet tips off the veterinarian that something isn't quite right simply by having an elevated temperature.

Skin and coat are really excellent indicators of the pet's health statusLook at this dog's coat and you can see right away that there is something wrongThe coat should be shiny, not brittle and coarse, and the skin should be clean and not greasy and flakyThe vast majority of skin and coat problems are associated with grain-based diets of poor quality and during the physical exam your veterinarian should inquire about the pet's diet.

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